Nagasaki

Friends, I had a great day yesterday. I really slept well for the first time in weeks and awoke refreshed. So nice.

I got up kinda late but still managed to get a load of washing done before I left. So I’ll have clean drawers for a couple of days.

The limited express that took me to nagasaki. These older trains are still miles ahead of the amtrak stock in terms of comfort

The second bomb exploded over this spot in August of 1945.

There was, and are, a lot of Catholics in the prefecture. This is the remains of an important church nearby

I think the tour guide said that this sculpture was made from scrap metal after the explosion

A memorial to the Korean slaves that died because of the bomb. The official verbiage is forced laborers. But slaves, yeah

And another for the Chinese slaves. Also a lot of Korean and Chinese prisoners died.

Inside the hall of remembrance. In the stack at the rear are books with names written down of all the people that died directly and indirectly

Artists and calligraphers update the ledgers monthly

Remains of a hilltop prison very close to the hypocenter

The guy said that the paper cranes are kept for quite a long time. I imagine they’re eventually burned in a ceremony of some kind

After the museum, I did the other thing there is to do there; ride the cable car

All in all a very satisfactory day out

Sakurajima

Its an island with an active volcano! Of course I had to go. Also I have this train pass burning a hole in my pocket, so you know I’ll be riding the train every day.

The bullet train was empty because I beat the crowd. That was nice.

Sakurajima is well known for its incredible soil. It’s not giant radish season, so I didn’t get to try any. Booo.

The locals make beautiful pottery from the ashes. Also, booze is made from sweet potatoes that grow in the area.

Part of the fun of the ferry ride is the udon served on board. The ride is short, and the challenge is to eat the bowl up before you get to the next port. I did not succeed.

Its actually not an island, technically, since 1914. The last big eruption kicked out so much lava it made more land.

Free public foot baths. Yes I put my feet in.

The visitor center had seismographs. Cool!

Its actively sending out ash and gases every day

Yes, I am very good at taking pictures, why do you ask?

View of kagoshima from the volcano’s slope

“Try to avoid getting older if possible”

Travel day to Fukuoka

I took the Shinkansen to the island of Kyushu yesterday. It is always such a pleasure to take a clean, fast ride.

Between food shopping, some personal business, and moving hotels, I didn’t get a lot of sightseeing done.

Here’s what I saw

Okayama’s mascot is called Peach Boy. Here he is being a firefighter

Hilariously large curry tonkotsu. It’s plastic and all, but i would absolutely try to eat this if it was real

At the local shrine. This is a Mikoshi, and its carried around the neighborhood on festival days.

Ohori Park. It’s the perfect size for a walk-around and a coffee

Naoshima Island

Nice day trip to an island that’s been overrun by artists. It’s still a fishing village, but the locals have managed to revitalize the economy. Respect. So many small towns have just up and died.