Day 8

Another hot day in Nagasaki, but overcast too. We gobbled up our free (bedavar!) breakfast of toast and jam with cold boiled eggs before setting off for the Atomic peace park (after another quick detour to reserve seats on the next train to Hiroshima). I seem to have accrued several hundred bug bites (must be the Nagasaki humidity) and either I'm turning into Popeye the sailor-man or I have a really venomous bite which has swollen on my forearm. On the way we passed by more bridal advertisements and what seemed to be a poster advertising a button which you can press to get a policeman to beat someone for you.

More extravagant dresses

This policeman looks awfully keen to use that truncheon....

The crossing lights have speakers which play the sound of a bird tweeting when the green man lights up. At first it's believable, but it quickly becomes a recognised pattern and sounds very artificial. We took the tram north to Matsuyama-machi and disembarked. Stopping to buy some (surprisingly good) tinned coffee from a vending machine, we climbed yet more flights of stairs and arrived at the peace park.


At the entrance we found the 'peace fountain', with jets of water sprayed upwards supposedly in the shape of a pair of doves' wings.

'Shashin o totte kurema senka?' Nailed it :)

Walking further along the central path we observed statues donated by various nations to represent peace (mostly mothers and children, doves, and people holding hands). At a kind of tombstone further down of the right hand side half-empty bottles of water had been left out, like flowers at a grave. I unscrewed my bottle, poured some on the drier parts of the grass, and left it beside the others. See, one of the most surprising things I learned visiting this park was that many of the victims who survived the initial blast died desperately seeking water (the flash of heat removed it from the lands and poisoned that which was further away).

A tombstone for the less fortunate ones who lived to see the wasteland which remained.

The main feature in the park, the peace statue, is a well thought out piece of art. Clever, but also kind of ugly. The right hand points to the (falling) bomb, while the left hand "points to peace" (not sure what this means). The face is closed in a benevolent prayer for the victims of war, the right leg is folded in meditation, and the left leg is poised to spring into action (to help the needy).

The peace statue at the atomic peace park, Nagasaki

Another, modern looking, piece had letters punched through it that read "Remember winter, spring's welcome consolation". I like the deliberate ambiguity of this sentence. The tone of the place was either sombre or serene, it's hard to know for sure. The wind and the noise of the fountain masked the sound of the city, except for the occasional siren, and the air smelled faintly of jasmine. There is a stillness here, and it is hard to imagine how any adult could enter this place without being moved. I am both humbled by the power of man (and science), and reminded of how much easier it is to destroy than to create.


After leaving the park we took a slight detour to investigate the Urakami cathedral. Nagasaki, being so far west, has had strong influences both from Chinese and European visitors. Some of those visitors were Christian missionaries. During the 1500s the Samurai warlords in charge (Ieyasu Tokugawa and Hideyoshi Toyotomi) outlawed Christianity for political reasons. For more than 200 years following Christians in Japan were persecuted, sometimes brutally. There was not much else of interest to be learned from the Cathedral which seems still to be in use, so we headed onwards through the atomic hypocentre park towards the atomic bomb museum.

Inside the museum I was complimented on my Japanese 'Nihon go no Jose' by the lady at the information counter. How polite (or perhaps disingenuous) when all I had said to her was Konnichiwa. We bought tickets and hired an English audio guide complete with earpiece to wear as we walked around. According to the guide, while Nagasaki was a good target (in the sense that it had a number of naval and munitions factories) the designated drop zone was focused on the commercial centre of the city. With the cloud cover so troublesome, Bockscar (the american bomber) was close to abandoning the mission and returning to base when a break in the weather appeared, and the pilot took his chance. Perhaps, had there been a little more cloud that day 150,000 lives could have been saved, and many others spared suffering. Or perhaps the mission would only have been delayed by one day, but it's hard not to wonder.

This clock stopped at the time of the blast 11:02

American bombers also dropped propaganda leaflets warning of what had happened in Hiroshima, but the Japanese claim that no leaflets were dropped until after the Nagasaki bombing. Both parties have vested interests, so it's unclear which might be true.


As well as the bomb (Fatman) the plane also dropped measuring equipment, to relay information about the scale of the blast to american bases on nearby islands. Nagasaki was a good target for another reason: it had been relatively free of bombing raids at the time, so it was a good opportunity to investigate the, still uncertain, level of devastation the bomb would cause. It seems utterly ruthless, to bomb civilians to test the power of the bomb, but this is the means by which wars are won. I'm sure president Truman was entirely sincere in his wish to defend Americans with a preemptive strike, and who knows what might have happened without the bombings?


I walked a little further inside the exhibit and school children flooded into the museum, obviously on some kind of school trip. There was much playing and laughing, and a few girls surrounded me and giggled as one of their number practiced her slightly-broken English with me. It's obviously really important for children to learn about such atrocities, but I do not think that such untarnished minds are capable of even beginning to comprehend the human agony which occurred in this place. I'm not sure I can. What is worse than the worst feeling I can imagine, based on my limited experience?


Sumiteru Taniguchi, a victim of the blast, suffered severe burns on his back and later got skin cancer. During treatment he often begged to be killed because of the pain. Katsuji Yoshida suffered flash burns across half of his face, and lived suffering discrimination for it. Though illogical, it's natural for humans to shun such ugliness. Had I to interact with such a man I would no doubt feel revulsion, though I would like to think I would stifle the feeling.

The sheer scale of this atrocity is difficult to fully appreciate, but half a day reading about it helps a little

Amidst this nightmare, Dr. Takashi Nagai is cast as a minor hero. Suffering from leukemia prior to the blast, he immediately rushed to assist victims and commence detailed studies on the bomb disease. His records are some of the earliest accurate descriptions of what happened to victims and how to treat them.



Towards the end of the exhibit the problems of the proliferation of nuclear arms is described. The U.S. and Russia both have enough nuclear warheads to destroy the world many times over. France, the U.K., and China are the next biggest culprits. Finally India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Iran were all highlighted as nations where nuclear tests are known or suspected to have been conducted and have not signed the NPT (non-proliferation treaty). Perhaps most troubling, it's costly and difficult to dismantle the weapons, and there are always concerns about the handling of materials.

Even with Obama and Medvedev's 'New Start' both nations will still have thousands of nuclear weapons.

The entire problem is madness. After appeals from eminent members of society like Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell to ban nuclear weapons we should not now be furnished with so many. This museum should be obsolete, but it is anything but.

Leaving the museum we had much to think about, so we headed towards the nearby sports fields to relax. There was a track and field as well as tennis courts, a baseball pitch, and an traditional archery range. Not wanting to be too distracting it was difficult to get a good shot of the archers, but I hope this will suffice:

Papparazzi!!!

Next we went in search of lunch. Though not high cuisine, we decided to try a Mos Burger (which had come recommended to me). I had a burger with some kind of bolognese/salsa inside it (not nearly as strange as I had imagined), with some 'Me-ron So-da' to wash it down.

Yum yum yum! luminous green melon drink.

After the refill we boarded the tram again and headed much further south to the more European district. There was a church and some gardens, but I was mostly uninterested in these since I've grown up seeing so much of them. The school children on their day trips were around again, however, this time filling up the souveneir shops and buying the ever popular 'Steamed Castella' (which is a cake of Portugese origin and is very tasty). Seeing nothing particularly to our liking, however, we returned to the hostel.


Later in the evening we went out to have real Japanese tempura!!! It was incredible. So light. so crispy. I also had this seaweed covered rice ball thing, oh and lot's of Asahi Super dry :) Also, since we bought quite a bit of tempura the owners were nice and brought us "Sebisu" ('Service' - free stuff!).

Wonderfully light fish tempura with seaweed coated rice ball

Well that wraps up the day's events! Sorry if you found it depressing but very nasty things happened and you should know about them!!!! Tomorrow we're off to Hiroshima and planning to visit the floating Torii at Miyajima!


Take care!

Day 7

The sky was cast over with cloud when we checked out from the hotel, which was good because I found that my face and neck were slightly burned. We went to the train station to depart for our three hour journey northwest to Nagasaki. I grabbed a bento box at the station for breakfast. It was the first bad meal i've had in Japan. The tempura type affair was kind of chewy, but the rice balls were fine. Compared to all the other meals I've had so far, however, it was a travesty.

I'm sure that Saigo Takamori would be proud that his face is on this pair of chopsticks.

These train journeys have given me much time to think, to read, to write, and to observe. The Murakami book I'm reading is enjoyable, but not (yet) a masterpiece like that of MItchell's number9dream. Still, it's particularly rewarding to read the vivid descriptions of the plains and mountains of Japan while watching them fly past outside my window. More importantly I have had time to reflect upon the impression of Japanese culture and society I have formed as the first week of this venture draws to its conclusion. Though I am just a visitor here, and my perceptions are likely warped, I believe I have observed the edges of a number of laudable cultural qualities, and a few rather more harmful ones.

The apparent politeness and respect expressed by the staff of shops, restaurants, travel services, and just about any customer service oriented commercial enterprise, is very much to the credit of the nation. The casual disregard displayed by the customers, and my own logical inference, however seem to indicate that the expression of politeness is a mandatory aspect of their work rather than a heartfelt gesture. Nonetheless, the simple repeated acts and words of kindness must serve to reinforce this behaviour in life outside work I imagine. And while the general public have been mostly kind, I suspect this behaviour is more built on social etiquette than considered goodness of spirit. For example when asking an elderly lady for directions to the first hostel in Tokyo, her immediate response was 'i don't know you!', and then she kindly directed us to our destination.

On a related note the depth of bow performed by employees, and the general public, seem to imply a degree of intended politeness. A slight and quick nod, from the neck, seems to convey a perfunctory tone of thanks, while most restautanteers will go out of their way when you leave to stand to your side and bow slightly and slowly from the hips and lower back (which conveys a much deeper sense of gratitude and humility). Despite my first encounter, the elderly members of public have generally seemed to be slightly more polite; sometimes bowing slightly to us in passing, even in a city, or touting a slow 'gomenesai' and waving their right hand (fingers facing forwards) to indicate that they're squeezing past.

Whether meant sincerely or simply a requirement of the job, I fail to see how such directly polite behaviour could be anything but beneficial, and is probably something English citizens should learn to appreciate.

Deeper societal problems exist, I have learned from various sources, in the form of the frequent visits of white-coller workers to izakayas (kind of like bars) and hostess bars (places where men spend money to have women stroke their ego, and only their ego). I'm not convinced there's anything inherently wrong with either of these establishments, but it is apparently common for white-collar workers to regularly and habitually use these services. The first can damage existing relationships (i.e. drunkards, or if a father is almost never at home with his family), and the second could damage men's expectations of their relationships. Likewise the expectations of women are in jeopardy from the endless stream of tv advertisements which seem to imply if they just buy the perfect dress and get married that life will be okay (the bridal shops are everywhere).

Another quality of the culture is the strong emphasis placed on conformity. Signs are plastered everywhere, indicating what you may not do, and almost no-one crosses the road until they see the green man (even if there are no cars and they subsequently sprint because they're late). This is a quality which provides space for behaviors such as the extreme politeness I've witnessed, but the same quality is one which inherently stifles innovation. The idea of entrepreneurial spirit seemed to be much hyped in the political and social consciousness of England when I left, and while I am inclined to dismiss such politicking as a ruse to distract from economic troubles there is no doubt that some entrepreneurs are needed in a society, especially as national boundaries shrink in the shadow of a global internet. A small example can be seen in the myriad, nearly identical, box shaped cars that populate the Japanese roads (Ed is on a mission to photograph every type of car in Japan, claiming that there's probably only about ten anyway). Perhaps the younger generation are slightly less polite because they are being raised in this era of free social media which nurtures self expression and allows a person to 'belong' to a virtual and global community thus diminishing the need for geographic societal conformity. Ask yourself, how many of your neighbours do you know the names of?

But I'm easily consumed by such thoughts and I'm supposed to be describing the rolling hillsides, bamboo trees, and marshlands of Kyushu that flash by. Every scrap of flatland outside of the city is worked into paddy fields or farms of some description. Urban regions sporadically dot my windowscape, but do not seem to impose so harshly upon nature as they do further east. The old, wooden houses look almost like small temples, and a few are nearly as ornate. Occasionally piles of crumpled buildings, or demolished houses catch my eye. I guess the people are less affluent in Kyushu.

Anyway we arrived at Nagasaki around 3pm and headed out to the main street. Walking south alongside cars, trams, and buses, towards our hostel. This city gives a good first impression: active but not oppressive. After a few minutes walk we saw a sign for our hostel 'Casa Noda' by a stairwell. Dragging our luggage up two cramped flights of stairs we got to the communal room and reception. Like most of the hostels I've been to it has an extremely homely atmosphere; people lounging on sofas reading, a hammock beside them unused. Around the corner a table is covered with leaflets and breakfast materials; a liberal spread of knickknacks is thrown across the walls.

We dragged our luggage up two further flights of stairs to our rooms and got acquainted with our surroundings. Pretty nice. The view out of the windows on the left side across the bay is quite something. Here's a night time shot of it for your viewing pleasure.

View from my hostel room

Additionally I was relieved to find that the toilet room (separate from the shower room) contained a super-duper toilet sink:

Thank goodness there's a toilet-sink

But we're not here to admire the accommodation, so we get showered and throw on some new clothes before heading out the door. On the way down I make a point of asking the owner about the local cuisine. He suggests 'Champon' which is kind of like a pork, seafood, and vegetable noodle broth. I would come to find that Nagasaki is rather influenced by Chinese culture, which is heavily involved in the origins of this dish.

We headed south towards a chain restaurant called "Ringer hut" (think pizza hut but for Champon). Anyway it turns out Champon gets served with gyoza a lot. Also this Ringer hut lets you upgrade your Nagasaki Champon from 200g of noodles to 300 or 400g for free, just for asking :D. Arigato gozaimashita. I was especially pleased because two of the sauces available were Soy sauce and Sesame sauce. It turns out that when I had the kurobuta previously it was served with wonderfully light and sweet Sesame sauce (which contains Soy sauce as an ingredient). Anyway this is what it all looked like!

Champon with gyoza (travel blog?? no no no, this is a food blog)

Ed had something which was not the specialty of the region, and thus was punished for his foolishness. He described his slightly glutinous copy of Champon as "less than inspiring". Not to worry, there's always tomorrow!

So after refueling we set off for a nearby point of interest 'Sofukuji temple'. We boarded the nearest tram and headed east. Disembarking at the last terminal the tram driver received our coins in his gloved hand and gave us a very quick 'arigato gozaimashita', perhaps the most commonly heard phrase over the course of the last week.

As usual, after heading in what appeared to be the right direction we found ourselves somewhere other than Sofukuji temple. It was a gorgeous and grand Shinto shrine, however, so we took a look around. Heading around the corner and stepping onto the grass i noticed something vaguely hosepipe shaped in my lower peripheral vision and dismissed the information. Milliseconds later I was stunned as the hosepipe (snake) slithered away and over the edge of the nearby wall. After a second I recovered from my shock 'probably just a grass snake'. Anyway we investigated the rather personal looking, but very large, shrine before heading back down and out.

Another pretty Shinto shrine.

Arriving shortly afterwards at Sofukuji temple the place was similarly impressive, perhaps a little more grand, and of Chinese design (and build).

It seems the Chinese Gods are every bit as fierce as the Japanese ones

After reading the few signs in English, and taking our fill of photographs we headed north again towards Kofukuji temple. Alas, we did not ever make it to Kofukuji, getting lost once again. Instead we found yet another beautiful Shrine and, adjacent to it, a large cemetery.

This place is kind of large

This place is really large!

Wait! where the hell are we?

Yup, we got lost inside the cemetery. But in our defense it was enormous. It wasn't so bad either because the view was Incredible. see!

Nagasaki from the cemetery

Ed pointed out that the contrast between the old shrine and the new city is "kind of like Japan in a nutshell". Perhaps a bit strong, but a very valid point. Time after time we have seen examples of old and new juxtaposed: concrete hotels made to look like temples, huge parking lots directly blocking the view from a shrine, and Shinto priests using mobile phones are not particularly rare sights.

Anyway, we eventually found our way out (after hopping water channels and trespassing through a school yard) and headed back to the hostel. Other than a quick trip to the wharf to check out the night time view that's been it for today.

Tomorrow we go to the Nagasaki Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum.

Thanks for reading!

k

P.S.

For those grammar/syntax bullies out there: I started a paragraph with a 'But', and used the singular impersonal 'their'. Deal with it.