Tragic and Thoughtful Thursday: Japan, Day 3

It's a good day when you wake up in time for McDonald's breakfast. Yes, yes, it's terrible for me, but it sure is good in the morning...in Japan. We got on a fairly early bus bound for Nagasaki. Ah, the title reveal came early this time, didn't it? Well sometimes you gotta give the plot away because it's less important than the message...or something.

The bus ride was about two and a half hours and as time went by, the scenery became increasingly beautiful and dramatic. When we reached Nagasaki I knew immediately that I liked it. On three sides it is surrounded by mountains; the fourth is a beautiful natural port leading into the sea. With a population of about 400,000, it is not too large. It is complimented by a cable car system and copious green parks. There is also that dark fact that nothing there is beyond 65 years old.

Our first stop had to be, after walking throughout town, the atomic bomb museum. Let's be honest--that's the whole reason we came. The fact that Nagasaki was a really pleasant city was secondary. The museum was, as you could already guess, a sad, somber place to be. I can't say it was any more horrific than visiting the Holocaust Museum in D.C., but it was probably pretty equal. It was definitely not a place where you'd crack a smile or a joke. The hardest part was probably watching case studies of the victims. They videotaped survivors' stories and have them playing toward the end of the museum course, like the Holocaust Museum, with equally dramatic effect. By this point on the tour, you know the history of Nagasaki, it's people, the war leading up to the bomb being dropped, etc. But it still hits you every time when you see an old woman talk about her childhood being bed ridden for ten years and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, or a little girl who was trapped under a fallen, burning building whose gnarled, charcoaled mother found the strength to lift up that solid steel beam to free her before collapsing dead.

Let's get something straight though. Let's get deep. Even after seeing a museum pretty fully document the tragedy that took place on August 9th, 1945, I think it was the right decision to drop the bomb. The museum subtly stresses the point that the U.S. dropped the bomb to save lives over the long run, not end them in the short run. The museum in the city where the bomb was dropped made this point, albeit subtly. This is not pro-American patriotism. The reason is this: the Japanese were in the process of murdering millions of civilians during World War II. In the Philippines, in Korea, in China, in Southeast Asia. As the war pushed on in the Pacific, it was clear that the Japanese would not surrender easily, if ever, without drastic action. The fact that they were willing to kill themselves without provocation for their Emperor was a perfect example of this. Gaining ground island by island and invading Japan toward Tokyo would kill countless Americans and Japanese. Many more than those who died in the two atomic bombings. The decision to drop the bomb was, of course, a very difficult one to make, taking months. If you want to talk about pointless bombings and destruction of entire cities, let's talk about Dresden or other parts of Germany that were bombed by the Allies unnecessarily. But I digress.

Ultimately, this museum ends in a time line, depicting the buildup and disarmament of nuclear weapons over the short history they've been available. It stresses that we should strive for a world without nuclear weapons, which I completely agree with. The effects of nuclear bombing are wholly evil and, even now, not fully understood. I would agree that the U.S. dropped the bomb without completely knowing what it would do. Either way it's too late now.

We walked to the hypo center (about 200 ft. away from the museum) and stood for a while at the monument. Although it was in the middle of the city, it was really quiet and peaceful. It was dedicated as a park for prayer and meditation. A remaining pillar of the cathedral that was destroyed (the largest in East Asia at the time) is displayed by the monument for a little more effect. The nearby Peace Park just seemed like an extension of the hypo center with a real rainbow in the fountain and a dramatic sculpture centerpiece. It contained the ruins of the war prison that was destroyed.

Eventually we had enough sorrow for one day and decided to go to the top of Mt. Inasa for an overview of the city. I think it was worth the $14 round trip. What do you think?

We got back to Fukuoka fairly late and had a quick dinner that I forgot the name of. It was a tasty treat, as was the beer that we washed it down with. We stayed mainly on the streets in Tenjin, ending the night with a nice street ramyun and a much needed sleep. Tomorrow would be...Busan.