Just think for a second, what if India used nuclear weapons...the atomic bomb...against Pakistan? It is in no doubt in my mind that Pakistan would retaliate. This would start an endless cycle of destruction that would not only leave these two countries in shambles, but quite possibly the rest of the world. Japanese, although they did not have the capability to use nuclear weapons against Western countries, such as the United States, decided not to get even but accept defeat and use the idea of peace as a cornerstone in their new society.
As we ride the tram I begin to find out more of his life and how he escaped death that day. He was just a mere boy when Hiroshima was hit so his family decided to send
him to the countryside in case Nagasaki met the same fate of Hiroshima. Luckily when the bomb was dropped he was many kilometers away and was not harmed. His mother was instantly killed and his father who was a doctor worked far enough away from ground zero that he did not suffer any major injuries. He told me that his father later died of leukemia cause by radiation some 50 years later. It was unbelievable to talk to him for just a short time to understand what it must have been like. Now he enjoys square dancing with his wife and lives a relatively normal life for that of a 71 year-old.It was a great start to my adventures here in Nagasaki which included the Peace Memorial, Atomic Bomb Museum, the site where 26 European and Japanese Christians were crucified (1597, pictured here), and exploring the city in general. Nagasaki has an interesting history because it was
the only open port into Japan from the West, which officially started in 1859. Before that there had been was a great deal of influence of the western culture in Nagasaki throughout the 14th century and this is why Japanese officials crucified these Christians and expelled all foreigners for some 250 years. The amount of Chinese and European influence is overwhelmingly present throughout the city. The topography makes it appear different than any other place I have been to thus far...it is surrounded on three sides by mountains and the other is the harbor. When I walk around I feel as though I am in Santarini or Miconos in the Greek Islands - just a lot vegetation and way more metropolis in places. Yet you can still get lost walking up and down little staircases in between houses that seem to go on forever. Well, I have a few more hours to explore than off to Mt. Aso, a working volcano.
