Nagasaki

I came home late yesterday from the Kyushu trip, which meant that I didn´t have to go to school today, which meant I had time to study and make this blog post. I´ll split the trip up into smaller posts, because we did so much and saw so many things that this post would be never ending. So I´ll start from the beginning. 

After my first day at school and first meeting with Takayama Chuo Rotary Club, I was picked up by our district´s chairman to spend the night in Gero where he lives. Because driving/taking the train all the way from Takayama early in the morning would be too far. Brennan, a fellow exchange student, was also spending the night. He also has a blog, so be sure to check it out. We ate dinner and later went to the onsen (hot-springs) with the whole family. The trip hand´t even started yet and I was already having a great time.

Next morning we had to wake up at 4 o´clock to start driving towards Nagoya Airport. We finally arrived in Nagasaki after a while. As you may know, Nagasaki is one of two cities in Japan that was completely destroyed by an atomic bomb during WWII. So we started off going to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. It was a very heavy way to start the day.

The monument standing in front of the museum. As soon as I saw the it I knew I was in for some sad feels.

One thing I learned on this trip is that the more creative the poses are in group photos, the better.

A thousand paper cranes.

It´s a bit dark, but there was a grasshopper sitting on the reef of paper cranes.

A selfie right before the mood darkened.

What the bomb looked like, both inside and out.

From left to right: Melted beer bottles and shattered stained glass.

What pieces of wood looked like after the blast.

Left to right: Electric wire and an unknown white substance.

Art inspired by the event

The museum is also a big advocate for peace. We found these outside of the main exhibition.

There was much more to see in the museum than what I have shown here. Many of things were difficult to get decent pictures of, and in addition, I felt that taking pictures of the pictures of the casualties would be disrespectful towards those who lost their life or were scarred forever by the incident. If you ever find yourself in the area I would recommend going. Of course I had prior knowledge about the bombing in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, but going to this museum and seeing everything close up was a very powerful experience. When hearing about what happened to those who died that day, and reading the stories of the survivors,  I almost lost it. It was very enlightening and I´m glad that I got to go. After the museum we toured around Nagasaki.

From the Peace Park

We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant with a dragon in front of it.

The most famous Catholic church in Japan. It was beautiful.

On our way up to Glover Gardens, the old western settlement in town.

When we got to the top there was a pretty sweet view

We also took a pretty sweet group photo. It was so hot and everyone was so tired haha.

Georgia (Australia) and Brennan (New Zealand) walking on Japan´s oldest asphalt road.

Tree hugging a very old tree maybe. Posing with a wonky teddy bear with Logan (USA, to my left), and Jake (Australia, in the middle).

After Nagasaki we rode a bus to the Hakata district of Fukuoka city, where we would spend the night. Our hotel was attached to the Canal City, which is a super cool mall. Later we ate pizza and went to karaoke. unfortunately I don't have any pictures. It was a good time. Peace out, girl scouts.