Nagasaki, a City of Love and Peace

We went to Nagasaki before leaving Japan, and it was a wonderful decision.  The city is lovely, populated by open and friendly people.  It is spread out but each part is easily accessible by foot or trolley.  On our first day, we visited the Peace Park to take in monuments commemorating the atomic blast of 8.9.1945.  The most famous one is pictured to the left, a towering blue giant pointing to the sky (the threat of nuclear power) and reaching to one side (the arm of peace).  Fun fact: every time we told people in Gifu we were going to Nagasaki, they confusedly attempted to reproduce the pose.   

More striking than the blue man, however, was the monument marking the hypocenter of the blast.  Seen to the right, it is a tall pillar in the middle of a large, low-lying field.  Concentric circles spread from the pillar, creating an emotionally powerful visual.  Nearby is a small piece of the Urakami Cathedral that survived the blast, moved from its location in order to preserve the memory when the church was rebuilt on the original site.


Behind the church ruins (in which you can see both Western and Eastern archaeological influences) is a long alcove meant for hanging cranes in remembrance of the victims.   Before we left Gifu, one of Matt's former students gave us two delicately folded bundles of cranes, one in shades of green and the other in shades of pink.  We took them to Nagasaki and hung them in the alcove as our small offering to the country.  They are the two very small bundles hanging to the left of the bright yellow chains.  It was nice to leave a memento; it felt right.  We could think of no better fate for our cranes.

Very close to the Peace Park we found one of the most famous symbols of the bombing: the one-legged torii.  Walking back behind the new apartment buildings, we found the shrine that belongs to the torii, guarded by two enormous camphor trees.  Amazingly, the trees survived the blast and have been filled-in and preserved as they continue to grow, illustrating the remarkable tenacity of life.

To end on something cheerful, here's a picture of us by the Megane (eyeglasses) bridge.