Safety and strength

Every January in Himeji, the local fire and emergency department organise a display in the grounds of Himeji castle in order to restore the community's faith in emergency services.

Us


Big band marching


The contenders make their entrance...


...and set up their ladder and rope


Look, no hands


Ta-da!

Next was the emergency evacuation simulation

Getting into action...


...all in a matter of minutes


Aah, saved, and...


...fire extinguished


Mini but mighty

Yep, faith restored. It truly was an impressive display.

Until next time,
Monica x

Coming of Age

Some posts ago, I showed you a display of furisode in a shop window.

Long-sleeved kimono

Furisode is a special type of kimono with long sleeves that young, unmarried women wear, usually on seijin-no-hi - known as Coming of Age day. Last January, I was lucky to be passing the cultural centre in Himeji on this public holiday.

What's going on?

Gathered on the steps of the Culture Centre

The girls are immaculately dressed

These kimono are so expensive that they are usually rented or borrowed for the day. The girls said it took hours of preparation - including dress, hair, makeup and nails and most went to salons for professional assistance. They were trendy, gorgeous and happy to pose - despite the cold.

Cute is a fluffy shawl


The obi are fabulous -
and there's so many ways to tie them

The boys are in a traditional kimono too...


..but some just wore suits

It truly was a treat to see these young people dressed up in their mix of traditional and contemporary style, excited to be embarking the year as a fully-fledged adult in Japanese society.

Until next time,
Monica x

Nagasaki Peace

Yay! By Saturday mid-morning we arrived in Nagasaki.

Nagasaki station

Nagasaki is famous for the Sasebo burger...


...but I opted for non-Japanese toasted sandwiches for lunch!

The first stop for the afternoon was the Nagasaki Peace Museum and Peace Park.

There were many memorials to see


The entrance to the museum


Me in front of the origami peace tributes


More peace cranes inside...


...from all over the world

I didn't take any photos inside the museum - the displays were much like those in the Hiroshima peace museum. I thought the feeling inside wasn't as emotional as in Hiroshima, though having said that, the images were still horrific and I still couldn't bear to spend too much time in the sadness there.

Statement art

The date no one forgets


To the peace park


For eternal peace...


...forever


The bronze pointing man is the symbol of Nagasaki

He's completely out of proportion to look at, however, his significance is important to the people of Nagasaki. His right hand pointed to the sky represents the threat of more nuclear weapons, but he outstretched hand represents peace. He's also half meditating, and half ready to run to assist should the need arise.

He was erected in August 1955 for the 10th anniversary
of the bombing of Nagasaki


The origami version

After strolling the peace parks, we walked to a small museum commemorating Dr Takashi Nagai. It was really interesting learning about the life of this man and visiting his tiny Nyoko-do, where he wrote his books during his dying days.

The view from Dr Nagai's hut


Dr Nagai's hut

After too much sadness, we walked to the beautiful Kofuku-ji temple. What sets this temple apart is that it is set in some gorgeous gardens. Take a look.

Greenery


The gardens were immaculate


Another view

Next, we strolled down some nearby streets to see the biggest hydrangeas ever!

They were in blue and pink


I liked the two-tone pink


I'm touching one to give you an idea of the size -
they were bigger than soccer balls!


Just the way I like a man

We ended the day with a cable car ride up Mount Inasa to see the 360 degree night view of Nagasaki.

It's one of three best night views in Japan -
but the photo doesn't do it justice

And so ended our first day of exploration in Nagasaki.

Peace,
Monica x

On the way to Nagasaki

Back in June, we decided to take a trip to Nagasaki by Shinkansen. But, as we left at 5pm, it was impossible to make it to Nagasaki directly that night, so we stayed overnight in Fukuoka.

Himeji station

It was the first time for me to catch the Nozomi shinkansen, which hurtles along at a maximum speed of 300 kmph. We were literally in Okayama in 15 minutes (which usually takes 1 1/2 hours by local train) before arriving at Hiroshima in just over an hour (it takes 4 by local train!!) and transferring to the Fukuoka-bound train. Amazing Japan.

Nozomi is the fastest of the three shinkansen
operating out of Himeji (Hikari and Kodama are the other two)

Once in Fukuoka, we set to find Canal city and the outdoor boulevard featuring Hakata's famous ramen.

The eateries along the canal


It was packed with people enjoying outdoor dining


We all ordered ramen, of course


Some of the night lights

And sadly, it is all we could enjoy in Fukuoka as the next morning, we completed our journey to Nagasaki.

Nagasaki in the next post,
Monica x