5/29 Hiroshima

Today we went to Hiroshima. This was one of the big events that I was really looking forward to. I am fascinated and intrigued by the impact of the atom bomb on the city and on mankind as a whole. It was such an enormous event. We met at 7 to take the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. The train ride was about 2 hours and when we arrived in Hiroshima we took a street-car to the first site.
As soon as I got off the train car I saw the atomic dome. It is the only building that was left standing. It has been preserved as a reminder of the destruction. The walls are crumbled and the dome at the top is shattered; only the iron skeleton remains. I walked around it and looked for a while in awe.
We then crossed the river right into the Atomic Peace Park. As I walked over the river I thought of the thousands of people that jumped into its water to die because they couldn’t stand the pain of their burns. The park is a very open and grassy area. At the center a flame burns, only to be put out when every nuclear weapon is destroyed.
We then went into a memorial hall that had information about the event on the walls. An observatory in the center is the hypocenter of where the bomb exploded. This area was silent and I sat in awe and reflection. Around the walls was a 360-degree view of the destroyed city from the hypocenter. It was crazy being at the center knowing right where I was standing was a place that everyone in the world knows about and where so many lives were lost.
Next we went to the museum. The basis of the museum is for peace and the destruction of nuclear weapons. It is a warning of the danger faced by them as much as it is a memorial to the event of August 6, 1945. The museum was incredible. Inside was tons of information and displays. One wall was full of letters of protest to various nations from the mayor of Hiroshima. In all there have been 594 with letters to North Korea being the most recent.
The museum was filled with artifacts from the blast. Charred cement, bicycles, clothing, etc. More than anything there was children’s clothing. I think the main message it was trying to get across was the innocence of so many lives that were lost. The whole experience was very moving and I learned so much from it.
After the museum we headed to the island. The ferry ride was free because it was a JR ferry. We got to the island and we wanted to go to the recreational beach. It ended up being a half hour walk and it was a deserted sharp rock/shell beach. Needless to say, no one got in, but it was a cool experience. It wasn’t a very touristy area and I always love being by the water.
We spent a little more time on the island before taking the ferry back and making the journey to Otsu. Today was fantastic and I think it was my favorite day of the whole trip.