Nagasaki

Visiting the A-bomb museum was an emotional and unforgettable experience. The video interviews of survivors touched me especially.

Nagasaki is a beautiful town of parks and gardens. It differs from the other towns in part mainly from the Chinese and Dutch presence in the past. You can see such influence in their architecture.

Quick Tips:

Nagasaki is the most tourist-friendly town in Kyushu. There are clear signs marked in English and Japanese every few metres so there is little chance of getting lost.

Stop by the tourist information booth just to the right of the turnstill at the JR train station and get the map of the town free. English is spoken so communication will not be a problem.

Try their local specialities like the Castilla cake (Dutch influenced pound cake), Champon noodles (Chinese-influenced)from Chinatown.

Best Way To Get Around:

We decided to make Nagasaki a day-trip so we bought a 2-way JR train ticket from Fukuoka to Nagasaki. It costs us only 5000 yen per person (we took advantage of the group discount).

In Nagasaki, we bought a one-day streetcar/tram pass since most major sights are located within walking distance from the streetcar stops.

The site of the nuclear explosion is marked by a black stone column. Nearby are some relics from the Urakami Cathedral. It is now a place to relax and contemplate.

Just north of the Hypocentre park is the Peace park. This used to be a prison but everyone was killed instantly during the nuclear explosion. There are some renmants of the prison wall still.

You can find the Nagasaki Peace Statue completed in 1955, 10 years after the explosion. The sculpture was designed by Seibo Kitamura. The raised arm points to the threat of nuclear arms while the outstretched arm symbolises peace.

The Glover garden now houses some of the former homes of the pioneering Meiji European residents. The centre of attraction is notably Glover mansion, found almost at the foot of the garden.

The easiest way to view the garden is to take the travellator (yes, it has travellators, similiar to those found in airports) all the way up and to follow the arrows, moving downhill.

Be sure to look out for Madam Butterfly on the way down, she is a Japanese singer Miura Tamaki, often known as Madam Butterfly from the opera by Puccini and the little garden across the statue. Most of the shrubs are planted by singers who had won the Madam Butterfly contest.

From the top of the garden, it offers a beautiful view of the city.

Near the foot of the hill is Oura Catholic church, the oldest gothic structure in Japan. It is designated as a national treasure of Japan and has beautiful stained glass windows.

Also known as Spectacles bridge, it is the oldest foreign-style stone bridge in Japan. The arches combined with their reflections in the water earned its nickname.

The museum houses relics salvaged after the A-bomb explosion, it traces the events leading to the tragic day as well as the aftermath. The museum is a poignant reminder to all of the horrors of nuclear exposure.

The small hut is the former home of Dr. Nagai Takashi who had devoted himself to saving the bomb victims until his death from the effects of radiation himself. It is now preserved in memorial to him.

The Urakami Cathedral was the largest church in the east but was destroyed during the nuclear explosion. The present church was rebuilt and completed in 1959. You can view some of the relics in the A-bomb museum as well at the Hypocentre park.