Goodbye Japan

We have just left Nagasaki, and what a send off we were given by the people of this city.

From the moment we arrived at 07:00hrs this morning, we received such a warm welcome from the actors in period costume on the quay side, to the delightful school brass band playing Auld Lang Syne on our departure. Our day began with a organised tour round the city and then onto ground zero where the Atom Bomb exploded 500 ft above ground. We were both shocked by the sheer mass destruction of a city, no words can described the horror of such an event. Everyone is aware how cruel the Japanese were during World War 2, and no doubt, that this single act saved millions from the same fate. The parks and gardens were full of schoolchildren, clearly the Japanese make sure that their future generations are totally committed to preventing such horrors ever again. Everywhere we went, children wanted to talk to us in excellent English with happy smiling faces it is these friendly faces that will live in our memories for a long time. We were invited for a Japanese lunch at a local hotel and both of us sat down to about 10 local dishes ranging from soup to sushi, swallowed down by green tea. When we arrived back, the first thing Carol and i had was a cup of Lipton tea and a croissant left over from breakfast. Before departure, most passengers attended a presentation ceremony in the Palladium for the ships commodore and Nagasaki officials, after which, we were all entertained by a magnificent Taiko Drum group.

Sianara Japan