Nagasaki, Japan

Today I had a much shorter shore excursion than usual, but still saw and learned so much. And we had a hoot of a guide, who kept laughing her head off. She told us she was 72 and was having a ball acting as a tour guide - she had been a teacher for 40 years and now did not have to think about homework! 

As usual, the air was misty as we arrived in port - not good for photos. (In fact it is still foggy as I write this at 1.30 pm local time.)

The first thing that struck me was that like Busan, Nagasaki is nestled between the sea and heavily wooded hills, the green of the trees (and the mists) softening the view of mining activities and heavy industry along the shore. The second was the huge dry docks where submarines were in various stages of construction.  

It was quite intriguing that before we were allowed to pass through to our coach, the port authorities took electronic copies of our fingerprints  - just our two forefingers. That was a first! I presented a little challenge, as it turned out, as my skin is so worn down the inspector had to have several goes before he could obtain my prints. 

The drive through the city up to the top of one of the hills was quite an eye-opener. Unlike Vietnam, mainland China and South Korea, the Japanese drive on the left-hand side of the road. And Nagasaki has small trams trundling down the middle of the main streets, as well as buses, cars and so forth. Apart from these main thoroughfares, however, the roads are very narrow. How our driver got us to the top of the winding road, in some places the way almost completely blocked by construction vehicles, I will never know. Unfortunately, because of them, we could not stop to take photos, although I managed to take a couple through the bus window as we were driving back down. 

Incidentally, our tour guide told us that all drivers over 70 years of age have to place special signs on the front and back of their cars. First year drivers must place different signs in their cars. I wonder how their road statistics compare with those in Australia!

It was interesting to see that buildings were constructed from a far wider range of building materials than we have previously seen and were in a better state of repair, and a far smaller proportion of the residents live in apartment blocks. On the steep hillside, houses located below the road were often seen to have flat concrete roofs on which the residents packed their cars. A very sensible, practical solution to the parking problem! I would add that everywhere was neat and tidy - no litter to be seen! And no graffiti! 

After that, we drove by the spot where the bomb that obliterated much of Nagasaki landed, which is now located in a special small park, and went on to visit Peace Park, which is full of statues - many donated by other countries, and gardens and fountains to promote lasting peace. I was surprised to learn that Japan was secretly developing its own hydrogen bomb in Nagasaki before it was hit, and that Nagasaki was the second target after Hiroshima because that was where Japan was building its submarines.

On the way back to the ship, our guide told us many stories about the history of Japan. One of great interest was the story of a certain Mr Glover, who went to Japan many years ago to set up a business, then stayed there. (I think he was an Englishman.) Apparently he had an affair with a geisha girl and a child was born to them, whom his wife tried to take for her own. This caused the girl to try to commit suicide. The story of the affair inspired a play that was shown in London, which in turn inspired the opera Madama Butterfly. Our tour guide then had us all trying to sing the famous song from that opera - ‘One Fine Day’. None of us would make to grade as opera singers, I am afraid, but it was a great end to an all-too-short but very enjoyable morning.  

Photos 1-3: Views from the ship. The first two show the submarines being built.

Photo 4: View from the bus as it was driving down the hill.

Photos 5-10: At Peace Park.