|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
Hiroshima -- the first city ever destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945 -- today is a modern hustling, bustling city. However in the heart of the city, near the center of that fateful attack, is the lasting skeletal remains of a former government building. It is now known as the A-Bomb Dome and serves as a stark reminder of the devastation brought by an atomic bomb.
 |
 |
 |
Two female Japanese students were at the memorial surveying the tourists on their knowledge and perceptions of Hiroshima and Japan. Although they struggled with their English, they were enormously nice and eager to converse in English.
We each filled out their surveys which had questions like "What do you think is Japan's prettiest spot?", "What is your favorite Japanese food?", and "What is your favorite Japanese phrase?". Of course my (Joel's) answer to "favorite Japanese phrase" was "Don't touch my mustache". (There is some old movie in which a cantankerous English woman knows only that one phrase. The real phrase is "do itashimashite" which translates to "you are welcome" or "don't mention it".)
Across the river from the A-Bomb Dome is the Statue of the A-bomb Children,
dedicated to the children who died in the blast and also those who died afterward
from the effects of radiation.
The inspiration for the statue was a girl who was dying of radiation poisoning. She believed that if she folded 1,000 paper cranes (the symbol of happiness and longevity) she would become well. She ended up making 1,300 but died anyway.
Around the memorial are thousands of strands of paper cranes made by schoolchildren.
In that same general area (known as the Peace Memorial Park) is an eternal flame
and (pictured at left) the Memorial Cenotaph. This is a stone arch covering
a stone chest which contains the names of all those killed by the bomb. You
can look straight through the arch and over the eternal flame and see the A-Bomb
Dome.
Just south of the Cenotaph is the Peace Memorial Museum. The first half depicts pre-bomb Hiroshima and events leading up to the blast. The second half documents the devastation and horror, sometimes in stark, gruesome detail.
One exhibit is of the granite steps of a bank building on which someone was sitting. All that's left of that person is a permanent shadow on the steps.
All the exhibits had English translations.
For those of you with RealPlayer, this streaming video from Raul's videocam shows a model of central Hiroshima before and after the bomb blast (video only). The first building he zooms in on is the Government Prefecture, now known as the A-Bomb dome. We were told that the T-shaped bridge near the dome was what the Elona Gay bomber pilot was aiming for.
If you don't have RealPlayer you
can download it free by following this link. (You don't need
the Plus version, the free version will do nicely.) 
The week we were in Japan was their Golden Week -- sort of a national holiday
week. We noticed many, many flowers in the general area and discovered that
Hiroshima was hosting a flower festival starting the next day.
After lunch at a certified McDonalds we proceeded to Hiroshima Castle which was rebuilt in 1958. The main building was a museum with artifacts from Japan's feudal period such as samurai swords and helmets.
We couldn't stay long because the museum was closing so we scurried to the top
for a view of the city.
Rather than staying the night in Hiroshima we decided to take the 5 hour train ride back to Tokyo. I remember myself saying: "Do you think we'll have problems finding a hotel so late at night?" ...