Nagasaki

After Fukuoka, I spent a week in Nagasaki with a friend of mine (Hiro). Nagasaki is a very interesting place with a lot of history, as it served as one of the main ports for trade and that sort of thing. Geographically, Nagasaki is surrounded by hills and is similar to a basin; so, walking around Nagasaki is all uphill and downhill. It is similar to Beppu-shi in that it is very countryside-ish, but much more modern and developed than Beppu-shi.

Of course, I had to go to the bomb museum. Every person should go to the Nagasaki Peace Park and Bomb Museum and gain some experience regarding the tragedy that was the atomic bombing on 9 August 1945. Some of you may be thinking "oh god" at this point, as many of us have grown up our whole lives hearing about the tragedies that occurred during World War II and have since perhaps become callused to such topics. Bear with me on this one. Going to Nagasaki's Peace Park and Bomb Museum is not like reading about the atomic bombing in a history book. They have a very humanistic and emotional feel to them that make them very emotionally moving. Of course, there is history, but there are stories and letters from people that lived through the experience that bring the catastrophe to greater life than in the text books. The atmosphere is very solemn and reverent but very human. I was on the verge of tears at several points.

I was not able to take photos inside the museum, but here are some pictures from the peace park...

Me in front of the Peace Park. ---

Inside the Fountain of Peace. Please view the picture below for the description of the Fountain of Peace. ---

Description of the Fountain of Peace. ---

The famous Peace Statue (currently undergoing re-construction). Description below. ---

Description of the Peace Statue. ---

At the hypocenter of the atomic bombing. ---

The rest of my stay was much more cheerful. I spent most of my time going to random places and just spending time with Hiro, his parents, and other friends. His parents are wonderful people and welcomed me with open arms. His mother, like Hiro, is really funny. His parents were very curious about me ( I may have been the first American that they ever had the chance to talk with) and we talked for many hours everyday. Of course, much of that time was spent overcoming the language barrier, as I don't speak much Japanese and his parents don't speak much English. It can be very fun though. You learn to express yourself in very simple language, and you get REALLY good at communicating through gestures.

Hiro, me, and his parents. ---

A famous shop where you can get REALLY good butaman (bread with pork filling basically). ---

The delicious butaman. ---

Outside Nagasaki's China Town. ---

Nagasaki Wharf. ---

Same as above. ---

A nighttime view of Nagasaki. On the left is Megami Bridge. ---

A closer view of Megami Bridge. ---

On Megami Bridge. Me, Ryu, and Hiro. ---

Hiro is a great friend and I appreciate all that he did for me. Seriously, Hiro, thanks man! This is for you...


Well, that's my short report of Nagasaki. Tsugi wa Hiroshima desu ([Next stop is Hiroshima.]).