Nagasaki Visit

Nagasaki, Historical Gateway to Japan

Shrine of the 26 Martyrs

We left Fukuoka at 9:00 in the morning, arriving at the Nagasaki train station by a little before 11:00. Although it was a bit overcast and blustery, we began by walking the several blocks uphill to the Shrine of the Twenty Six Martyrs.

The walk to the shrine was not far, but it was uphill and into the wind. While we were never rained on while in Nagasaki, we did catch some snow (or, rather, it caught us) later that day.

Stone Bridges

Spectacles Bridge Coming down from the Shrine of the 26 Martyrs, we bought an all-day trolly pass and rode to the vicinity of the Stone Bridges. The photo to the right shows Joa standing on the most famous of these bridges.

This bridge, built in 1634 by the Chinese monk Mozi of Kofukuji Temple, is the oldest stone arch bridge in Japan and has been designated as an Important Cultural Asset. It is called "Megane-bashi," or "Spectacles Bridge," because its two arches and their reflection in the water create the image of a pair of eyeglasses. As you can see, I didn't catch the particular angle necessary to show this. I blame the cloud cover.

In 1982, a flash flood washed away six of the ten historic stone bridges over Nakashima River. Meganebashi was badly damaged, but almost all the original stones were retrieved and the bridge was restored to its original condition.

Two Days in Nagasaki

Nagasaki, Historical Gateway to Japan

Shrine of the 26 Martyrs

Stone Bridges