This past weekend, I ventured down to Nagasaki with Heidi and Toshiko. My mind is still reeling with all of the new information it was trying to absorb. I will try to give you a glimpse into the city through pictures and brief captions.

Peace Park: This statue was completed in 1955, ten years after the atomic bombing. The raised arms points to the threat of nuclear weapons and the outstretched arm symbolizes peace. And of course, all of the paper cranes are for peace. The mindset seems to be that peace is the answer to everything and if world peace could be established everything in the world would be grand. However, peace can't be established without the Prince of Peace.

Urakami Cathedral: The original Urakami Cathedral was completed in 1925 after 30 years of labor. It was once the largest church in the Orient, but it was destroyed by the atomic bomb and rebuilt in 1959. The statues in front are remains from the bomb.

Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan: Six European missionaries and 20 Japanese Christians were crucified here in 1597. They were canonized by the Pope in 1862. The martyrs walked from Kyoto and Osaka to Nagasaki, where they died by crucifiction. Inside the church we sang and prayed for persecuted Christians.

Dejima: This was the site of the former Dutch factory. Dejima was a tiny island built in 1636 to isolate Europeans and prevent the spread of Christianity. For more than 200 years it served as Japan's only open gateway to Europe. Here is a model of what it used to look like. It is no longer an island because Nagasaki has built up the area around it (by dumping moutains into the ocean). However, the site is accurate and you can see many artifcates and fondations of buildings from when the Dutch East India Company was there.

Glover Gardens: The former house of British merchant Thomas Glover and other houses from the 19th century are preserved here. It was funny to look at buildings that were so familiar in structure, layout and content. The hillside and gardens overlook Nagasaki Harbor as well. And minus the hawk that tried to attack me (at least my breakfast) twice, it was a lovely time strolling through the roses and houses. There are also statues of Madame Butterfly and Puccini. It is said that the inspiration came from Glover and his Japanese wife.






Oura Catholic Church: This church was built by French missionaries in 1864 and is now the oldest church in Japan.

Confusion Shrine: This is the only Confusion Shrine built by Chinese outside of China. The piece of land that it's on is owned by China, so I guess I was in a little piece of China this weekend:)