NAGASAKI, JAPAN: DEJIMA

Dejima 出島 “exit island” was a small artificial island built in the bay of Nagasaki in 1634 by local merchants. This island was the single place of direct trade and exchange between Japan and the outside world during the Edo period. Dejima was built to keep foreign traders away from the main island of Japan as part of sakoku, the self-imposed isolationist policy. Originally built to house Portuguese traders, it was used by the Dutch as a trading post from 1641 until 1853.

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16may16. Nagasaki, Japan.

NAGASAKI, JAPAN: YOU WILL ARRIVE AT THE SEA ANYWAY

“When you are a young person, you are like a young creek, and you meet many rocks, many obstacles and difficulties on your way. You hurry to get past these obstacles and get to the ocean. But as the creek moves down through the fields, it becomes larges and calmer and it can enjoy the reflection of the sky. It’s wonderful. You will arrive at the sea anyway so enjoy the journey. Enjoy the sunshine, the sunset, the moon, the birds, the trees, and the many beauties along the way. Taste every moment of your daily life.”  ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

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may16. Nagasaki, Japan.

NAGASAKI, JAPAN: PEACE PARK & THE HYPOCENTER

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9.7 meters-high Peace Statue symbolizing Nagasaki citizens’ wish for peace.

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The raised right hand points to the heavens to signify the threat of atomic weapons.

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The left arm is raised horizontally to represent the wish for peace.

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The figure’s eyes are lightly closed in prayer for the souls of the atomic bomb victims. 

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The Fountain of Peace. Meant to form the wings of a dove.

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Brick remnants are all that remain of Urakami prison ~ so close to the hypocenter, it pretty much disintegrated and there were no survivors. 

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Today, a man walks across the hypocenter in the rain.  

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Statue dedicated to the teachers and schoolchildren who perished in the atomic bombing. 

may16. Nagasaki, Japan.

NAGASAKI, JAPAN: THE ATOMIC BOMB MUSEUM


A Nagasaki citizen’s clock that stopped at exactly the time that the  American bomber “Bockscar” detonated an atomic bomb nicknamed “Fat Man” 500 meters above the city of Nagasaki at 11:02am on August 9, 1945.

An aerial view of Nagasaki taken by a US military plane on August 7, 1945. If the people below only knew…


Above are remnants from Urakami Cathedral. Everyone celebrating mass died in there that day. Angels, Saints, rosaries, melted rosaries, and a replica of the face of the church.


May 1945.

July 1945.

1945.

1945.

Replica of the atomic bomb that fell on Nagasaki at 11:02am on August 9, 1945. The creators called it by its code name “Fat Man” because of its design.

Melted coins, melted, decimated glass bottles showing the impact of the nuclear energy.

A Buddhist monk’s robe burnt right through, a man’s shirt disintegrated on his back, a helmet still containing skull fragments, a girl standing over a corpse, and another clock stopping at exactly 11:02am on August 9, 1945.

Takashi Nagai (永井 隆 Nagai Takashi February 3, 1908, Matsue – May 1, 1951, Nagasaki) was a physician specializing in radiology, a convert to Roman Catholicism, and a survivor of the Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki. His subsequent life of prayer and service earned him the affectionate title “Saint of Urakami.” He had suffered from leukemia before the war, but the effects of the atomic bomb exacerbated his poor health. Even though he was also dying, he tended to the people of Nagasaki as long as he could. On his death bed, he continued to write out and issue prayers for the people. He died 6 years after the atomic bomb.

Kind of a slap in the faces of the victims to use that as a sign, Mr. Churchill.


16may16. Nagasaki, Japan.