Nagasaki, Japan

Hello, and welcome back.

Karen and I have been in Japan for the last several days. Yesterday, we spent the day in Nagasaki. Having come from a career at Los Alamos, we had a great interest in visiting here. One of our biggest surprises was how wonderful the people are here. Many, many people told us how much they appreciate Americans, and that what happened to their city at the end of WWII had to happen in order to get the world back on track. They expressed that their former government was wrong, and America saved their country.

These are some of the most forgiving and peace loving people we have ever met. However, visiting the memorial was a very solemn ordeal.
🙁

Origami paper cranes have come to symbolize hope and peace in Japan, and there is quite a story regarding their tradition of children folding 1000 cranes.

At the end of a sorrowful day, we joined some friends and walked through town. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner in an off the beaten path restaurant in Chinatown before returning to the ship.

Sailing away was cool. Tight fit under the bridge…

The following day, we awoke in the city of Kagoshima. None of the excursions were very appealing today, but I enjoyed a long walk through town, and met up with a friend for lunch. We opted for a hidden away Indian restaurant. The food was remarkable. I tried a little of everything. Red curry, lemon soup, tandoori chicken, and a spicy black-pork Indian hamburger (mores like a naan burrito) that can only be described as “WOW”! Now, the food is not bad onboard, but variety is the spice of life, and I have to say, “this food did not taste like ship”…

15,000 steps later, I was back on board, and heading toward Tokyo, but that my friends, is another story.

Hope to see you again soon.

Thanks.
– Mike

“I need physics more than friends.” – J. Robert Oppenheimer