Mt. Inasa and the Nagasaki A-Bomb Memorial

We started our first day in Nagasaki by taking the bus up to Mt. Inasa. We were assured, when we shelled out the thousands of dollars for this trip, that the view of Nagasaki from Inasa was one of the most breath-taking in Japan. We will just have to take their word for it.




The kids enjoyed a touristy photo op before we hopped on the cable car.



The photo came out well despite the fact that Ryan is approximately twice the height of this particular attraction's target demographic.



We got a fleeting glimpse of the city as the cable car took us deeper and deeper into the mist. By the time we reached the lookout on the top of the mountain, we were surprised to see that the view from Mt. Inasa looked shockingly like the view of Mt. Aso we had had a few days before.



The most thrilling part of our visit to Mt. Inasa actually came as we were hiking back down from the summit to the cable car and RJ spotted the one thing he really came to Japan to see: a dreaded mukade. Now, what you have to keep in mind is that at this point, I had literally been telling mukade stories to some of these kids for three years, so they were basically prepared for the thing to leap up at them, its jaws slung with bloody slather and eyes lit by the fires of Hades' own eternal damned kingdom.



Fortunately, as you can see from the photo (courtesy of RJ), it was not only a rather small mukade but also a decidedly dead one. Whew! Dodged a bullet there!



On our first full day in Nagasaki, we went to the atomic bomb memorial. Unlike the Hiroshima museum, which is a large building in the middle of a wide open space leveled by the bomb, the Nagasaki A-Bomb Museum is built underground. While it contains many of the same type of photographs, mementos, and exhibits that we saw at the Hiroshima museum, the difference in atmosphere between the two was incredible.



While the Hiroshima museum had been silent and virtually empty, the Nagasaki museum and the surrounding gardens were over-flowing with Japanese students of all ages. Inside the museum, many of them were on scavenger hunts, racing from exhibit to exhibit trying to find the information they needed for their assignments. Outside, older students were there with their Peace Studies classes, stopping museum visitors and having them fill out surveys about their reactions to the museum and their thoughts about the atomic bomb specifically and war in general. They were nervous and giggly about using their English to talk to us, but they were also wonderfully friendly and welcoming and I had a great time talking with them and making them laugh with my rubbish Japanese.





Though the outdoor memorial featured plenty of origami cranes and centered on a beautiful pool just as the Hiroshima memorial had, the atmosphere was lively and refreshing, and Nagasaki Peace Park, which includes statues about peace from artists all over the world, is much more extensive than the memorial park in Hiroshima.





Peace Statue, which is the focal point of Nagasaki Peace Park sits on top of an infinity pool. His right hand points up as a reminder of the bomb, but his left hand is extended as a symbol of peace.



A Japanese student plays with the water at the edge of the infinity pool



Peace Statue reflected in the infinity pool -- While the Hiroshima memorial is centered on the idea of remembering the tragedy of the atomic bombing, the Nagasaki memorial is focused on the notion of healing and of promoting peace around the world.

Fukuoka: Or Getting Rained on in Dazaifu Tenmangu

My kids became convenie food junkies. We got them a fix and then headed up to "see" Fukuoka's famous volcano, Aso-San.



I use the term "see" rather liberally here, as it was so foggy that the view left a bit to be desired. We spent a little while in the museum, but the volcano itself was a bust.



Instead, we headed back to town for an early dinner. Along the way, we spotted this classically creepy Japanese advertisement. I never realized that pigs were that into dental hygiene...



The following day, still in the rainy mist, we visited Dazaifu Tenmangu, an enormous shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture.





Luckily, the rain didn't seem to bother the kids or the tour guide, who was the most entertaining and enthusiastic we had had so far.



According to legend, the Dazaifu shrine is built over the grave of Michizane Sugawara, a 10th century Japanese officer who is revered as the embodiment of the god of literature and calligraphy. During his funeral procession, the ox pulling his coffin is said to have stopped at this spot and refused to go any further, so Michizane was buried right here and the ox became the symbol for this shrine.



As at many of the shrines we visited, preparations for the Matsuri, the summer festival, were in full swing, so colorful decorations like this were lying around waiting to be put up.



Another gorgeous hand-washing basin outside the main shrine



In addition to the ox, the plum blossom, the flower of Fukuoka, is an important sacred symbol at this shrine, so wishes here are written on plum-colored paper.



Nearby the shrine is a small Buddhist temple, where we spotted this beautiful zen rock garden. The large stones in the center mark out the Kanjii 光　which means "light."



To duck out of the rain for a while, we went to the Kyushu National Museum.



In Japanese, this says, "There are dragons this way and that way." Or something like that.



On the walk back to the bus, my kids spotted this excellent little pottery shop and bought more tea cups than they will ever need.

Beautiful Miyajima Park and Shrine

Most people go Miyajima to see the famous torii, shown here. This is one of the three most-photographed spots in Japan, along with Mt. Fuji and Amanohashidate. When the tide is in, the whole shrine seems to be floating on top of the water -- quite a beautiful effect. I, however, really enjoy touristy spots like this because of the people-watching. Here are a few winners...



Little girl playing on the shrine's enormous stone lanterns



Japanese couple stops in front of the torii to consult a map



Photo op is side-tracked by a couple of social deer



Photographer directing a crowd of uncooperative tourists



Crane posing contemplatively in front of the torii -- He was a big hit with the photo-takers around me. I estimate several hundred shots of him were taken within the four or five minutes he was strolling around out there.



Japanese boy making a wish. One of the great traditions at Shinto shrines is to write your wish on one of these papers and tie it to a tree or a fence like this.





Canal and nearby shops around the back of the shrine



Sidebar about Japanese food: Josh is absolutely my hero for munching down this tako (not "taco," but "taKo" -- Japanese for "octopus") he got from a vendor at Miyajima. Way to be a culinary adventurer, Josh!

Everybody else waited until we got back to Hiroshima and the kids got to taste their first okonomiyaki, which is Japanese for "the good shit" (or, more literally, "what you like, on a grill").



Okonimyaki, which is a very popular food in Kansai, is typically described as a "savory pancake containing cabbage, eggs, flour, pork, and a variety of other ingredients." The Hiroshima version, seen here, also features noodles and MAGIC. The kids did indeed like it, and it became their unanimous new favorite Japanese food.

Kyoto Photo Blog

A few more photos from our painfully brief stay in Kyoto this summer...



Fushimi Inari Taisha



Hand-washing basins are part of the symbolic purification before entering the shrine. They also provide exceptional photo ops as they typically combine water, stone, wood, and light.







Fushimi Inari features a four kilometer hike up a trail arched with orange tori. An absolute must-see in Kyoto any time of year.








Kiyomizu-Dera -- Pure Water Temple



Watching other gaijin make a scene never gets old. This French guy and his buddies were doing a martial arts photo shoot in front of the main gate at Kiyomizu-Dera.



Japanese joinery is the best way to earth-quake proof your ancient wooden structure.



The Kiyomizu spring is renown for the purity of its water. Take a sip! It's lucky!







Sprucing up the temple grounds in preparation for Matsuri.


Tea house with a fantastic view.


Kinkakuji -- The Golden Pavilion



Kinkakuji and the surrounding gardens are a perfect place to go when you have a long afternoon to spend in quiet, reflective solitude. It loses a bit of its luster when you're corralling teenagers, but I was able to wander off on my own for a few minutes and enjoy a brief shot of the stillness.



Wrap it all up with a cold brew in a cozy bar, and you've got the perfect day.