Tristement célèbre pour avoir été victime de la seconde bombe atomique lancée par les américains, Nagasaki a aussi d'autres facettes à montrer.
Nous commençons par le musée de la bombe qui montre l'horreur de ce funeste jour du 9 Août 1945 à 11:02, décision prise par les américains et les anglais quelques mois auparavant lors d'une réunion à Hyde Park. Sur les 240 000 habitants, 70 000 furent tués immédiatement puis 70 000 dans les 6 années suivantes. Cela ne prend pas en compte les morts de leucémie (qui est le 1er cancer qui se manifeste après les radiations) ni les vies changées par les brûlures et les blessures. Nous continuons par le parc de la paix qui est juste à côté.
Le jour d'après nous essayons de voir le plus possible de sites. Nous commençons donc par le jardin Glover qui a été construit au 19ème siècle puis nous visitons la cathédrale catholique d'Oura dédiée au 26 martyres du Japon qui furent crucifiés ici au 16ème siècle durant l'interdiction de la religion par l'empereur qui pensait que les espagnols allaient envahir le Japon avec l'aide des Jésuites. La communauté catholique resta caché pendant près de 3 siècles (créant des statues de la Ste Vierge en forme de déesse) jusqu'à ce que la religion catholique fut de nouveau admise. Ainsi des missionnaires français purent retourner à Nagasaki et continuer leur enseignement (L'un des premiers missionnaires au Japon fut St François-Xavier qui vint au Japon après l'Inde)
Ensuite nous nous dirigeons vers le quartier reconstruit hollandais Dejima, ce fut le seul port ouvert aux étrangers pendant la période de 1641 à 1853 et aussi le seul endroit où le drapeau hollandais flottait suite à la prise de la Hollande par Napoléon.
Nous continuons avec la cathédrale d'Urikami (qui fut rasée par la bombe atomique et ensuite reconstruite) ainsi que le site des 26 martyres.
Puis nous marchons tranquillement dans les rues agréables de Nagasaki malgré la pluie et nous allons nous sécher dans un restaurant qui sert un buffet (illimité) avec des produits biologiques, cela fait du bien de manger des légumes!
Ce fut une visite très intéressante et chargé d'histoire.
The following day we took the bus to Nagasaki, where the Allies dropped the second atomic bomb at the end of WWII. Our first port of call, as you might expect, was the Atomic Bomb Museum. It was incredibly moving and really brought home the horror of what the Americans and British decided to do to so many human beings. Of the 240 000 inhabitants of Nagasaki in August 1945, over 70 000 were killed immediately and over 70 000 more died in the years up to 1951. That doesn't include all those that have since died of radiation-related illness like cancer. Leukaemia is the first cancer that manifests itself after exposure to radiation, and it does so after about 6 years - so those counting the dead in 1951 were yet to see the full extent of the damage. Nor does it include those that survived but were left with life-changing injuries and burns. Let alone the psychological damage caused to the survivors. Next stop was the peace park, which has memorials to the dead as well as an enormous statue serving as a reminder of what happened.
The next day we tried to cram in as many sights as we could. First we went to the Glover Garden, which has original buildings from the 19th century foreign settlement complete with furnishings, before visiting Oura Catholic Cathedral dedicated to the 26 martyrs of Japan (crucified in Nagasaki for being Christians in 16th century when the emperor had banned Christianity - including a 12 year old and a 13 year old). When Oura Cathedral was opened for the European settlers at the end of the 19th century, the remaining Christians of Nagasaki, who had been in hiding for centuries, revealed themselves - despite Christianity still being banned. That Christianity had managed to survive for so long with no seminaries or missionaries and despit persecution is seen as something of a miracle. The government immediately started persecuting these Christians who were forced into exile but a few decades later the ban was lifted.
Then we headed to the Dutch trading post of Dejima, for centuries the only port in the whole of Japan allowed to trade with the outside world, once the Portuguese had been kicked out for too much Christian missionary work in the 16th century. Next was another cathedral - the Urikami cathedral rebuilt after the original was completely destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945. All that remains of the cathedral built by the Nagasaki Christians once the ban on Christianity was lifted is the toppled bell tower, a statue of the Virgin Mary and one of St John the Apostle, and the carbonized face of a wooden Madonna.
We finished the day by visiting the site of the martyrdom of the 26 martyrs and wandering through the streets of a lovely old area of Nagasaki. It was pleasant even in the driving rain so I can only imagine that in dry weather it must be wonderful.
Pensée du jour: haaaa ces américains...
Nous commençons par le musée de la bombe qui montre l'horreur de ce funeste jour du 9 Août 1945 à 11:02, décision prise par les américains et les anglais quelques mois auparavant lors d'une réunion à Hyde Park. Sur les 240 000 habitants, 70 000 furent tués immédiatement puis 70 000 dans les 6 années suivantes. Cela ne prend pas en compte les morts de leucémie (qui est le 1er cancer qui se manifeste après les radiations) ni les vies changées par les brûlures et les blessures. Nous continuons par le parc de la paix qui est juste à côté.
Le jour d'après nous essayons de voir le plus possible de sites. Nous commençons donc par le jardin Glover qui a été construit au 19ème siècle puis nous visitons la cathédrale catholique d'Oura dédiée au 26 martyres du Japon qui furent crucifiés ici au 16ème siècle durant l'interdiction de la religion par l'empereur qui pensait que les espagnols allaient envahir le Japon avec l'aide des Jésuites. La communauté catholique resta caché pendant près de 3 siècles (créant des statues de la Ste Vierge en forme de déesse) jusqu'à ce que la religion catholique fut de nouveau admise. Ainsi des missionnaires français purent retourner à Nagasaki et continuer leur enseignement (L'un des premiers missionnaires au Japon fut St François-Xavier qui vint au Japon après l'Inde)
Ensuite nous nous dirigeons vers le quartier reconstruit hollandais Dejima, ce fut le seul port ouvert aux étrangers pendant la période de 1641 à 1853 et aussi le seul endroit où le drapeau hollandais flottait suite à la prise de la Hollande par Napoléon.
Nous continuons avec la cathédrale d'Urikami (qui fut rasée par la bombe atomique et ensuite reconstruite) ainsi que le site des 26 martyres.
Puis nous marchons tranquillement dans les rues agréables de Nagasaki malgré la pluie et nous allons nous sécher dans un restaurant qui sert un buffet (illimité) avec des produits biologiques, cela fait du bien de manger des légumes!
Ce fut une visite très intéressante et chargé d'histoire.
The following day we took the bus to Nagasaki, where the Allies dropped the second atomic bomb at the end of WWII. Our first port of call, as you might expect, was the Atomic Bomb Museum. It was incredibly moving and really brought home the horror of what the Americans and British decided to do to so many human beings. Of the 240 000 inhabitants of Nagasaki in August 1945, over 70 000 were killed immediately and over 70 000 more died in the years up to 1951. That doesn't include all those that have since died of radiation-related illness like cancer. Leukaemia is the first cancer that manifests itself after exposure to radiation, and it does so after about 6 years - so those counting the dead in 1951 were yet to see the full extent of the damage. Nor does it include those that survived but were left with life-changing injuries and burns. Let alone the psychological damage caused to the survivors. Next stop was the peace park, which has memorials to the dead as well as an enormous statue serving as a reminder of what happened.
The next day we tried to cram in as many sights as we could. First we went to the Glover Garden, which has original buildings from the 19th century foreign settlement complete with furnishings, before visiting Oura Catholic Cathedral dedicated to the 26 martyrs of Japan (crucified in Nagasaki for being Christians in 16th century when the emperor had banned Christianity - including a 12 year old and a 13 year old). When Oura Cathedral was opened for the European settlers at the end of the 19th century, the remaining Christians of Nagasaki, who had been in hiding for centuries, revealed themselves - despite Christianity still being banned. That Christianity had managed to survive for so long with no seminaries or missionaries and despit persecution is seen as something of a miracle. The government immediately started persecuting these Christians who were forced into exile but a few decades later the ban was lifted.
Then we headed to the Dutch trading post of Dejima, for centuries the only port in the whole of Japan allowed to trade with the outside world, once the Portuguese had been kicked out for too much Christian missionary work in the 16th century. Next was another cathedral - the Urikami cathedral rebuilt after the original was completely destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945. All that remains of the cathedral built by the Nagasaki Christians once the ban on Christianity was lifted is the toppled bell tower, a statue of the Virgin Mary and one of St John the Apostle, and the carbonized face of a wooden Madonna.
We finished the day by visiting the site of the martyrdom of the 26 martyrs and wandering through the streets of a lovely old area of Nagasaki. It was pleasant even in the driving rain so I can only imagine that in dry weather it must be wonderful.
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| Peace Park |
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| Glover garden |
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| Cathédrale d'Oura |
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| Dejima |
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| Cathédrale Urikami |
Pensée du jour: haaaa ces américains...
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