The train that we took is called Kamome. It looks like a mini bullet train to me. One unique thing about Japanese train is that all the seats can be rotated 180 degree. In other words, when the train change direction, you can rotate the seats to face the front of the train.
We have done some research about Nagasaki earlier and knew that one way to travel around is by the tram. And there is a day pass for the tram. So we went straight to the information centre and purchase the day pass. Before setting out, we had lunch at a food court nearby. As we were walking towards the tram station, we almost "fainted" because there is NO escalator or elevator!!!!! So I had to carry one stroller at a time up and down the stairs!!!!!
That was not all. As the tram is not empty, we had to force our way up the tram with 2 strollers. Trust me, it's really tough........
Anyway, our first destination is the Peace Park. We alighted at the nearest station and started walking towards the direction, as indicated on the map. As we thought we were about to reach, we realized we had to climb up a slope to reach the park. Finally, we managed to step into the park and by then, both Tracy and I were TOTALLY exhausted........
As we entered the park, the first obvious structure that we will see is the peace statue. In front of the statue is a big open space and both Jerlene and Javier enjoyed running around.
Nagasaki Peace Park commemorates the atomic bombing of the city on August 9, 1945 during World War II. Other than the massive Peace Statue, there are other memorials.
There were park guides around the park and one of them came over to us, volunteered to take a picture for all of us (below). It was so nice of him.
Around the park are various structure and statues, all with the peace theme.
We took a rest under the shade before going to the next destination. Nearby there is the Hypocenter Park, which marks the epicenter of the atomic explosion.
Jerlene had a busy time here feeding all the pigeons.
Across the road is the Atomic Bomb Museum.
The museum covers the history of the event as a story, focusing on the attack and events leading up to it. It also covers the history of nuclear weapons development. The museum displays photographs, relics and documents related to the atomic bombing. It was after visiting the museum that I realized Nagasaki was all the while not the primary target for the atomic bombing. In fact, it was supposed to be Kokura. However, there was a sudden change in plan during the mission and Nagasaki fell victim to the bombing.
After visiting the museum, we decided to go to Glover Garden, which was highly recommended by my colleague. We took a tram there and again, we need to "bash" our way up the tram. From the station, we tried to follow the direction on the map and ended up at yet another slope. Not only that's a slope, but a STEEPER ONE!!!!!!! We almost wanted to give up and leave.
We used up all our energy by the time we reached the garden entrance. We thought that is it but after purchasing the tickets, we realized that there were more stairs to climb!!!!! Tracy said NO WAY and so I spoke to the staff that it's not possible for us to carry the 2 strollers up the stairs. The staff then came out and volunteered to help us with the strollers. Another local tourist also helped us. After the stairs, the staff told us the rest will be escalator up to the top. We were so glad to hear that.
At the top of the garden, we can overlook the Nagasaki harbour.
Probably it's not the season as I did not find anything special or nice about the gardens. There was hardly any flowers around. However, I can imagine that it could be quite beautiful during Spring when all the flowers are blooming.
We only had about 45 minutes in the garden before it closed. We had to take the tram back to Nagasaki station which was another challenge. It was especially so because at that time, it's rushing hours for the locals. We were so relieved as we alighted the tram at Nagasaki station. We bought some bread and cakes from the nearby convenient store. They were our dinner on the train back to Hakata.
We reached our hotel at about 11pm, the latest so far. Today is by far the most tiring day for both Tracy and myself. Not sure whether we can replenish our energy by tomorrow, in which we plan to go Dazaifu City.
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