That was a Hell of a day

That got your attention didn't it! However it is not what you think.

The first hell refers to the hot springs at Beppu - a geothermal area known as hells.
Hot springs dotted all over this island (Kyushu) and the city of Beppu is home to over 2,000 hot springs Each 'hell’ (or jingoku) is distinctly different. The largest, Umi (Sea) Jigoku, earned its name for its vivid turquoise colour. The oldest hell, Chinoike (Blood Lake) Jigoku is blood red. Despite the name it was very attractive area.

We travelled south to Nagasaki, one of two cities in Japan destroyed by an atomic bomb during World War II. I'm sure the 9th August 1945 at 11:02am would have been hell for the residents of Nagasaki.

We visited the Peace Park and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. Nagasaki Peace Park is located near the hypocentre of the atomic bomb blast. The Peace Statue points up to the sky with its right hand to warn of the atomic bomb and its left arm is horizontal to represent the wish for peace. The are many statues and sculptures that have been donated from many countries around the world to support the need for peace. The photo of the black monument represents the hypocentre of the blast. The bomb went off 500 metres above this point.

The museum was very interesting with photos and other relics from the period that were found after the bomb, as well as many stories from survivors. 75,000 people lost their lives in the attack and its aftermath.

That night we had a ramen dinner and then drove up to the lookout over Nagasaki (apologies for the quality of the night photos - Brad didn't take the camera and I was just using my phone, but I did manage to get a short video of fireworks that only lasted for about 30 seconds)Read more