Photo/Illutration Students on a school excursion view exhibits at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. Visitors can learn about the threat of nuclear weapons, inhumanity and the tragedy of war. (Photo by Lisa Vogt)

As a bilingual native English speaker, I’m mostly comfy speaking chanpon. Did you know that native chanpon speakers do not just randomly insert words from multiple languages into their sentences? There’s actually a chanpon grammar.

For example, native English-Japanese chanpon speakers from different parts of the world would most likely say, “Me ga suupa ni itte kyabetsu wo pickup shita for yakisoba,” but not, “Watashi went to a supermarket to kau cabbage yakisoba no tame ni.” Really? Yes, trust me — I’m a linguist. Fascinating, isn’t it?

Nagasaki is the place for “international firsts” and “onlys.” Champon is a noodle dish of hodgepodge meat, seafood and veggies in a whitish broth. Like the language, what it consists of sometimes depends on the situation, but there are general rules.

Sara-udon is often made from crispy un-udon-like noodles, and yes, it’s served on a dish. Shippoku is European-Chinese-Japanese hybrid cuisine, usually available only in Nagasaki. The grand prize goes to Toruko rice. What’s Turkish about the pilaf, tonkatsu and spaghetti combo escapes me (especially as Muslims don’t usually enjoy pork).

From the mid-17th century, Nagasaki prospered as the sole harbor open to the West, and Christianity flourished (at least, for a while). International relations with Korea, in the Joseon missions, continued through the Edo Period (1603-1867), and information, culture and goods from the continent flowed in through this interchange.

Chinese and Dutch ships brought silk, sugar, medicines and rarities that circulated throughout Japan to wealthy people who were interested in foreign, unusual things. Back in the day, Nagasaki must have been an exciting place with such exoticism brought about by all the exchanges.

A visit to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum reminded me of how precious and fragile all that was created through the centuries can go up in smoke with the press of a button. The museum weaves the story of Nagasaki before the bomb, shortly after the explosion and it’s rebirth to the present day from the destruction.

I liked that the museum is adjacent to Nagasaki City Peace Hall, which focuses on, what else? Peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons. The place for “firsts” needs to be the last for this.

Chanpon is about inclusiveness and diversity — in language; ingredients for a noodle dish; and people, culture and ideas that adapt, merge and not only harmoniously exist but elevate the whole. An irresistibly attractive fusion emerges from the meeting of distinct pieces. Nagasaki captures this essence wonderfully.

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This article by Lisa Vogt, a Washington-born and Tokyo-based photographer, originally appeared in the July 4 issue of Asahi Weekly. It is part of the series "Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan," which depicts various places across the country through the perspective of the author, a professor at Meiji University.

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