This blog entry, like the actual museum, may be uncomfortable for some as I try to convey the feelings as well as the physical aspects of the area. I didn’t take pictures and thus none in the blog of actual injuries or the dead.
Guide sign to the various venues dedicated to the atomic bomb.
The Atomic Bomb Museum was opened in April 1996 to depict the impact of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
This statue by the entrance shows a teacher guiding children to peace. It’s message is that people should learn and act for themselves and not be lead to war by others.
The area was full of school children.
This is a statue depicting two girls in flight to heaven. The two young girls were victims of the bomb and were buried in flowing kimonos. Kimonos were reserved only for very special occasions and their mother choose to have them put on her girls. Their story was chosen by a peace group for the design and dedication of this memorial garden area. It is a very touching story and has tremendous emotional impact on visitors as does many parts of the museum.
This is a flowing water fountain near the entrance. Throughout the museum, Ground Zero and the Peace Park there are water elements. This is in remembrance of the thousands of injured and dying crying out for water in the aftermath of the bomb. You will see bottles of water left at many shrines in the area.
This diorama shows the bowl shape of Nagasaki that amplified the effects of the bomb.
This is probably the most famous artifact, the clock that stopped at the moment of the explosion, 11:02 AM, August 9, 1945.
I found this photo interesting as the young Japanese boy looked up at the full size replica of the bomb.
Entrance to Ground Zero area.
School children on the walk to Ground Zero.
This is a picture of Ground Zero after the bomb where we are standing.
This granite monolith marks the spot where, 500 meters above, the atomic bomb was detonated.
This box contains the names of all those who died at the bombing or since due to the after effects of the bomb. There are 140,000 names currently in the box. On top are remembrance origami paper chains made to honor those killed by the bomb. You can see these chains at all the memorials.
This is a support pillar to the Urakami Cathedral located about 25 feet from the Ground Zero marker. It was the only masonry standing in this area after the blast.
Memorial at Ground Zero. Note the water bottles at the base.
Peace statue at Ground Zero
The Peace Park is located about 2 miles from the museum and Ground Zero.
This is the Peace statue. It is pointing up to the place where the bomb came from; the left hand is outstretched toward peace. The eyes are closed to shield the vision form the horror of war.
This Prayer Shrine was erected by a survivor in the Peace Park. Note the water bottles at the base and the scopes on the buckets to cleanse your hands prior to prayer.
This painting is hung on the shrine by the survivor. It shows the thousands of people trying to get to the relief trains that began arriving about 2.5 hours after the blast. The trains dropped off medical supplies and took out the injured.
Large fountain dedicated to the survivors in the Peace Park. Again following the water theme as seen n the museum and Ground Zero.
Located next to the Peace Park this store is known as the Survivors Store as the proceeds go to supporting survivors.
An editorial comment on the museum. I noted a lot more space and pictures dedicated to the damage to primary and secondary schools and medical facilities over munitions plants, shipbuilding yards and military installations. There was an entire exhibit dedicated to comments by notable people to President Truman that dropping the bomb was unnecessary and comments after the bomb that it should not have been dropped. There was nothing on the view that dropping the bomb ended the war and saved countless American and Japanese lives. It seemed to me to be very one sided form a political viewpoint.
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