April 8 Nagasaki, Glover, Ferry across Ariake Sea to Kumamoto

Summary:  Morning visit to Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park, Oura Catholic Church, Glover Gardens and homes, Madam Butterfly, Mitsubishi region, lunch sitting on floor in great building, ferry across Ariake Sea to Kumamoto, quiet dinner in hotel with Dick and Leslie.

We wake a bit refreshed and decide not to go home just yet. Steve got out of bed in the middle of the night to write Harriet a letter about a few things--no map, no sleep, no help with bags, etc., but we don't expect that she will be able to do anything about it this time. The morning drive takes us by the Inland Sea to the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park. We celebrate the bright sunny day. Since we visited the peace museum in Hiroshima so we only visit the memorial park here in Nagasaki. It highlights the peace statue, other sculptures, cherry blossoms and azaleas, and the Fountain of Peace.  When the second bomb exploded over Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, at 11:02  AM.  The city population at the time was about 362,000 and 74,000 died immediately.  The 75,000 who died soon after suffered terrible burns and died begging for water.  Nagasaki City and the National Council for World Peach and the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons constructed the "Fountain of Peace" with donations and dedicated it as an offering of water to the victims of the bomb and a prayer for the repose of their souls.

The older generation, like us, approached this place with reverence but the 'youngers' posed with the typical 'V' sign or mimicking the pose of the great peace statue.  After a bit, we decided to try the

youngers mood, with the yoga leg, right finger pointing to heaven and left hand out for peace.  Mirei says it's a promise to the world from the Japanese people that they will never war again.

This Nagasaki area has more European influence than the rest of Japan.  In the late 1500s the Shogun King closed Japan - except to the Dutch, Koreans and Chinese - who could stay in the Nagasaki region. He disliked Christians and in 1597 AD he captured and killed 26 Christians who had traveled out of their designated region. This Catholic church was built to honor those 26.  Mirei, our guide, told us to make note of a small porcelain of the Madonna disguised as the Chinese goddess of mercy so she would not be

destroyed by the King's soldiers.

Japan later opened a bit and in 1865 a Scot named Thomas Glover came to Nagasaki, married a Japanese wife, brought and introduced European technologies, and developed several businesses including the Kirin Beer Company.  These
Glover gardens and homes were bought by the Mitsubishi Company and restored for the public.  Across the water we can see the Mitsubishi ship building facility (there since 1867) which makes the world's biggest tankers and luxury cruise liners.  The view out to sea from the top is spectacular and is the traditional place where Madam Butterfly stood to look out to sea for the return of her loved one, so there's a statue there of her and her young son.

So Nagasaki is beautiful and different. The people look a bit more European, cars must be parked in special rented spaces in garages not near the homes, food more varied.  We enjoy a great lunch  in traditional Japanese style and head for the ferry to Kumomoto.  This ferry has three levels and takes several big busses.  Again, clean and comfortable.  While waiting we exchange our strange pantomime conversation with some young vacationing soldiers from South Korea whose bus was also waiting for the ferry.  No one seems the least bit worried about North Korea's threats, least of all these young men.  

We eat dinner at the Ana Hotel Kumamoto New Sky and post some pictures on the blog… first really good internet service since we left home.  Things are looking up.  We're getting into the flow. Maybe it's like getting 'sea legs' and we're getting our on-the-road butts? Steve still can't figure a way to take his lasix to time things with our fellow normal bus travelers.  He has, however, worked out a way to keep his legs elevated in the back of the bus.  Neither he or Dick find the beds too short.  They both have some knots on their heads from low beams, but that's nothing new.