October 4-6: Nagasaki, the second ground zero

Brendan here.

Since Hiroshima Naomi has made the call that she will not be cycling anymore, for her main mode of transport we have switched to riding ferries and trains around. It is probably a good time to do this as we are now Island hopping again through Kyushu and down to Yakushima.



We seem to be very good at choosing the sunniest days for our traveling and the rainny days for sight seeing. Naomi and I had to catch a ferry back to Shikoku Island and then to Kyushu Island. If you remember we just rode from Shikoku a couple of weeks ago. Japan does not do the direct ferries between major cities. You have to island hop.

We had to wait for our overnight ferry from Matsuyama on Shikoku Island to Kitakyushu on Kyushu Island. We made our dinner on a park bench.



At least we weren't the only ones with the idea to island hop using the ferries. We met a fellow cycle tourist from Germany who landed with us at Kitakyushu. The main difference was that she was riding south while we were going to look for some long term bike parking and lockers to stow our gear while we rode the trains.



October 5, 2008.
After arriving the previous afternoon traveling at 130kmph (a huge difference from the bicycle) we set out to see the atomic sites at Nagasaki, a city surrounded by steep mountains.



The museum was a newer building then the Hiroshima museum and had a lovely layout. We were not allowed to take any photos but it is well worth the visit. The museum draws attention to the actions of Japan prior to the bombing and as with all stories there are heroes who tried to stop the rise of the military government and villains who pushed for war.

Here are some pictures from the memorial hall that was also a beautiful building built under a great basin of water. It is an offering to the souls of the A-bomb victims. The last thing that a lot of them asked for before dying was water. At night approximately 7000 little LEDs will turn on under the water to signify these victims.



The interior contained a library and various items to remember the dead.



The concrete in this building was the most beautiful I had ever seen. Naomi and I were intrigued by the formwork used to get the timber effect in the concrete.
A similar method was used by Kenzo Tange at the Hiroshima museum but there it was left outside and aged rather terribly. Here it was inside and protected from the staining of the weather and just looked gorgeous.



After the museum and hall we visited ground zero. There is a lovely garden here now and a black pillar to mark the exact spot where the bomb exploded above the city.





Then on to the memorial statue. His right arm points to the sky and the threat of nuclear war. His left arm calls for peace and calm.



October 6, 2008.
Back on the train down to Kagoshima where I am now. The inside of these trains feel like an aircraft. They are gorgeous and fast.