Nagasaki

I had to take two trains in order to reach Nagasaki, a city situated on the far south-western side of Japan. Another city that will be best remembered for its devestation during WWII, Nagasaki still offered a remarkable history about it, with a great amount of influence from the Dutch and Portuguese who came to trade and settle within the region. Like Hiroshima, Nagasaki was largely connected via an extensive tram system that ran throughout the city. However, unlike Hiroshima, Nagasaki was an industrial port city that had a much busier, and at times, gritter vibe to it. That wasn’t to say the city wasn’t pleasant, clean, or even beautiful at times, but there was certainly a different feel to Nagasaki. Either way, I had three nights to explore the place.

The hostel I was staying at was near a river that ran through the city, which was home to the oldest bridge in Japan. Called Spectacles Bridge, it gets it name because of the reflection it gives when the rivers water level is high.

Jumping onto the tram, I headed off towards the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and the nearby Peace Park. It was on August 9, 1945, only 3 days after the bombing of Hiroshima, that the second Atomic Bomb was dropped, this time in Nagasaki.  The bomb, nicked-named Fat Man, was significantly larger than the weapon used at Hiroshima, this time containing enough explosive force equivelant to over 21 kilotons of TNT. At 11:01am the bomb was dropped, killing over 40,000, which some estimates reaching over 70,000. The death toll was less than Hiroshima, if only because of the sloping hills  that make up Nagasaki, which helped to disperse some of the force of the atomic weapon. That’s hardly to say that the city was lucky.

The Peace Park itself has less of the lush, open grounds of the Hiroshima Park, but instead contains far more in the way of artistic creations to make its point. The main attraction is this large statue.

The Peace Statue, standing 10 metres tall, was created by a local sculptor and is a symbol of the atomic bombings and the message of peace. The raised right hand points to the sky and the threat of nulcear warefare, while the outstretched left hand signifies peace. The right leg stays in an almost meditative pose, but the left is ready to stand, poised for action to save the people of the world. Although this photo doesn’t show it very well, even the face looks somewhat meditative, calm, and relaxed, almost in prayer but also deep in thought. It was an impressive sight.

At both Nagasaki and Hiroshima, there were these incredibly bright and attractive decorations that I almost dismissed the first time I saw them. On closer inspection, they actually were a series of folded paper cranes strung together to make long, colourful ribbons. A popular Japanese story is that if one folds a thousand paper cranes, they will be granted a wish by the bird, such as long life or recovery from illness. The crane is also a symbol of peace, so it was unsurprising to see such thoughtfulness in the area.

The story was made even more poignant because of young Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who lived near Hiroshima during the atomic bombings. She survived the attack, but was later diagnosed with leukemia, another sufferer from the long-running after-affects of the atomic weapon. Hearing the story that folding a thousand paper cranes would bring good health, Sadako set about trying to achieve her goal, but sadly only made it to 644 before dying. Her school-friends completed the rest of the cranes and buried them with her. The story was so touching that it later lead to the errecting of a statue in Hiroshima, dedicated to her memory.

Not far from the Peace Park was another area that was the site of the hypocenter of the atomic bomb, an open space dedicated to the actual spot where the bombing occurred.

Besides this memorial, there was also other small artifacts from the bombing, such as the wall of a former Christian Church that partially survived the attacks and the original ground level of the time of the bombing. More affecting was this large statue, depiciting a mother holding her child. It was a beautiful and simple reminder that those who were most affected by the bombing were innocent women and children.

After spending some time reflecting in the Park, I made my way towards the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. Sadly, it was another place where photography wasn’t allowed, so all I have are memories of the museum at it’s displays. If there was one overall feeling about the Nagasaki Museum was that it was overwhelmingly more dark and dramatic than the one at Hiroshima. As you enter, the first room is darkly lit, with the occassional flash of light meant to represent the atomic bomb going off. The twisted frame of an old water tower lies in one corner, while a recreation of the destroyed walls of an old cathedral line the back wall. While it wasn’t disturbing or even tense, it was still an pretty dramatic introduction to the rest of the museum.

That said, the rest of the museum was a lot less dark than its introduction, besides containing maps, displays and recreations, the end of floors had some very interesting information about the amount of nuclear tests conducted around the world, and by which countries. It even had a display for those involved in the Madhattan Project and others who helped to drop the atomic bombs, essentially a ‘name-and-shame’. So shame on you (you know who you are). It also had stories from others from around the world who lived near where nuclear tests were made, and the terror and discomfort they often faced. The wall along where these displays were also had extensive information about the steps being taken to stop nuclear weaponry being created, and who were key players in this field.

That night I took the cable-car to one of the summits in Nagasaki, offering amazing views over the city, in particular at night. The cable-car itself is an interesting ride, gliding over the trees and houses that line Mount Inasayama, all while a young woman gives a running commentary about…something. I could only guess it was about the Mountain, the summit, and other things. Once at the top, you walk to a large lookout, and the view is nothing short of breathtaking.

I spent about an hour at the summit, watching the lights of the city slowly overtake the night, while the moon slowly rose over the hills and mountains into view. As my camera is hardly equipped for night photography, these photos really fail to capture the majesty and beauty of the land at night, and is something you truely need to experience for yourself.

The next day I decided to go to Glover Garden, an open-air museum that was formerly the home to many of the Western residents who came to call Nagasaki home. To get there, I ended up taking a very long diagonal elevator that took you towards the top of the garden areas.

The top also gave a nice view of the inner areas of the port.

Although Glover Garden was considered a top tourist attraction, I had only really gone because of that fact. It initially seemed odd to go to Japan and then go sightseeing at the western-influenced houses that made up the site, however I hadn’t fully considered the history of the place. It was interesting to see how Nagasaki became the place where much of western trade and influence came from during the early days of modern Japan, such as Thomas Glover, for who the gardens was named after. A Scottish merchant, Glover married a Japanese woman, had a son, and did much to begin the trade and industrialisation of Nagasaki and Japan, something that few other westerners were able to achieve at the time. I also found out that Kirin, a local beer company, was actually started by some guy from Britain.

The view at the top of the Gardens overlooked Nagasaki port and the many industrial shipyards.

A small pond with the biggest freaking carp you have ever seen.

Plus many tortises, including these fellows who may not be fully aware of the amusement their seating plan.

The amazing home of Thomas Glover and his family.

As you leave the gardens at the bottom of the hill, you come across a hall full of giant floats that must be used during a festival of sorts. Well, that’s what the old movie being played on the projector inside would suggest.

I had finished much of the proper sightseeing activities in Nagasaki, but seeing  it was such a lovely day, I decided to take some time out at the Seaside Park that was along the banks of the port. Open, sparse and quite windy in parts, it was most interesting because of the number of locals flying kites in the area, not to mention the extraordinary number of actual kite birds that were flying around.

In a shady spot under a tree, I laid out on the grass and enjoyed the spring weather. It was also a time to remember that this was my last proper day in Japan before heading back to Tokyo and then on my flight to Hong Kong. I reflected on what the whole trip had been like for me, and it could only be described as overwhelmingly positive. And awesome, mindblowing, breathtaking and beautiful, not to mention… ok, so maybe more than one description.