The Hypocenter in Nagasaki

We visited the place where the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The monument above is the hypocenter. The Fat Man bomb exploded 500-meters above this monument at 11:02 on 09 August, 1945.

The Peace Park is right next to the Hypocenter. The Peace Statue there was put up in August of 1955, the 10th anniversary of the bomb. The fountain here is in the shapes of wings.

According to the sign next to the statue, "the elevated right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons, while the outstretched left hand symbolizes tranquility and world peace.... the folded right leg symbolizes quiet meditation, while the left leg is poised for action in assisting humanity."

We saw several people having photos taken of themselves in the same pose as the statue.

The Shimonokawa River. It's very pretty, but has a very sad history. Many people who were in the area died trying to reach the water to drink.
Thousands of paper cranes. There is a Japanese belief that if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, your wish will be granted. There is a famous story in the area about Sadako Sasaki a little girl who lived near the bomb center in Hiroshima. She developed leukemia a few years after the bomb was dropped.