Hiroshima Castle.
Although it was mostly destroyed in the bombing ( I think) its completely restored now.
Although it was mostly destroyed in the bombing ( I think) its completely restored now.
Me with the Miyajima gate.
Me with the temple in Miyajima.
Miyajima gate. The most photographed spot in Japan, after Mt. Fuji.
The deer here are known for being friendly. But theyll eat anything. Theyre domesticated. This one tried to eat my paper our of my purse when I turned around.
Miyajima, an island near Hiroshima, known for this iconic image.
View of the river from near the Atomic Bomb Dome.
View from a riverside cafe waiting for the ferry to take me to Miyajima.
One of the memorial monuments for the Atomic Bomb
The Atomic Bomb Dome. The Dome was left as a reminder of the destruction the Atomic Bomb did. Also, it is near the epicenter of the blast. Everyone in the building died.
This is the bell for peace.
The memorial for the Korean victims of the blast. This memorial was errected years after the others. There were thousands of Korean laborers and others who were effected by the blast. Japan had invaded Korea and it is still a difficult subject today.
Atomic Bomb Dome
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This is the Childrens Peace Memorial.
The memorial at the top is a picture of a girl, Sasako Sadaki. She was two at the time of the blast. When she was 12 she became sick with cancer. As per an old folktale, she believed that if she folded a 1000 paper cranes, she would be well. Unfortunately, she died before she accomplished this. But the students in her school finished them for her,and brought them here. This monument was errected in her honor. Students from all over Japan fold paper cranes and bring them here for peace. You can see these in the cases behind her.
The memorial at the top is a picture of a girl, Sasako Sadaki. She was two at the time of the blast. When she was 12 she became sick with cancer. As per an old folktale, she believed that if she folded a 1000 paper cranes, she would be well. Unfortunately, she died before she accomplished this. But the students in her school finished them for her,and brought them here. This monument was errected in her honor. Students from all over Japan fold paper cranes and bring them here for peace. You can see these in the cases behind her.
Sasaki Sadako
These are the cranes folded by students. My students traveled here in May, and they had been folding the cranes since last year. It was surprising to me, even the students who were never interested in school and were not always behaved were very dilligent about creating the cranes.
Me in front of the Memorial. We were lucky, we got there before the crowds rolled in.
The Memorial for the Atomic Bomb Victims. This was right behind the museum in Hiroshima.
Photos in the Museum for the Atomic Bomb of the Blast in Hiroshima
Hiroshima was a beautiful city. The waterways and general calmess during the day made me fall in love with it. It was hard for me to imagine that, not so long ago, the city was completely destroyed by the worst weapon ever used on mankind. It was truely touching walking through the streets and realizing the history that runs through the city. It was humbling. As I watched all the schoolchildren go through the museums, and looked at the pictures and models of the destruction from the bomb, both done to people and done to the city itself, I felt a strange feeling. It was exactly a feeling of being ashamed that my country did that to the country that has treated me so warmly here, but it was more that I hoped it would never happen again. I saw, maybe for the first time, the true terror that this weapon caused. And that just cemented my conviction about nuclear disarmmament. You dont have to feel the same, but once you visit the city, youll come away with a different opinion. Without seeing it firsthand, anything you say is all well and good, but it was an amazing experience. The city has rejuvinated itself into such a beautiful place. It is truely somewhere that I could see myself living. Near the water, with such a historical feeling running through the veins of the city. Something about the water makes me so calm, and I hope I can find another place like that somewhere else in the world too.
It was so hot during our trip. At least 92 degrees and humid! It was nice to get on the train in the air conditioning.
