Labor Day weekend was fast approaching and I decided that it was time for some traveling and some exploring! I had been hearing about the Nagasaki Peace Park since I’ve arrived and since I have my car [2000 Toyota Vitz] it was prime time to check it out.

The drive over was very nice. It is always much slower progress here in Japan because the speed limit is always so slow but it was a very enjoyable day and Kip more Up all Night was playing on repeat so it made the trip even funner.

Here’s a little bit about the Nagasaki Peace Park:

The Atomic Bomb was dropped on August 9th 1945 at around 11am.

[Approximately 40 percent of Nagasaki was destroyed. Luckily for many civilians living in Nagasaki, though this atomic bomb was considered much stronger than the one exploded over Hiroshima, the terrain of Nagasaki prevented the bomb from doing as much damage. Yet the decimation was still great. With a population of 270,000, approximately 70,000 people died by the end of the year.

“I saw the atom bomb. I was four then. I remember the cicadas chirping. The atom bomb was the last thing that happened in the war and no more bad things have happened since then, but I don’t have my Mummy any more. So even if it isn’t bad any more, I’m not happy.”

— Kayano Nagai, survivor

There were many facts that I learned at the Atomic Bomb museum and at the Peace Park. When I first walked in I saw paper cranes lining the walls and found out that there were 1,000 paper cranes strung together leading down to the museum start. After walking inside I saw the screens that show pictures of all of the identified people involved in the bombing and was told that it takes 2.5 hours to rifle through all of the pictures and names. I also saw the glass towers that have sheets with all of the names of the people. It was a very somber museum and a quiet atmosphere. There was much time for thinking and reflection. I saw pictures of the devastation and items that were involved. Atomic bombs cause great destruction.

Paper Cranes Outside

Looping all the way down to the museum entrance

The names of all of the victims are stacked inside here

Afterwards we walked over to the Peace Park to see all of the different countries whom have come together to make statues symbolizing peace. The most well-known statue is of the blue man who is holding his arms in a peaceful manner. As we were walking up the steps to the park you could see bullet holes from bomber planes during World War II. That definitely brought everything full circle for me.