Nagasaki

Nagasaki is only a little more than two hours away from Fukuoka by train, so we went there for a day trip. We had a full day of siteseeing and our only regret is that we planned it as a day trip. There was so much to see -- and we didn't manage to see everything we would have liked to have seen. It would have definitely been worth a two-day visit.

We started the day with a visit to Sofukuji Temple. There was an enormous caldron dating from the late 1600s on the grounds of the temple. The signs next the caldron explained that it was used to make porridge for 3,000 - 5,000 persons per day after a famine struck the area.







After leaving the temple, we walked through the streets of the city and over to Spectacles Bridge.





Our next stop was Kofukuji Temple.



We also visited the new Dejima Dutch Factory Museum ...



... and headed to the waterfront for a quick lunch. What a great view!



After lunch we took the street car and headed across town to visit the Atomic Bomb Museum and the Peace Park.






Ground Zero


A portion of Urakami Cathedral remained standing after Nagasaki was bombed. It was later moved to the grounds of the Peace Park.



Our last stop of the day was Mt. Inasa. We took a cable car up to the top of the mountain shortly before sunset and enjoyed the spectacular views.