Our cruise from China across the East China Sea to Japan started by sailing back down the wide Yangtze River to the sea. With all the river traffic we saw, I can understand why this river plays such a major role for the Chinese people. At any point in time, we could easily count almost 100 ships or more. What a sight it was! Ships of all shapes, sizes, and purposes dotted the wide expanse of river, as far as the eye could see!
However, much like in Shanghai, the Silver Shadow's beauty outshone them all. Our Far East cruise time in China was over, and the wonderful cruise ship shined brightly as we left the Yangtze River and China behind and headed for Japan.
Nagasaki, Japan
Our cruise was the Silver Shadow's first visit to Japan. For a cruise ship, an inaugural visit often means that the ports "roll out the red carpet", and our cruise was no different. Nagasaki's harbor was beautiful, with peaceful green hills touching the water. The fire boat welcomed us with a water salute to celebrate the Silver Shadow's visit. It made all of us feel special. Nagasaki has been Japan's Gateway to the West for hundreds of years. During the 200+ years that Japan was closed to the West, one small island in Nagasaki's harbor was left open for trading. Therefore, Nagasaki served as a conduit for information from the outside. Because of the large European influence on Nagasaki, the city still has many western-style buildings. Nagasaki is compact enough to be explored on your own, but we had been so pleased with the other Silversea guides that we chose a half-day excursion that included the highlights of the city.
Nagasaki remained an important center of trade and transportation until World War II, when the second atomic bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on the city on August 9, 1945. Visiting the Peace Park and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum was emotional and moving for us all. I had many of the same emotions when I visited ground zero in New York and the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Honolulu. The Peace Park included statues donated from countries around the world, each of which stresses the joy of peace rather than the horror of the atomic bomb. One large black stone monolith marks the epicenter of the blast. The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum has original artifacts and graphical and pictorial depictions of the destruction caused by the bomb, with translations in English. The exhibits also introduce the events leading up to the bomb blast. The Japanese interpretation of much of these wartime events was somewhat different than we learned in school, but that made it all the more interesting. Finally, exhibits tell the story of Nagasaki's amazing recovery from the catastrophe.
We left the war behind and traveled across Nagasaki to visit the Oura Catholic Church and Glover Gardens. Oura Catholic Church is the oldest Gothic-style building in all of Japan. A French missionary built the church in 1865 and dedicated it to the memory of 26 Christians who were crucified in 1597 after Christianity was outlawed in Japan. The church is located near Glover Gardens in Nagasaki, which gave us spectacular views of the city and the harbor below. Thomas Glover was a British merchant who married a Japanese woman and settled in Nagasaki. His house and gardens look much like 19th century Europe. Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly, is said to have been set in Glover Gardens.
As we prepared to sail away from Nagasaki in the late afternoon, an all-girl band and pom pom dancers gathered on the pier to send us off with a celebration. The band played and the girls danced. All in all it was truly a remarkable day filled with strong emotions of joy, sorrow, laughter, and friendship.
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