Managed to conquer this 3 cities on my 6-day "pilgrimage" to Kyushu...
It started with a long 12-hr bus ride from Nagoya to Nagasaki. By the time I got down the bus, my head was already in a state of confusion from the lack of proper sleep and also inactivity.
Ok we started the day off by visiting the Peace Park. Nagasaki, for those who don't know, was the other city after Hiroshima which US dropped a atomic bomb on. As I walked around the museum, it brought back some of the emotions I felt when I first visited Hiroshima. All of lives in our history textbooks, we were taught the atrocities by the Japanese troops during the occupation. We all know how much the Chinese especially the older generation hate them even till today.
Yet, the museum presented another side of the story, which is the innocent Japanese who were wounded and died in the bombings. I was really shocked to know nearly half of the city perished. The effects of the radiation are still felt till today. The way they died were just so gruesome.
Anyway Nagasaki is just so different from other Japanese cities. It is so unlike Japan! The fashion is different, streets are pretty dirty... could be due to the fact they were the "door" to foreigners in the past so the place is pretty much still under the influence of dutch for instance from the numerous dutch artifacts left behind.
Fukuoka on the other hand is the glitzy city. We could feel the difference immediately as we alighted the train. The bright neon lights, high acitivity level even till wee hours in the morning.. It is also the first time I ate in a road-side stall, called "Yatai" in Japanese.
Lastly in Kumamoto. Was supposed to go to a Volcano but well due to the rain, the plan was cancelled.. sadness... but well that's 6 days in Kyushu!
No comments:
Post a Comment