The Unzen Power Spot is located half way up the Mountain between Obama and Unzen Towns. At first glance it looks like a place with just a couple of statues but after a minute or 2 of walking around one comes to understand fully really how much there is to offer and see in this interesting and diverse place.
I am not a Power Spot fanatic or anything like that but when someone told me about this particular Power Spot just up the mountain from my place I literally jumped in my car and went for a gander. There is a peacefulness and a sense of purpose regarding the Unzen Power Spot, even in the 25 to 30 minutes that I was there I was able to feel a sense of worth and sincerity about life that really makes you think of what is important in life and for me that is my family, consisting of the wife and 2 kids.
In particular the statues of the Mother surrounded by babies was the most intense feeling for me, it brought back memories of both my children births which of course put me in my happy place for many hours, days and weeks since. I know when I need a boost in the future, the Unzen Power Spot is the place for me to return and put everything back into perspective again!
I urge you to visit the Unzen Power Spot, it will definitely provide the spiritual connection that you are looking for and of course give you the chance to see beauty in nature, artifacts and most importantly from within.
Check out the Unzen Power Spot on this map:
Click on the photos below to enlarge:
Spiritual Healing
Interesting face
A place to pray
Powerful image of Mother and Baby
Lots of individual prayer boxes
Enlightenment is just around the corner?
.......and ponder
Please check out the videos of Unzen Power Spot Nagasaki here:
Sannomaru Square located inside Maizuru Park used to be the Maizuru Junior High School quite a few years ago. It has been renovated and turned into quite an important and popular sightseeing place within the confines of the beautiful park and Fukuoka City.
Not only is the park a focal attraction for visitors because of its visual attractiveness as a result of various distinct flowering periods (most notable is of course the Cherry Blossoms in March/ April) you can combine this with the possibility of getting dressed up in a formal Kimono for the ladies and also options for men and children as well to get the whole family involved. Without a doubt this is the type Japanese Culture that you have come to Japan to experience for yourself.
Within an hour (for non make up and without hair options) you can choice your own Kimono according to the season and flowering at the time, take a wander around the expansive and nature filled Park area and snap numerous pics that will stay with you forever.
Whether you choose a half day walking tour or a full day driving tour, our Private Fukuoka Tours includes this attraction in all of tour options. An experience you will never forget!
Please look below to see the Sannomaru Square on a map:
Please click on the photos below to enlarge:
Hakata dolls for sale
Attractive gardens
Kimono rentals
Samurai wear
Cultural activity
Please click on the video below to see more about Sannomaru Square.
For many people of there that love trains, Hakata Station in Fukuoka City had their thinking caps on when designing the new Station. When the new design was unveiled in 2011 it had a new incredible feature, that being the Observation Deck on the 9th floor. Actually its more like a brilliantly designed Train Cart with windows that overlook the various train tracks below.
Spend 10 minutes here and you are bound to see numerous trains arriving and departing Hakata Station. Quite a few local and express trains are observed but its the Shinkansen (bullet trains) that is what everyone wants to see. Suddenly in the distance a speck turns into a train that is enormous in length like the longest snake in the world. It just goes on and on and complete overwhelms and makes the other trains look insignificant.
It`s just a marvel to watch one in action let alone travel on one (which I have many times) and I can tell you that are worth every yen you have just to experience once in your lifetime.
Anyway, for a mere 10 minutes of your time I am sure you will throughly enjoy the experience and be amazed by Japanese technology that is respected around the world.
Please look below to see Hakata Station on a map:
Please click the photos below to enlarge:
Impressive structure
Trains coming and going
Please click on the video below to see more about Hakata`s Observation Deck:
A real historical and important WW2 site that still remains in Nagasaki to this day, is called the Hario Transmission Towers. They were the starting point of the message sent by officials to proceed with the attack on Pearl Harbor. As a result of this, the Hario Transmission Towers will forever be remember if only in an infamous way. It must be mentioned that despite heavy bombing in Sasebo during the war, the towers remained standing. This leads to an interesting theory that the American`s purposely left this site alone in the belief that it would come in handy in the future when Japan would eventually be defeated. Construction began on the three 446-foot transmission towers at the station in 1918 and was completed in 1922. Improved communications were needed as Japan began to expand its empire. The Russo/ Japanese War triggered a need for strengthening Japan`s Wireless Infrastructure thus manpower and money was poured into the project at an amazing pace and as a result the project was completed in a record time. This facility is still prized for its engineering and wireless technology and along with its historical background has been designated as an Important Cultural Asset. The Hario Wireless Towers symbolizes the development of technology in Japan which has resulted in the highly developed and technologically advanced 21st Century society that exists today. I have visited this site many times in the last 2 years and have made it a regular stop on Tour Nagasaki`s itinerary. This area is a special place indeed. Amazing nature contracting with technology from yesteryear, the sheer size and speed that these towers were constructed are to be commended as one can only get a grasp of their enormous girth once you are standing and or walking around the circumference of its base. Of course, American`s in particular will feel more emotional at the Hario Wireless Towers but realistically the site should be viewed as a small piece of history and a culmination of many different events that occurred before the message was even sent. In many ways, this site should be seen as a technological site and not as a WW2 historical site in my opinion. Please check out the Hario Wireless Towers below on a map:
Please click the photos below to enlarge:
One of the towers
Well signed location
English Translations
Size is enormous
Transmission Station
Surrounded by nature
Reaching to the sky
Please click on the videos below to enjoy the views of the Hario Wireless Towers:
Tour Nagasaki specializes in Christian Pilgrimages. Since the inclusion of Nagasaki’s Hidden Christian Sites under the UNESCO World Heritage Listing, our services to these remote and hard to get to regions have become a popular destination.
This is the area of Nagasaki that we specialize in.
Check on the map below:
Please check out these destinations on the video below:
As promised in a recent post, I am attempting to visit and report on as many of the new UNESCO Hidden Christian Heritage Sites so as to provide as much information in English as possible to prospective clients but also for those people who wish to come and check out these sites on there own accord.
Actually 4 years ago now I did a little bit of research into these prospective UNESCO sites when they were being analyzed as a candidate site. I can tell you this, the sites were difficult to find, there was hardly any English literature or pamphlets, signposting was minimal and in all honesty I struggled to find most of the main attractions and heavily doubted that they would one day become a fully fledged UNESCO listed Heritage Site.
Well, upon my second visit, I was pleasantly and very surprised to the lengths and efforts that the Nagasaki Community has gone thru to get the message out to the world of the plight that the Nagasaki Christians endured during the decree to ban Christianity and kill anyone who defied this order by the all powerful Shogunate.
The signs are strategically placed, the roads have been widened, car parks installed and even cafes strategically placed along the way to act as rest stops to throughly create a feeling of wellbeing and to make the sites a well designed and thought out sightseeing location.
Not all is perfect yet! There still needs to be some more improvement but from what I have seen to what now is in place, a big thumbs up from me is absolutely given. I will be back to do some more documenting and plan to blog in more detail about each building and attraction in these villages.
Please check out these villages on the maps below:
The 26 Martyrs Museum was built on Nishizaka Hill in Nagasaki, Japan in June 1962 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the canonization by the Roman Catholic Church of the Christians executed on the site on the 5th of February 1597. Its interior is reminiscent of a church with stained-glass windows, making for excellent viewing of the exhibits. On display are artifacts related to Christianity in Japan, including old documents, statues and jewelry. Explanations of many of the pieces are in English and give the viewer an upclose look back at many of the hardships and challenges were placed on the Nagasaki Christians in the 16th and 17th Century. As with most of my stories and investigations into all things Nagasaki, it took me about 8 visits to the actual 26 Martyrs Monument before I stumbled upon this gem of a museum. It doesn`t even get close to half of the visitors that the Atomic Bomb Museum but each corresponding visit by yours truly has opened another angle or targeted wave of investigation into a never ending story of the Nagasaki Hidden Christians. Well worth a visit and worth every penny of its 500 yen entrance fee. 1 or 2 hours of your time can be used up with ease at this location. Here is a map of the 26 Martyrs Museum in Nagasaki City:
Here are a few photos taken from the exterior of the 26 Martyrs Museum: Please click to enlarge.
Please check out the 26 Martyrs Museum in these videos below:
Check out how magical and spectacular Fukuoka City really is with our private walking tours.
The video below will give you a glimpse of what you can expect on our day together in Fukuoka.
The Nagasaki Peace Park Main Statue is usually only viewed from one angle, that being from a straight on view but I decided to take another approach and see it was a different viewpoint. A quick little walk around the back of the statues really does offer a completely opposite visual reference.
Of course the normal view of the Nagasaki Peace Park main statue is a powerful one, undeniably a moving experience and packed with sorrow but at the same time hope for the future. The reverse side however holds all the above but also in addition there is a feeling of doubt that mankind and humanity can actually learn from its mistakes and not go down that narrow windy path of devastation that the nuclear arms race has headed in the past and still does to some degree in this age of the 21st century.
I am not sure if these feelings creeped up on my from my subconscious or whether it was because of the positioning of the sun and the dark images that resulted in my feelings of doom and gloom but it is something that we all should and need to feel once in a while to face reality to keep everything at face value and in check.
A special and important place for everyone to visit in their lifetime.
Please see the Nagasaki Peace Park Statue on the map below:
Please click on the photos below to enlarge:
Amazing silhouette
Imposing figure
The sun was at a perfect angle
Another angle
Message
Click on the video link below to see more of Nagasaki Peace Statue:
