nagasaki

as a birthday surprise, johnny boy took me to nagasaki last 'weekend' with our friends gareth and aiko. we left thursday morning and came home friday night. it is an incredibly beautiful city situated in a fjord that runs north to south. the harbor is at the southern end of the city where the river widens to meet the sea.


unfortunately, thursday was one of the coldest, wettest and windiest days we have had so far this rainy season. in the japanese tradition, we were dedicated tourists and didn't stray from our sightseeing plan. we bought new umbrellas and set out. approximately every 90 minutes, we visited the nearest kissaten (cafe) to drink hot coffee or tea and dry out.


we spent most of thursday in the southern part of the city near the harbor. we visited what is now called glover park. historically it was the foreigners' settlement, but also included some government and financial institutions as well. nagasaki was one of the first japanese ports to open to foreigners as far back as the 1500's. it was home to portugese, dutch, chinese and other nationalities of travelers and merchants. becuase of the strong economy founded in trade, the foreigners' settlement also attracted japanese aristocrats and politicians.

glover was a scottish merchant who arrived in the 1800's, married a japanese woman, and who became exceptionally successful. they rebuilt parts of and perfected the foreigner's settlement. they landscaped beautiful gardens covering the mountainside and surrounding the homes and guesthouses. the architecture is beautiful, combining western floorplans and building facades with the elaborate tiled roofs and eaves of japan. from almost any porch, patio or veranda in glover park, one can look out over the harbor below and to the right, north to the southern end of the city.

fortunately glover park is situated far enough south and lengthwise to the northern center that it received minimal damage from the atomic bomb dropped in 1945.

we spent friday - which graced us with beautiful weather - visiting the sites and memorials of the atomic bomb at the city's center in the northern end of the fjord. although it was not the most cheery of birthday activities, i think that everyone should see these things for themselves. there aren't words to describe it, and i won't do it injustice by pecking at my keyboard. i will say that i felt ashamed to be american. i will also say that it was pretty incredible seeing classes of school children playing in the park at the bomb's hypocenter under blue skies waiting to enter the museum on class trips.

after the hypocenter park and the museum, we bought bentos (lunch boxes) and walked up to peace park and ate in the shade. this park contains sculptures embodying world peace donated from countries around the world. it too sits high on a mountainside and provides a commanding view of the city - this part completely rebuilt since august of 1945.