12-31-10

We got up at 7am to catch a train to Nagasaki. We got to Nagasaki at 10:30am. We took the city trolley, a piece of Nagasaki's public transportation for over sixty years, to the Peace Park. The Peace Park is a memorial to remember all of those that were killed when the atomic bomb dropped on August 9th, 1945. The fountain of peace in the park is a place for all of the souls that died thirsting for water after the bomb. There are also over twenty sculptures given to Nagasaki from various countries. The Peace Statue in the center of the park is a sculpture of this very commanding looking person watching over the park. When we got to the park, it was snowing. This made the park look very peaceful and a place of restoration.

After we went to the Peace Park, we went to the nearby Epicenter Park. This is the place where the bomb dropped, the second time in history an atomic weapon was used. The exact place where the bomb landed has been marked by a tall black marble stone with the date of the impact. Next to this dark reminder of the tragic history of the area is the one corner of the Urakami Cathedral that remained after the bombing. It has been left untouched since that day, it serves as a reminder of the magnitude of the destruction of this one bomb. Part of the wall is charred black from the bomb. The whole Epicenter Park was very overwhelming to see. It was so simple, only the marker and the corner of the church, which served as a reminder that at the time of the bombing the entire area was charred and bare. It was difficult to go to a place that was the place of one of humanity's most tragic events, but I felt like I needed to see it. Refusing to see the dark parts of history will only make you more likely to repeat those events.

After visiting the two parks, we went back to the train station to travel to Sasebo. Sasebo is another coastal town, about two hours from Nagasaki. It is home to rural fishing villages, a USA military base, and the famous "Sasebo Burger" (a very large burger with very fresh ingredients). We were hoping to take a boat tour, but because of the snow, it was closed. We decided to try the Sasebo Burger, which was the best burger I have had in Asia. We went to a nearby local market and walked among the stores. We saw a lot of fresh seafood, including a fish that was at least three feet long.

We took the train back to Fukuoka. We were hoping that there might be a New Year's celebration in the city, but like all of Japanese culture, everything closed early. We were determined though to celebrate the new year, so we went to Family Mart (like 7eleven) to buy some snacks. We then went back to our hotel and we watched Japan's New Year special. There were a lot of comedians, TV actors, and Jpop musicians all together to remember 2010 and look forward to 2011. It was neat to learn more about Japanese pop culture by watching all these artists together. When it got time to countdown, instead of showing a large city like Tokyo counting down, they went to a Buddhist temple where they ring in the New Year with 33 bell chimes on the temple's large bell. I have seen this bell in every Buddhist temple I have been to, but I had never seen a time where they have used it in a ceremony. It was so fascinating that they went to this celebration of the New Year instead of a group of people counting down with confetti and fireworks. It was a peaceful and thoughtful way to begin 2011.