February 16th, 2017 - Nagasaki, Japan

Got off the ship, checked in at the information booth and bought an all-day
trolley pass.

First stop of the day was to the Peace Park founded with the desire for
world peace. Here the Peace Statue's right hand pointing to the sky
symbolizes the threat of nuclear weapons, his flat, outstretched left hand
represents eternal peace, and his eyes are closed in prayer asking that the
souls of the victims may find rest. It somehow seems appropriate that there
would be a rainbow in the water fountain leading up to the statue in this
park. Also displayed here are statues donated from around the world.

On our way to the Atomic Bomb Museum we walked through the Atomic Bomb Hypo
Center, Ground Zero and the remains of the Urakami Cathedral which was
located 500 meters NE of the Atomic Bomb Hypo Center. The Museum is very
moving. One of the first items on display is a clock that was found in a
house and stopped at the moment the bomb hit (11:02 AM 8-9-1945), remains of
another church and information on current stockpiles of nuclear weapons in
the world. The whimsical statue outside the exit of the Museum seems out of
place, but maybe it's' purpose is to bring a lighthearted smile to people
after the experience of the Museum.

Got back on the trolley to take in the 360 degree views of the city and
surrounding areas at the top of Nagasaki Ropeway. On the ride up it was
fascinating to see the houses and old graveyard on the hillsides from above.


Made our way back to the town and over to Kofukuji Temple, the first Obaki
Zen temple in Japan. It dates back to 1620, when merchants from China's Ming
Dynasty began to arrive here. It is surround by a cemetery on the hillside
and if one looks close enough you can see find the cleaning utensils kept by
relatives to keep the graves clean. The second abbot of this temple was
Mokosu Nyoyo, who built "Spectacles Bridge" the earliest stone bridge in
Japan, and a photo stop for locals and tourists alike.

The last stop of the day was to Glover Garden. A Scotsman, Thomas Blake
Glover, known as the father of Japanese beer, came to Nagasaki in 1859 at
the age of 21. He built the house and surrounding gardens on this steep hill
in 1863. At the bottom of the hill was a building with the perfect occupant
"The Storybook Museum".

After many trolley rides and 7+ miles on foot, it was time to go back to the
ship and rest my feet.