August 9 1945 11.02am
A B-29 bomber flew across Nagasaki August 9 1945 & dropped its cargo, an atomic bomb, that exploded at 11.02 am. Time stopped. Mainly women & children died, the men were at war. The blast was precedented. Total destruction, extreme heat, wind, radiation. We visited the Atomic Bomb Museum, the peace park & the hypocenter of the explosion. Now the site is absolutely safe to visit & the city has been rebuilt, which makes it for a visitor of Nagasaki all the more impressive. 99% of the city, houses, old historical buildings, temples, churches, everything was destroyed on August 9 1945.
October 2 & 3, 2024
After the emotional visit of the bomb sites & museum, we went exploring Nagasaki for 2 days. The people of Nagasaki have rebuilt their city. As one of the many symbols of the new life & the new generations, last year a new arena was opened. The name of the arena is “Happiness Arena”. The past is the past, we may not forget it, but life comes always back & goes on.
Dejima
Dejima is a small artificial island in Nagasaki, that served as a Dutch trading post from the 17th to the 19th century. For years it was the only trading post between Japan & the rest of the world. Two ships came every summer. The trade was highly regulated by the Japanese government. The area of Dejima has been completely restored as it looked like in the 19th Century.
Nakashima bridges
The Nakashima river runs through Nagasaki. Across the river there are lots of historical bridges. Most of them have been rebuilt several times (last time was in 1982 when most of the bridges were destroyed after a huge cloudburst).
Sokufuji Temple
Sofukuji Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple, was founded in 1629 by Chinese monks. It is one of the oldest temples in the city. Sofukuji is known for its distinctive Chinese architectural style, which is a result of its historical ties to China.
Nagasaki Shinchi China Town
This area in town has been many years a Chinese trading center. Now it’s more an area filled with restaurants and tourist shops. Like often China town looks more like a Disney theme park than like any town in China.
Izakaya
Izakaya is let’s say the Japanese version of a pub. You go there to eat something, to drink something. Yesterday we rolled our dice & went to an Izakaya in the neighborhood of our hotel. Absolutely fabulous. This was no simple pub food, this was culinary art. Looking for a great place to eat in Nagasaki? “ワインキッチン 華花” is the place to go.
More pictures of Nagasaki, click on a pic & scroll:
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