Nagasaki!

July 20, 2016

Today was our Nagasaki day.  We had booked an excursion to go to the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum, but we didn’t dock until around 2:00 pm.  Since this was our first opportunity to not wake up and get going by 8:30, we opted to sleep in slightly, play trivia (which we did not win, but are starting to notice some themes in the questions – specifically, if Sting, Elvis, or type O blood are your things, this is the cruise for you!), and read in Princess’ “Sanctuary.”  The Sanctuary is pretty much my favorite place on the ship.  It’s this big shaded area in the bow, with tons of lounges and comfy chairs.  And no one seems to talk to each other, so it’s always quiet and pleasant.  Great for reading, or just sitting.

At 2:15, we headed ashore to meet up with our walking tour.  After a few minutes of perusing the souvenirs available at the cruise terminal, we headed off to catch a tram, and then switched to another tram.  Twelve stops, a little bit of walking, and all the uneven stairs later, we arrived at the bonus portion of the tour!  A Shinto Shrine!  Surprise! (I guess that with 8 million gods, the tour designers want to make really sure that we get the gist of what’s going on).  This Shrine was more topical, however, because normally shrines are marked by two vertical posts with a horizontal beam across the top.  This one was one post and half of the top beam, with the other post and beam section having been destroyed when the atomic bomb detonated over Nagasaki in 1945.  Since then, it has been a popular place for people to leave folded paper cranes, which, in groups of 1,000 represent hopes for, and symbols of peace.

After the shrine, we walked to the Atomic Bomb Museum.  The Atomic Bomb Museum was very well-designed, and the displays took you through first the events that immediately preceded the plutonium bomb being dropped on the city, then the impact of the blast of heat that occurred after detonation, then the human impacts of the radiation, and then pulled back to contextualize the two atomic bombs with happened before, during, and after on the world stage.  Generally, the museum’s message was for peace, and for what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to never be repeated.  Outside, there was a monument to show exactly where the bomb detonated above the City.

Right around sunset we hit the Peace Memorial Park, which included both the Peace Statue, and also a number of smaller statues sent as gifts from other countries around the world.  The statue from the United States had seven figures holding hands, forming a sphere, to represent the seven continents, united in peace. 

Again, pictures will come as soon as my internet connection is less expensive!  Tomorrow we’re off to South Korea!