nagasaki
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this is peace park, built right in front of the atomic bomb's hypocenter.
[ these are the remains of buildings that were where the park is now. ]
[ this fountain is decated to the thousands, who's body's were horribly burnt, died due from lack of water. ]
[ the actual place the bomb fell. ]
[ a picture of church that stood at the bomb's epicenter. it was the largest church in asia. ironically enough the city the U.S. choose to bomb had the highest population of christians, thoughout history. many of the people killed we involved the church. ]
[ all that remains of the church is this front door post. ]
[ children make origami cranes continually as a way to remember the tens of thousands of children who died. ]
after the reading the plaque nearby here, it was hard to stay in this area very long. the thought of happened in the place i was standing 61 years ago was too intense.
this area was right near the epicenter and appearently it was the only/closest source of water for the dying people. people flocked this stream by the thousands trying to get just a drop of water. most of them died here, the bodies pilled up and it was no longer a steam of water.
imagine what it would've been like for a minute, it's horrific to say the least. 75,000 people died instantly and 75,000 more died shortly after. that means 75,000 horrificly injured people were left to stumble across the chared earth in agony trying in a desparate in a completely useless atempt to soothe their mamed and burnt bodies. i wont even describe what happens to bodies exposed to a nuclear bomb, use your imagination.. but yes, it would have look just like a zombie movie, only real people, men, women, children, grandmothers, with only hours to live. i dont think there was ever anything closer to hell on earth in human history.
section 2
[ half of this torii gate was destroyed and half withstood the atomic blast. ]
[ this tree was completely burnt from the bomb, but miraculously it grew back and contiunes to live. it was interesting, as parts of the bottom section were completely burnt. ]
[ they several different kinds of streetcars in nagasaki, ranging from old to new. this one is obviously new. ]
[ me riding the ropeway to the top of the tallest mountain overlooking nagasaki and the many islands in the bay. ]
[ this is charoppon, a type of ramen derived from a chinese noodle dish, it is a signature nagasaki food. ]
[ the restaurant where i ate charoppon. ]
[ this is the shrine of the 26 martyrs. christianity has always made it's japanese home in nagasaki and in the late 1600s when the feudal lord outlawed christianity these 26 japanese and foreign christians were crucified. ]
section 3
this is near glover garden. a foreign settlement from back when the dutch had settled in nagasaki to do trade with japan.
nagasaki has always been the point of entery for any foreign influence. it almost touches the korean peninsula. and travelers, particually on the silk road, would simply sail from the tip of korea to nagasaki.
the architecture is interesting mix of western and easter, the structures were made of wood and brick but they used many japanese materials in the process hence the roofs were cover with japanese teracotta tiles. giving the houses a unique look. this area of nagasaki being the farthest from the bomb hypocenter has survived and maintained it interesting foreign influences.
[ these are some of the extremely narrow paths in the residential area, near the dutch settlements, going up the mountain. it was hard to capture just how tight this area was. ]
[ also interesting about this area is that is mixes with the chinese settlements and butts right up next to china town. in the this picture you can see dutch houses, a church, and a confucious chinese temple. ]
[ nagasaki ebisu youth hostel, where i stayed for one night in nagasaki. ]
[ their were many of these types of bridges over this river, surprisingly many of them survived the atomic bomb. ]
this is nagasaki's chinatown.
section 4
temple town.
this area lines the back edge of the city right in front of the mountain. there were a whole line of temples for several miles.
other parts of nagasaki.
[strangley enough, the name of a popular women's clothing store. ]
next city i went to during my trip was hiroshima