Nagasaki was my favorite destination to date. It exceeded my expectations in every way
possible.
Our day started at a nice pace. Jessie and I ate breakfast and then planned
to disembark the ship and be on our way touring the area. We didn’t know that we had to get tickets to
get off the ship and go through Japanese Immigration. This process took over an hour and I was not
impressed by the unexpected waiting time.
I forgot all about my frustrations once we began walking
along the streets of Nagasaki. It was a
beautiful warm and sunny day. As we went
through the terminal, there was a stand of information guides who greeted us
warmly upon arrival. Jessie and I asked
for a few directions and an old Japanese woman, around 75 years old, gave us a
wealth of information. She was so
friendly and warm we immediately felt at home in Japan.
Walking along the streets we were greeted by Japanese locals
and tourist volunteers. We made our way
to the trams which is the main mode of public transport in the city. We got on the cute little tram which was
filled with people and headed for the Peace Memorial Park. We learned that when taking the tram, you
need to enter at the back and exit at the front. You pay the driver when you exit, which makes
sense but is much different from home.
There were many tourists in a state of confusion over this, which was
quite humorous to watch.
When we arrived at the Peace Memorial Park we were
accompanied by two of the Ship’s crew; Sava and Phil. They joined us as we strolled along and took
pictures. The Peace Memorial Park is
located near Ground Zero of the explosion that occurred on August 9, 1945. This was 3 days after the bomb was dropped
over Hiroshima. The bomb had an
explosive force of 21,000 tons of TNT and exploded approx 1,600 feet above
Nagasaki’s industrial Urakami Valley.
There were 40,000 Japanese who died instantly while tens of thousands
suffered injuries. We learned that there
were 240,000 Japanese living in Nagasaki on August 9th and by the
end of 1945, almost 150,000 had been killed.
The numbers illustrate the immensity of the horrible destruction that
occurred.
The Peace Memorial Park houses the Statue of Peace. This statue is the most famous in the park
because it is a symbol of world peace.
It is 30ft high and is very beautiful.
Surrounding it are two small enclosures.
Inside them are thousands of folded paper cranes. We were told that school children bring these
cranes here in memory of the tragedies that occurred. There were also many other statues and fountains. Amongst the statues, it’s very common to see
bottles and buckets of water. We learned
that there is a reason for this. The
victims of the bomb suffered hugely and one of the side effects of the
radiation was a strong unquenchable thirst.
The water symbolizes the end to suffering and a better life ahead.
Following the Peace Park, we headed to the Shinto
Shrine. On our way, we met a nice old
Japanese man who tried his best to welcome us to Japan. We also met a group of high school girls
inside a convenience store. They were so
cute when we asked to take their photo.
When we arrived at the Shrine, we were blown away at the
beauty of it. There were quite a few
steps required to get to the entrance, but it was well worth the climb. The grounds were immaculately kept and there
were hardly any people there. Jessie and
I strolled through the grounds and got lost in the beauty and tranquility of
the areas. On our way out, we passed by
the cutest family. They were all dressed
to the nine’s and the little girl who was about 2 years old had on traditional
clothing and had two large buns on the sides of her head (think Princess Leah
but cuter). We asked to take her picture
and her parents were charmed. We then
gave the little girl a Canada pencil and her parents kept thanking us. They were so friendly and polite. We couldn’t help but fall in love with this
little family.
Leaving the shrine, we headed to a small market area. This wasn’t on our map, but we decided to
check it out. It was a great little
detour. We found a business that
specialized in Mochi, which are DELICIOUS Japanese desserts made out of rice
flour, red bean or white bean paste and strawberries. Jessie and I were on cloud nine when we ate
them. We also found a Pachinko and slots
hall. Gambling isn’t fully legal in
Japan, and so people ‘gamble’ with tiny silver balls at the Pachinko hall. To describe it as loud wouldn’t be accurate;
it was so loud I’d go insane in about 10 minutes. It was very interesting to experience though. We spent another hour or so wandering the
street and stopping in small shops. It
was very rare that people would speak English, but they made us feel very
welcome through many smiles and friendly gestures.
Leaving the markets, Jessie and I boarded the tram and made
our way closer into town. On the tram, I
sat beside a young girl with Downs Syndrome; she was maybe 6 or 7 years
old. She was looking at me with
curiosity so I decided to strike up a conversation. Her father was right beside her and he helped
by translating. She was so sweet. She told me her name (which unfortunately I
forget) and I told her that she was very beautiful. She blushed and laughed a little. I gave her a Canada pencil and at first she
didn’t understand that it was a gift.
When she understood, she opened up her little purse and let me put the
pencil inside. I got a nice picture of
her right before she and her father got off the tram. As she left the tram, she was waving
enthusiastically at me… such a sweet girl.
She made me miss my students a bit (the good ones at least).
We continued onwards towards the ship and stopped off at yet
another shrine. This shrine is the
Confucius temple and was also a museum.
Here we were able to see a few of the Terracotta Warriors and many other
old relics and antiques. The area was
well maintained and we were able to get some great photos.
As we made our way back to the pier we walked along another
market road and took in the small town feel of Nagasaki. When we got closer to the ship we noticed
many, many Japanese locals standing at the pier and waving at the passengers
already on board. The Japanese are such
warm and friendly people. We went on
board and as the ship departed Nagasaki, there was a high school orchestra that
played a farewell song for us. What an
amazing experience! I can’t wait to come
back to Nagasaki.
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