Cute...
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Cosmos in the Cosmos
Last Saturday, a group of us (Ali, Dayle, Maureen, Tim, and I) took the ferry from Fukuoka to Nokonoshima (Noko Island) where our friend, Lori, lives. She took us to "her" park and we drank cosmos amongst the cosmos. Our cosmos were Japanese style, with mango juice since we couldn't find cranberry juice! It was a gorgeous day, great fun with friends, and beautiful scenery. What more could you ask for?! Karaoke, that's what! After cosmos we met Jenny and Dan for some singing fun while their daughter celebrated her Sweet 16th! What more could you ask for?!
cosmos and cool trees
Sarah and Tim drinking cosmos in the cosmos.
Dayle, Maureen, Lori, Sarah, short stuff Tim, Ali
sunset on Nokonoshima
cosmos at night
more pics of cosmos in the cosmos...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Nagasaki: Let There Be Peace On Earth...
On Sunday, we slept in a little, checked out of the hotel, walked along the bay through parks, and then caught a streetcar to the area where the atomic bomb occurred.
The Peace Walking Tour is divided into three zones: The Prayer Zone (hypocenter), The Education Zone (Atomic Bomb Museum and surrounding area), and The Zone of Hope (Peace Park and other commemorative monuments).
Stop 1: Atomic Bombing Hypocenter--The Prayer Zone
The atomic bomb exploded on August 9, 1945 approx 500 meters above a monolith that is now on the ground. A list of the names of most of the victims is kept in a stone box in front of the monolith. The whole area within 2.5 kilometers of this hypocenter was completely destroyed and reduced to ruins. Surrounding the Hypocenter are many monuments including the Monument to Korean victims of the atomic bombing (Many Koreans were forcibly brought to Japan and then killed by the bomb while engaged in hard labor.), statue of a child praying for peace (Over 10,000 school children died in the bombing. This statue symbolizes eternal peace for humanity and was built with donations from children across Japan who wanted to express their desire for peace.), The Nagasaki Pledge Flame (This was presented to Nagasaki by the government of Greece in 1983. It was from the flame in Olympia, Greece and is relit on the 9th of every month and on special occasions.), cherry trees from Washington, D.C., and Mothers and Children for Peace statue. There is also an area near the hypocenter where people preserved the soil from the bombing. There are soil layers of ground level at the time of the atomic bombing. The soil contains fragments of roof tiles, bricks, scorched soil, melted glass, and other objects damaged in the explosion. It is preserved in order to tell of the atrocity of the atomic bombing and is quite eery.
Stop 2: Peace Park--The Zone of Hope
We had a picnic lunch on a bench in the middle of Peace Park while looking at The Fountain of Peace (forms wings of peace as it sprays) at one end of the park and the Peace Statue at the other end. There are many monuments in between as well as paper crane towers that are offered as prayers for eternal peace for the world.
The World Peace Symbol Zone in the middle of the park was established to make a strong appeal to the world for everlasting peace under the pledge of: "Peace for Nagasaki" and to make Nagasaki a sacred place for world peace by displaying peace monuments donated from all over the world (China, Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, former U.S.S.R., Bulgaria, Brazil, Cuba, Turkey, Minnesota, Argentina, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Italy, and New Zealand).
The Peace Statue is huge (9.7 meters high) and was built by Seibo Kitamura, a renowned sculptor from Nagasaki Prefecture. It is a prayer for everlasting world peace and a symbol of the supreme hope of human beings. It was unveiled in 1955 for the 1oth anniversary of the atomic bombing. The construction of the statue took five years and was made possible by donations from people in Japan and across the world. It is a highly symbolic statue. The right hand points skyward to warn of the threat of nuclear bombs. The left hand stretches out horizontally to symbolize world peace. The lightly closed eyes represent a prayer for the repose of the souls of all atomic bomb victims.
Tim and I were lucky enough to get to see a group of what we think were high schoolers. They were a fairly large group of students that came to present their paper crane towers to the park. One student hung the cranes while the other students and teachers observed quietly. It looked to us as if there were public officials present as well. It was very moving to see.
Stop 3: Urakami Cathedral
The original Urakami Cathedral or St. Mary's Cathedral was completed in 1925 after 30 years of hard work. Once the largest church in Eastern Asia, it was destroyed by the atomic bomb and was rebuilt in 1959. The remains of the original church are now on the grounds of the park where the Hypocenter is. The church is a symbol of persecution and suffering of Christians in Nagasaki. Back in the 1800s, the ruler of Japan made Christianity illegal and killed many Christians.
Many artifacts were found after the bombing including a statue of Mary. She was able to withstand the atomic bomb and is called the "Bombed Mary." The statue is housed in the new church.
Stop 4: Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum--The Education Zone
While small, the impact of this museum was quite large! I knew a minimal amount about the atomic bomb until this weekend. Now I know a lot more and still have so many questions as to why this bomb was ever dropped. Horrific is a word that can't begin to describe the devastation.
The museum was built in 1996 as part of the 50th anniversary project for the atomic bombing. The museum houses artifacts related to the bombing and photographs that depict the devastation. It also gives the history of the development of nuclear arms and the paper cranes beg for peace. There are painful testimonies from survivors of the atomic bomb as well as family members of victims.
Several artifacts still stick out in my mind. There was a clock that was stopped at 11:02, the time of the explosion. It was found in a home 800 meters away from the hypocenter and was shattered by the blast.
A 14 year old school girl's lunch box with charred rice was found 700 meters from the hypocenter. She was probably playing peacefully since school was not in session at the time.
A family of six was torn apart by the bomb. The mother was out of town and the father was at work when they heard about and felt the explosion. The father rushed home to check on their four children and all he found was a small part of mud that had been fused together into a rock. The bomb tore this family apart and it just sends chills throughout my body.
Stop 5: Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
This Memorial Hall was built in 2003 as a place to pay respects to the sacrifice of all those who perished in the atomic bombing and to offer prayers for everlasting peace. The three major functions of the hall are the commemoration of atomic bomb victims, the collection of materials and information related to the bombing and to provide information on international cooperation and exchange.
The route for remembrance includes the library, the Remembrance Hall Anteroom, the Remembrance Hall and two Peace Information Corners.
You are supposed to relax your mind in the Remembrance Hall Anteroom before entering the Remembrance Hall. It's almost impossible to relax your mind as names and faces of victims are flashed in front of your face.
Pray for peace and eternal rest for the souls of all those who perished in the atomic bombings in the Remembrance Hall which consists of 13 towers. On the registry shelf at the front, a list of names of atomic bomb victims is kept. When standing in the front of the shelf, we were facing the hypocenter.
One Peace Information Corner houses testimonies of bombing victims as well as a question/answer section. The second Info Corner provides cards and computers to write and draw messages of peace to leave behind. Tim and I each left a computerized message that can be accessed for 10 years by visitors!
On the upper level outdoors, there is a sculpted basin which holds water that the atomic bomb victims desperately needed and begged for. At night, the basin is lit up with 70,000 tiny lights to mourn the victims.
You may ask why this is called the Peace Tour. You may also probably wonder if Japan hates America for what we did. When Tim and I returned to Fukuoka, I was asked numerous times if we felt uncomfortable as Americans in Nagasaki. The answer is NO! What Nagasaki (and Hiroshima) experienced was pure Hell and it was very depressing and upsetting to see the artifacts/photographs and listen to the testimonies. However, Nagasaki is all about learning from this experience and making Nagasaki and the world a peaceful place. The Peace Park, the Atomic Bomb Museum, and the Memorial Hall are all about remembering the victims but moving on to promote peace.
The Peace Walking Tour is divided into three zones: The Prayer Zone (hypocenter), The Education Zone (Atomic Bomb Museum and surrounding area), and The Zone of Hope (Peace Park and other commemorative monuments).
Stop 1: Atomic Bombing Hypocenter--The Prayer Zone
The atomic bomb exploded on August 9, 1945 approx 500 meters above a monolith that is now on the ground. A list of the names of most of the victims is kept in a stone box in front of the monolith. The whole area within 2.5 kilometers of this hypocenter was completely destroyed and reduced to ruins. Surrounding the Hypocenter are many monuments including the Monument to Korean victims of the atomic bombing (Many Koreans were forcibly brought to Japan and then killed by the bomb while engaged in hard labor.), statue of a child praying for peace (Over 10,000 school children died in the bombing. This statue symbolizes eternal peace for humanity and was built with donations from children across Japan who wanted to express their desire for peace.), The Nagasaki Pledge Flame (This was presented to Nagasaki by the government of Greece in 1983. It was from the flame in Olympia, Greece and is relit on the 9th of every month and on special occasions.), cherry trees from Washington, D.C., and Mothers and Children for Peace statue. There is also an area near the hypocenter where people preserved the soil from the bombing. There are soil layers of ground level at the time of the atomic bombing. The soil contains fragments of roof tiles, bricks, scorched soil, melted glass, and other objects damaged in the explosion. It is preserved in order to tell of the atrocity of the atomic bombing and is quite eery.
monolith at the hypocenter
Stop 2: Peace Park--The Zone of Hope
We had a picnic lunch on a bench in the middle of Peace Park while looking at The Fountain of Peace (forms wings of peace as it sprays) at one end of the park and the Peace Statue at the other end. There are many monuments in between as well as paper crane towers that are offered as prayers for eternal peace for the world.
The Fountain of Peace
The World Peace Symbol Zone in the middle of the park was established to make a strong appeal to the world for everlasting peace under the pledge of: "Peace for Nagasaki" and to make Nagasaki a sacred place for world peace by displaying peace monuments donated from all over the world (China, Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, former U.S.S.R., Bulgaria, Brazil, Cuba, Turkey, Minnesota, Argentina, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Italy, and New Zealand).
one of the many statues in Peace Park
The Peace Statue with high school group getting ready to present peace cranes.
paper crane towers
The original Urakami Cathedral or St. Mary's Cathedral was completed in 1925 after 30 years of hard work. Once the largest church in Eastern Asia, it was destroyed by the atomic bomb and was rebuilt in 1959. The remains of the original church are now on the grounds of the park where the Hypocenter is. The church is a symbol of persecution and suffering of Christians in Nagasaki. Back in the 1800s, the ruler of Japan made Christianity illegal and killed many Christians.
Many artifacts were found after the bombing including a statue of Mary. She was able to withstand the atomic bomb and is called the "Bombed Mary." The statue is housed in the new church.
Urakami Cathedral
"Bombed Mary"
While small, the impact of this museum was quite large! I knew a minimal amount about the atomic bomb until this weekend. Now I know a lot more and still have so many questions as to why this bomb was ever dropped. Horrific is a word that can't begin to describe the devastation.
The museum was built in 1996 as part of the 50th anniversary project for the atomic bombing. The museum houses artifacts related to the bombing and photographs that depict the devastation. It also gives the history of the development of nuclear arms and the paper cranes beg for peace. There are painful testimonies from survivors of the atomic bomb as well as family members of victims.
Several artifacts still stick out in my mind. There was a clock that was stopped at 11:02, the time of the explosion. It was found in a home 800 meters away from the hypocenter and was shattered by the blast.
A 14 year old school girl's lunch box with charred rice was found 700 meters from the hypocenter. She was probably playing peacefully since school was not in session at the time.
A family of six was torn apart by the bomb. The mother was out of town and the father was at work when they heard about and felt the explosion. The father rushed home to check on their four children and all he found was a small part of mud that had been fused together into a rock. The bomb tore this family apart and it just sends chills throughout my body.
Stop 5: Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
This Memorial Hall was built in 2003 as a place to pay respects to the sacrifice of all those who perished in the atomic bombing and to offer prayers for everlasting peace. The three major functions of the hall are the commemoration of atomic bomb victims, the collection of materials and information related to the bombing and to provide information on international cooperation and exchange.
The route for remembrance includes the library, the Remembrance Hall Anteroom, the Remembrance Hall and two Peace Information Corners.
You are supposed to relax your mind in the Remembrance Hall Anteroom before entering the Remembrance Hall. It's almost impossible to relax your mind as names and faces of victims are flashed in front of your face.
Pray for peace and eternal rest for the souls of all those who perished in the atomic bombings in the Remembrance Hall which consists of 13 towers. On the registry shelf at the front, a list of names of atomic bomb victims is kept. When standing in the front of the shelf, we were facing the hypocenter.
Not a good picture because I was reprimanded by a Japanese security guard for taking pictures...
Tim writing his peace message.
basin of water to mourn bombing victims
more pics...
http://picasaweb.google.com/srhendricks78/NagasakiPart2PeaceTour?authkey=Gv1sRgCJrd-MawmLn_dA&feat=directlink
more pics...
http://picasaweb.google.com/srhendricks78/NagasakiPart2PeaceTour?authkey=Gv1sRgCJrd-MawmLn_dA&feat=directlink
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me...and you!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Nagasaki: A Romantic Getaway
Tim and I got married on August 3, as most of you know, enjoyed our honeymoon in Italy, flew back to the US for three days before moving to Japan. We were just getting over jetlag when we got to experience it again. We spent the first month and a half living out of suitcases in a hotel, apartment hunting, packing to move to our new home, unpacking again, and settling into life in Japan. Of course, this involved meeting new friends and going out to dinner and going to new places frequently. We were on the go all the time and barely had any alone time as newlyweds so we were excited to get to spend a weekend alone exploring Nagasaki. Ended up being the first 2 sunny days in a week! Beautiful weekend!
We left after work October 2 via subway to Hakata Train Station where we caught the Kamome express train. Both of us were impressed as this was not your typical Amtrak passenger train or dirty European train that we were used to from the summer. This train was aerodynamic (resembled the look of the Shinkansen, Japan's bullet train), sleek, shiny white, wooden (or fake wooden) floors, and leather chairs with tons of room! Very nice and not so expensive. Took about 2 hours from Fukuoka to Nagasaki.
Kamome Express Train to Nagasaki
Took a taxi from the Nagasaki train station to our hotel, ANA Hotel Nagasaki Glover Hill which had a very nice lobby, bell boy who walked us to our clean room, and had a view overlooking Oura Catholic Church, Glover Garden, and shops. Though dated, the room was fine.
After dropping our bags off, we ventured out into the city and took a street car to the Dejima Wharf area, walked around a bit before deciding on a restaurant. We chose a delicious Chinese restaurant, Red Lantern (not like your typical American Chinese restaurant) and enjoyed a great meal of Champon and dumplings.
Red Lantern Restaurant
Champon...mmmm!!!
Not the greatest pic of us with the FIS Sharks shirt and Tim's goofy pose!
more photos from travel to Nagasaki and night 1:
Nagasaki is known for other things besides the catastrophic Atomic Bomb. Champon ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champon ), Castella ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castella ), and Shippoku, a full-course meal that blends the cuisine of Japan, China, and Europe, are all well known in Nagasaki. We brought Castella back for gifts for friends and for people who have helped us settle into Japan.
Strolled back to the hotel and hit the hay! Slept in on Saturday before heading out for some sightseeing. We started at #1 of 13 places on the sightseeing map and ended up accomplishing 3! We started at Oura Catholic Church which was built by French missionaries in 1864. The church is the oldest existing church in southern Japan and is designated a National Treasure. Oura Church is the oldest Gothic style wooden church in Japan. It was dedicated to the 26 Martyrs of Japan in 1865 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-six_Martyrs_of_Japan ).
exterior of Oura Catholic Church
stained glass (replaced after atomic bomb)
Sarah outside church
Next we went to Glover Garden ( http://www.glover-garden.jp/ ) where we spent the majority of the day. It was a gorgeous day and we took our time going on a "Scavenger Hunt" to find all of the places in the guide map. Thomas Blake Glover, from Scotland, built a house on the hill in the Minami-Yamate part of town in Nagasaki in 1863. Nagasaki was full of energy and had many European merchants pursuing dreams of fortune at the time. Today, the memories of Glover's life in Nagasaki with his wife and children remain.
entering the garden
tea and castella at the Tea House
Touching a heart-shaped stone will make your dreams of love come true!
Here is the first stone.
The Glover House and it's heart shaped garden.
Perhaps the inspiration for the Kirin beer dogs was found inside the Glover House.
If you find both stones good things will come. We found both!
Since Champon is a specialty, we went to Chinatown for dinner. It was the cutest Chinatown I've ever seen! Very small and quaint with tons of yellow lanterns hanging down to let you know you were in Chinatown. We splurged at Kyokaen Chinese Restaurant since we skipped lunch! We enjoyed our dinner of special champon, fried rice, sauteed shrimp and broccoli, spring rolls, and dumplings.
lanterns in Chinatown
our Chinese feast
Tim found his Halloween mask!
After dinner we stumbled upon a mini festival that we assumed was a preview of the big festival in Nagasaki that was coming up the following week. It's always during the week so nobody from my school gets to go.
more Nagasaki, Day 2 pictures:
Monday, October 12, 2009
First Real Bike Ride in Fukuoka
Our packages from the United States finally arrived with our bikes! We finally unpacked the bikes and put them back together in order to go on a really lovely 22 mile bike ride by rice fields, okra, other veggies, farms, higanbana, cosmos, other flowers, small waterfalls, rivers, streams, and up into the mountains with Kim (middle school teacher at FIS), Paul (Tech Coordinator at FIS), and Ali (high school teacher at FIS). Our reward was stopping at a fantastic bakery and getting fresh bread, sandwiches, pie, and iced Chai! Thank you, Kim and Paul for taking us on such a beautiful day! When are we going back?!
Here are some interesting facts on Higanbana, a Fall flower that you'll see in the pictures: http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=364&pID=1942
Here's the route we took (the first route that is blue), thanks to Ali:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=33.573367,130.333042&spn=0.029105,0.068665&t=k&z=14&msid=112033654413283193007.0004748d481ecbfdbf5d6
Enjoy the pics:
http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/srhendricks78/FirstBikeRideInJapanMuromiRiverToBakerySept09?authkey=Gv1sRgCLOZ8ae0j4XFYg&feat=directlink
Ramen and Lanterns
Ipudo
Our friends, Jenny, Dan, Vicki, and Maureen introduced us to a new ramen restaurant called Ipudo. It is a famous chain and can even be found in New York City! I know, I know...I'm going to chains! It's only okay in Japan! ;-) We frequent Ichiran but Tim's new favorite is Ipudo. I like them both and haven't decided on a favorite yet.
Maureen, Sarah, Vicki
Mmmm...ramen!
Tim, Dan, Jenny
photos from dinner:
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After dinner, Jenny and Dan went home while the rest of us met up with Ali, Dayle, and Lori at the Fukuoka Lantern Festival (I'm sure it has a more official name!). There were beautiful luminaries everywhere. Kids enjoyed running and jumping over the bags. It was a nice, low-key night!
more photos from the festival:
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Go Sharks!
Fukuoka International School hosted it's first tournament of the year with coed and girls' games. Tim coached in his first volleyball tournament ever and did a great job coaching the coed team! Andrew, friend and high school teacher at FIS, coached the girls. The FIS Sharks played Hiroshima International School. The boys and the girls played great and had a lot of fun! The Sharks won most of the games! Go Sharks!
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Coach Hendricks and the FIS Boys' Volleyball Team
Coach Wheeler and the FIS Girls' Volleyball Team
After every game, each team bows to the other.
Job well done, Coach Hendricks and Sharks!
Enjoy more pics in the following link...
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