On Apr 5, 2024 we docked at Nagasaki, Japan after traveling 360 miles from Yeosu, South Korea. Nagasaki is located on the northwest coast of Kyushu Island. Kyushu is the southernmost and third largest of the four main islands in Japan. It is bordered by the East China Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Nagasaki has a population of 430,000 people, and is synonymous with the second atomic bombing on Aug 9, 1945.

On our first day in Nagasaki we took an excursion that initially took us to the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park. It was built in 1955 to honor those who died in the atomic bombing (80,000 people were killed directly, with an equal number suffering injuries), and to promote peace. There were many memorials built by countries from all over the world in this park. A Nagasaki native created the statue that is the focal point of the park — a 30-foot tall symbol of the quest for peace (the first picture below).

Our next stop was for lunch where we enjoyed a very nice Japanese lunch served in porcelain bowls containing many different types of food. Fortunately other people on our tour had traveled to Japan before, so they could help us figure out what we were eating. It was all delicious.

After lunch we traveled to Arita, the birthplace of porcelain manufacturing. We visited a local ceramics kiln, and were able to see local artists at work as they demonstrated such techniques as throwing, painting, glazing and firing the material.

At the end of the day, we headed back to the Nagasaki port for the evening.

On Apr 6, 2024, Nancy went into town with two friends that we had met on the ship — Patrick and Winnie. Chuck stayed back to rest and catch up on some things. Their explorations took them to some of the neighborhoods in Nagasaki, the Urakami-gawa River and its “Spectacle Bridges” from the 17th century (because the arches and the reflections in the water look like spectacles), some shopping, and a Japanese lunch.

That evening we left Nagasaki, Japan and started our 504 mile journey across the East China Sea to Shanghai, China. Our time in Japan was marked with beauty (especially with the cherry blossoms in full bloom), history, cleanliness, and a very friendly people. We enjoyed all of our time there.