Megami Bridge: Nagasaki City

Nagasaki`s Megami Bridge, the newest bridge in the city is the longest cable-stayed bridge on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu.

The Megami Bridge is a remarkable feat of engineering and the citizens of Nagasaki are all proud of the finished product and really makes people proud to call themselves Nagasakian's.  The bridge measures 880 meters in length and 170 meters in height but it looks so much bigger than these statistics and is really an awe inspiring landmark on the Nagasaki Horizon.  Nagasaki`s Megami Bridge is heavily exposed to the elements and therefore takes a battering from the constant sunshine, rain, wing and of course everyone favorite natural disaster, the typhoon.  Therefore it is quite a common site to see dozens of workers at a time working and cleaning and maintaining the incredible beauty of the Bridge.

Located on the south side of Nagasaki City, the Megami Bridge, affectionately known as Venus’ Wing and provides relief to the chronic traffic congestion in the city by linking its southern and western parts o the city with one magnificently built bridge.  Also, the bridge was built to revitalize industry and culture in the whole region by strengthening the link between the city and the port facilities.  Illuminated in the evenings, the bridge has become a landmark of Nagasaki Port and a new symbol of Nagasaki City tourism.

I drive on this bridge regularly and I can tell you it is a wonderful feeling to pass over.  You can feel every metre of height and on a clear day you can see all the way down the harbor and of course well out into the open seas.  Well worth a drive on a wonderful scenic day.

It`s a great landmark as it`s the first recognizable symbol of Nagasaki as the Cruise Ships first arrive into Nagasaki Port, so on our Private Tours I always endeavor to include a drive across the Megami Bridge to add that extra dimension.

Check out Nagasaki's Megami Bridge on this map below:

   

 Click on the following photos below to enlarge:

Cable suspensions

Well constructed

Below are some more photos taken at various time during sunset, hope you like them!

Shofukuji Temple: Nagasaki City

Shofukuji Temple in Nagasaki was built in 1629. The Chinese residents of Nagasaki who hailed from Fujian Province constructed this Chinese Temple.  It houses 21 cultural assets, including two national treasures - Daiohoden (Buddha Hall) & Daippo-mon (First Peak Gate).

It is a temple with a unique pedigree as it is unique for housing so many cultural assets in one temple in Western Japan.  Shofukuji Temple Nagasaki has three gated entrances known as "the three gates." The red entrance gate and other structures in the precincts are rare examples of the architecture of South China during the Ming Dynasty.  The Chinese Bon Festival is held here from July 26th to the 28th and with Chinese people coming from all over Japan to participate in the ritual for the dead, it is one of the times where Chinese visitors will outnumber the locals.

I truly enjoyed the walking experience around the Shofukuji Temple.  It's peaceful and intriguing exterior leads into a tranquil and inviting interior where one can leisurely take their time and stroll around.  It allows one to see the connection that the Chinese were able to make with the Japanese in the 17th century through their association of religion and in particular Buddhism.  A true Chinese built Temple that was actually built in China and shipped piece by piece to Japan and rebuilt at its current location .  A true find and a place that anyone from all walks of life can find appealing and appreciative of its beauty and tension to detail!

Come and check out the Shofukuji Temple in Nagasaki on a map!

Click on the pictures below to enlarge:

The entrance

Main Altar

The views

Gate entrance

Buddhist offering

Roof tiles are intricate as well

Chinese Lanterns

New Years Decorations

Chinese Buddhism in Nagasaki

Splendid views

       

Here is a video of the Shofukuji Temple Nagasaki:

Hara Castle Ruins: Minamishimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture

The Hara Castle Ruins on the Shimabara Peninsular in Nagasaki Prefecture that stands today is just a small reminder of the Shimabara Rebellion.   It was an uprising on the Shimabara Peninsular in Nagasaki from 1637–1638 during the Edo Period.  It largely involved peasants, most of them being Catholic Christians.

It was one of only a handful of instances of serious unrest during the relatively peaceful period of the Tokugawa Shogunate's rule.  The construction of a new Castle in Shimabara City caused taxes to be drastically raised, which provoked anger from local peasants and the lord less samurai of the time. Religious persecution against the local Christians exacerbated the discontent, which turned into open revolt in 1637.  The Tokugawa Shogunate sent a force of over 125 000 troops to suppress the rebellion, and after a lengthy siege against the 37 000 rebels at Hara Castle, defeated them.

In the wake of the rebellion, the rebel leader Amakusa Shiro was beheaded and persecution of Christianity became strictly enforced. Japan's national exclusion policy was tightened and formal persecution of Christianity continued until the 1850's.

With all this knowledge and still many visual clues available today, it is quite surreal and at times a somber feeling to stroll around the ruins of the Castle and try and visualize all that anger and hatred of opposition forces coming together in death and bloodshed and in many ways a massacre of ordinary people rebellion against injustice.  The site is widely visited by many people today and is a reminder of how Christianity flourished in Japan all those years ago.

A compulsory visit by anyone interested in Christian History in Japan or any History Buff.

Come and checkout the Hara Castle Ruins in Nagasaki here on a map:

 

Click on the photos below to enlarge:

The outer walls still remain

Christian Symbols

Fight over Christianity

Amakusa Shiro, the Rebellions leader

The remains of the grounds

The site of the Christian Rebellion

Please click on this video to see more about Hara Castle:

 

Confucius Shrine: Nagasaki City

Nagasaki`s Confucius Shrine is said to be the world's only Confucius Shrine built by Chinese people outside of China.  Even today the land on which it stands is Chinese Territory and the land rights controlled by the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.

First built in 1893 by Chinese residents of Nagasaki with the support of the Qing Dynasty Government, Nagasaki `s Confucius Shrine was designed to serve as a place of worship and learning for the Chinese community and housed a Confucian sanctuary and primary school.  The buildings were severely damaged by the atomic bomb explosion on August 9, 1945 and was not restored.  It was finally opened to the public in September 1967 and  was extensively renovated in 1982 and remains the same till the present day.

It is a joy and exciting process to walk around the beautifully presented gardens and to graze intensely at the architecture and statues.  The attention to detail is amazing and one can see that a lot of time and effort was put in to the design and final outcome to look as authentic as possible.  One feels like they have stepped out of Japan and back into the realm of China such is the contrast to traditional Japanese buildings and in particular to Japanese Shinto Shrines.

Well worth a visit even if you are not a fan of Chinese History and artifacts.  The Confucius Shrine is located very close to the International Port Terminal so it isn't too far to complete as a walking tour around the area, even if you only have an hour or two to spare it is well worth the effort .

Check out Nagasaki `s Confucius Shrine on a map here!

Click on the photos below to enlarge:

Koi Ponds

Dragons

Add caption

Chinese Statues

Open Courtyard

Main coridoor

Chinese

Attractive artwork

Confucius Pray Altar

Colorful ceilings

The entrance

Unique Design

Please check out the videos of the Nagasaki Confucius Shrine here:

Sunsets in Nagasaki and Fukuoka Prefecture

Both Nagasaki and Fukuoka are blessed with natural beauty and surrounded nearly completely with coastline, so it is not often that a spectacular sunset cannot be seen on a regular occasion.  Luckily on one of my scenic drives I had my camera at the ready to shoot these amazing sunsets.   Hard to resist having a second look!

Please click on the images below to enlarge:

The contrasts are amazing!!

Very pretty hues

Kanahama Fault Geopark, Nagasaki Prefecture

The Kanahama Fault is not the main fault on the Shimabara Peninsular, situated on the south east coast of Nagasaki Prefecture.  There are many faults located on the Peninsular, the main fault is the Chijiwa fault which subsides in the north whilst the Kanahama Fault subsided in the south and the trench  between the two faults is called the Unzen Trough Fault.  The Kanahama Fault with its throw of 150~200m shows the sedimentary layers from the old Unzen Volcano from approx 300 000 to 500 000 years ago.

Looking up the valley from the seaside you can see the deposits from the old Unzen Volcano on the right (south side) and the deposits from a midterm volcano  (approx. 150,000 to 300,000 years ago) on the left (north side). As the Unzen Trough Fault kept subsiding through volcanic eruptions, the deposits from the midterm volcano could not reach beyond the south of the Kanahama Fault.

It's amazing to see the effects of events that happened hundreds of thousands of years ago and how they still exist and create a huge impact today.  I used to enjoy the scenery and drive endlessly around the Peninsular but today with the knowledge I have obtained with the Geopark materials that are available I am able to enjoy in more detail the amazing places that are still within a stones throw away.  Please let me know if you would like more information on Nagasaki Geopark in English and I can help you obtain them.

Check out the Kanahama Fault Nagasaki Geopark on a map!

Here is a video of the Kanahama Fault Nagasaki Geopark: