Nagasaki
You may have heard of Nagasaki, yes? The infamous site of the nuclear attack by "Fat Man", the plutonium bomb dropped in August of 1945 during World War II?
The city has been slowly rebuilt and now memorializes the devastation with the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Memorial Park. Below are scenes from both the museum and the park, with its commemoration the brave souls of bomb victims through massive sculptures donated by countries around the world.
Hypocenter of the bomb
Entering Peace Park
Statue dedicated by ______
Commemorating the bomb victims with strand upon strand of 1,000 cranes.
Dejima Island
Days Long Past
This is a small (very small) island in the center of town dating back to the Edo or pre-Tokyo, period. Originally built to accommodate Portuguese Christian missionaries and prevent the propagation of their religion, but today it is a museum of trades long past.
As you enter, this is a model of the island to guide your visit.
My Lucky Day!
In strolling around Deiji Island, we saw a group of lovely young ladies dressed in traditional kimonos. I couldn't not take their photo so asked our guide to inquire if it would be ok. They gladly agreed! They told the guide they were on a "Memory Tour", a traditional trip for students entering their last year of high school. The two fellows below were working in the one of buildings and kindly allowed me take their photo.
Moji and the Senbutsu Limestone Caves
We took a chance and signed up for Windstar's first-ever excursion to the Senbutsu Limestone caves. Supposedly an easy stroll through the caves, just ankle-deep water and marketed as "a photographer's dream." Sign me up!
But it was not an easy stroll, not a photographer's dream. We were provided "water sandals" which, to our great surprise, were Crocs!
The twisting and turning required to maneuver through the narrow passageways in the ill-fitting Crocs was made more difficult than expected.
