Peace Park

After we were done at the Chinese Consulate today, RC and I drove to the Peace Park. It sits on the grounds of the former Urakami prison that was devastated by the atomic bomb. There are some remnants of walls that they've preserved, but mostly it's been transformed.

It was a beautiful area to walk around. There are many, many statues there, donated by various countries in support of peace. We saw the one donated by Nagasaki's sister city in the US - St. Paul, MN - and quite a few others. Most of them are mother and child sculptures.

The highlight of the park is the Peace Statue at the end. He's 10m high and just breathtaking to view up close. Honestly, though, the view I loved was from the peace fountains with the water on either side and him in the middle. You don't get as much feel for his size, but it's an amazing picture.

We also walked over to Urakami Cathedral. It's also been rebuilt, though they do have some original walls, the belfry and a small statue garden that remain from the original. They were cleaning the inside so we could only peek through windows, but the stained glass was amazing to behold. I would love to get back and wander around inside a bit.