On August 9, 1945, the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, wiping out most of the city and killing or injuring 150,000 of its 240,000 inhabitants. Since the war, Nagasaki has become a focal center for peace campaigns and people from all over the world come to visit its Peace Park and Peace Museum.
Established in 1955 near the hypocenter of the explosion, Peace Park is a place of prayers for world peace and souls of the atomic bomb victims.
The photo to the left shows John standing in the exact spot where the bomb exploded 1,,500 feet above. Elsewhere, in a very serene setting, a 30-foot statue points with its right hand to heaven, signifying the threat of nuclear weapons and with its left hand extended symbolizing eternal peace. Various other statues donated from countries all over the world line the paths to the Peace Statue and the Fountain of Peace. The Fountain of Peace, dedicated by the Japanese people, is an offering of water to the thousands of A-bomb victims that suffered terrible burns and died begging for water. The fountain sends up a sparkling spray of water in the shape of a pair of wings, evoking the dove of peace.
We also visited the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, which has numerous artifacts, remains, and photos related to the bombing. It was quite a somber experience to see so much of the devastation caused. That feeling was somewhat tempered when we thought back to our visit to Pearl Harbor; however, it is so unfortunate that either catastrophic event ever had to happen. Seeing Nagasaki rebuilt today, it is hard to imagine that the bombing ever took place. To our surprise, we also found the people of Nagasaki to be among the most hospitable we have encountered, and we enjoyed very memorable sendoffs with musical performances by schoolchildren prior to sailing on. Other children were running up and down the dock waving and holding signs "See you again in Nagasaki!" Adults on the dock were waving with just as much enthusiasm.
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