The day after Mojiko we went on our last excursion in Kyushu to Nagasaki. We packed our overnight bags and loaded up on the train in the morning. Once we got to Nagasaki we dropped our luggage in the coin lockers and bought day passes for the streetcar. The streetcars in Nagasaki were very convenient and I found it was a leisurely way to explore the city.

Our first trip was to the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. (How do they even abbreviate that?) The weather in Nagasaki was completely different than what we had in Mojiko. It was sunny and warm, probably the nicest day we had from our week in Kyushu. When we arrived at the Memorial Hall, we took a walk around the perimeter of the entrance where we passed by the basin of water. I’m pretty sure when the fiber optics light up at night it would be quite beautiful inside the walkway. I didn’t know what to expect inside the museum. I thought the atmosphere would be more somber, but I found it to be very peaceful and serene. It was really a lovely place to reflect and remember the victims. 

Directly next to the Memorial Hall was the Atomic Bomb Museum. The museum was very informative, but I would have preferred visiting it first instead of the Memorial Hall. Some of the images were a little graphic and the stories from the victims heart wrenching. It made me realize how much impact the bomb caused on the people in Nagasaki and how it affected the rest of the world. 

After leaving the museum, we walked over to the epicentre of the atomic bomb. There is a garden that now marks the spot. Sculptures and leftover remnants of the Urakami Cathedral make up the remainder of the park.

We continued to follow the signs in the area which led us to the Peace Park. The park is quite spacious with many sculptures and monuments. After passing through the Fountain of Peace, the park opens up and leads to the Peace Statue. It was fairly quiet in the park that morning, so we took a lot of photos of the area before leaving. 

For lunch we took the tram over to Dejima Wharf where we ate at a restaurant called Nagasakikou. There are tanks right beside the tables filled with fresh seafood. I ended up eating a hotate and maguro-don. It really hit the spot. =)

After lunch we walked over to Dejima and paid the entrance fee to visit the former Dutch trading post. About a third of the buildings were still under construction. I thought Dejima was still an island (since the name is 出島) but the land was actually merged back into Nagasaki years ago. What we visited was purely how it looked in its former heydays.

Since we already covered a lot of ground that day, we decided to head back to Nagasaki Station to grab our luggage. We made a pit stop at the local Bunmeido to buy some castella before heading over. A visit to Nagasaki isn’t complete without picking up its most famous souvenir! After grabbing our bags, we checked into our hotel and had a quick rest before heading out again. 

Later that night we took the tram over to Shinchi Chinatown. Since it was still a little early for dinner, we ended up walking over to the old Chinese settlement sites. There were only a few buildings left in the area, but I’m glad they were still preserved.

For dinner that night we ate a champon course for 8,000 yen. The course was meant for four people, so there was definitely too much food. The only thing I really liked was the champon itself. I always find myself disappointed when I eat Chinese food in Japan.

The last thing we did that night in Nagasaki was take the ropeway up to Mt. Inasa. We originally planned to take the local bus over to the ropeway entrance, but decided to hop on a taxi instead. Once we got to the ropeway and paid for our tickets, we headed up towards Mt. Inasa. It wasn’t busy that night, so there were only a few people in the cable car with us. Already the night view was spectacular.

After we arrived, we headed over to the observation platform. The view from there was just breathtaking. Now I know why it’s rated as one of the three most beautiful night views in the world. The Japanese themselves describe it as the “10 Million Dollar Night View”. What a great way to end the night. =)