NAGASAKI, JAPAN

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NAGASAKI - Pretty nice today, sunshine and temperatures in the 60’s. Nagasaki today is about 450,000 people and I was surprised to see they drive on the left. Lots of things to do, but the tour I chose had three stops.

First stop is the Nagasaki Peace Park with the Buddha like Statue of Peace holding out his hand in an appeal to cease the madness of war as he points heavenward with the other to remind humanity of our place in a larger universe and hopefully contain our destructive urges. Our tour guide today is a soft spoken gentleman who observed the mushroom cloud from the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki at 11:02 am on August 9, 1945. He was nine years old and with friends about 25 miles from Nagasaki. The Peace Park features several statues and monuments pleading for peace donated by several nations around the world. The sole American sculpture is from St. Paul, Minnesota, sister city of Nagasaki, the oldest Japanese - American sister city affiliation. The sculpture was donated in October, 1992 and has seven interdependent figures representing the continents and symbolizing global peace and solidarity. The Peace Fountain is dedicated to those who died after the blast in a desperate search for water.

Second stop is the Atomic Bomb Museum. The displays of photographs and relics from the day are numerous and thought provoking. Timelines of events leading to the development and use of the bomb are displayed. It is a site of many school field trips for Japanese students. Both the Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum are only short walks from the Hypocenter Park.

Final stop on my tour is the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture. We were treated to a Japanese play reenacting how the Nagasaki Magistrate carried out trials in those days. The actors were dressed in period costumes. Everything was in Japanese but we were given a translated script. Nagasaki has a long history of foreign trade and the relationships with the Netherlands and Portugal, among others, were important in the development of Japan. Christians had a difficult time and were banned from 1587 to 1865. In 1597, 26 Christians were publicly crucified “as a warning”. The martyrs were beatified in 1862 and a Memorial to the 26 Martyrs was dedicated in the 1960’s.

The city is beautiful this time of year with cherry blossoms all over the place. I’ve tried to capture some of the beauty with my pictures, but it’s so much more impressive in person. The people have been very friendly and welcoming.

I went to Easter Vigil Mass on the ship and later to the “Dessert Extravaganza”, a huge, no calorie (that’s what the chef said) abundance of sweets and culinary decadence.

Tomorrow is our last day at sea and preparation for disembarkation is the task of the day. I’ll be transferring from the ship to Osaka and will post after I’m settled into my hotel there. Happy Easter!

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Photos

PEACE PARK
FOUNTAIN

ST. PAUL, MN SCULPTURE
SISTER CITY

Comments

[Jonathan Dinkin]

Nagasaki-More than a Song
wonderful photo of the cherry blossoms Chuck!