NAGASAKI, JAPAN!

This morning we arrived in Nagasaki, Japan after a smooth night of sailing!  

Our tour today included a stop at the DEJIMA ISLAND HISTORICAL MUSEUM.  I Googled it and found this little synopsis.  Dave, Michelle and John found it interesting.  (I was clearly outnumbered! 🤪)

I did, however, find the bathrooms to be quite interesting!  Each stall had a child seat attached to the wall to help out all Moms!

And there was a panel of buttons to push with options to enhance your experience.  (I chose NOT to enhance my experience!)  But I did find the seat to be nice and warm (so great on a chilly day) and once I sat down soft waterfall sounds were emitted along with chirping birds! (I kid you NOT!)  All in all, it was a memorable morning!

The second stop of the day was the ATOMIC BOMB MUSEUM.  I don’t want to think about what it says about me, but I do like war museums.  John and I have been to the Auschwitz Holocaust Museum in Krakow, Poland; the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; the 9/11 Museum in New York City, NY and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and we BOTH found them all sad but unforgettable.  The Atomic Bomb Museum was much the same.

This was Dr. Nagai’s tiny home that still stands today.  (We drove by it on our way back later.)

We followed our tour guide to PEACE PARK, the next stop of the tour.  Along the way, we passed the “Flame of Commitment” which is lit on the 9th day of every month commemorating the bombing of Nagasaki.  Today was the 9th of March, so we got to see it burning!

It was quite nice walking around Peace Park looking at all the wonderful monuments that different countries contributed to Nagasaki in memory of the bombing.  (We lucked out weather-wise!)

This monument was contributed by St. Paul, Minnesota, sister city to Nagasaki, called “Constellation Earth.”

The monuments were beautiful.

We walked by The Peace Statue, that had been sculpted to represent the threat of nuclear war and the hope for eternal peace.

The Hypocenter, the exact spot where the bomb actually came down, was close by.

Back on the bus, we passed by several interesting sights.  Urakami Cathedral was originally made of wood, but was later renovated in brick after donations were received.  Several popes have visited this church. Today Christianity makes up only 1% of Japan’s population and was actually banned for many years.

The Cathedral was heavily damaged (but miraculously still standing) after the bombing,

and lost one of its’ bell towers.  Later, a part of the tower was discovered several kilometers away. 

At the top of these steps we saw what was called “The One Legged Torii Gate” a famous, resilient Shinto shrine gate.  While the blast destroyed half the structure, one pillar remained standing, and served as a powerful symbol of survival and peace.  

These statutes, (Jizo Bosatsu) are found along the roads in Nagasaki and are believed to protect travelers and children, especially those who have passed away.  Red is used because it is believed to ward off evil spirits, danger and illness.

The tour bus dropped us off next to the boat, however, we decided to go to Chinatown and find someplace for lunch.  (We were famished after a long emotional morning!)

And did we ever luck out!  After getting some local currency (most of the restaurants there were cash only), we found this little gem.

When we got inside, our waitress told us, “ Only noodles available now.”  So we ordered noodles!  And OMGoodness were those noodles absolutely delicious!

After noodles and beer (and hot Saki for Michelle), we were four Happy Campers!  Dave proclaimed, “Nothing like traveling all the way to Japan to eat Chinese food in Chinatown!”

Later, John and I enjoyed listening to the band playing while John sipped his Old Fashioned  (I held out til later).  We were secretly there to see if a UNIQUE couple onboard would show up —the husband half of the UNIQUE couple told me that they were ballroom dancers.  We wanted to see them and watch them dance.  Unfortunately, they did not show up but the band played great music!

This UNIQUE couple that I mentioned, dressed in UNIQUE clothing each and every day, sometimes changing into another UNIQUE outfit in the evening.  I spoke to the the husband at the Around The World cocktail party, and he told me that his wife was in fashion, he liked to create things (the process brought him joy), and that he had designed many of the pants he wore.  (I’ll try to get a photo because seeing is believing!)  He proceeded to tell me (after I asked) that they had brought TWENTY TWO suitcases and FIVE WARDROBES of clothing!  (You just can’t make this stuff up!)  Each morning his wife declared the color of the day and they would both dress in that color from the tip of their heads to the bottoms of their toes!

On the tour today we met a couple of young Brits who we figured were part of the ship’s crew.  Michelle asked them and they told her that they were none other than our entertainers for tonight’s show!  After a fabulous dinner at Chartreuse (the Foie Gras was AMAZING!), we sat down to watch THIS ONE’S FOR YOU!  Both Brits portrayed Elton John, were hysterical and sang Elton’s music fabulously!  (Great show, guys!)

It had been a wonderful, but heavy kind of day in Nagasaki today.  But it certainly ended on a great note!