Hiroshima
Trip Start
Jun 05, 2008
1
19
38
Trip End
Sep 28, 2008
Hiroshima,
Chugoku,
Japan
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Only when hopping on the city tram and riding it across Hiroshima's various rivers do you see the evidence of nuclear destruction. Hiroshima after the atom bomb constructed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park a heartwrenching and tearjerking tribute to those who lost their lives as well as the most moving protest to nuclear weapons possible. The first sight was the A-bomb dome, literally a bombed out skeleton of a once modern building. It was close to the center of the blast and thus survived to some degree, the searing heet that emanated from the blast.
Hundreds of children lost their lives or were orphaned in the blast. Many children were not in school but helping to dismantle certain buildings in Hiroshima to protect the city from catching on fire should there be potential air raids from the US forces. All that remained of these children who were laboring for their country were their lunch pails or shredded clothing or shoes. The rest of Hiroshimas children were sent to teh countryside for safety and upon the dropping of the bomb, most lost both their parents, were orphaned, and relegated to shining the brass buckled shoes of the Americna men and women who came in to rebuild. Cruel isnt it?
The Children's Memorial a modest structure that is more impressive not in its design but in the connection it has made with thousands of people across the world. Hundreds of thousands of paper cranes are linked together in enormous chains and stored in glass to protect them from the elements. Sadako, a young girl from Hiroshima had survived the blast at age 2 but 9 years later developed leukemia as a result of the radiation. According to Japanese legend, if you fold over 1000 paper cranes, your wish will be granted. She folded over 1000 before dying at age 12. Since then the paper cranes have become symbols of peace and have been donated by school children and other from all aroudn the world arriving in the shape of peace signs, of Japanese characters, of the earth and many other beautiful images.
The Hiroshima museum was amazing in its tribute to those who lost their lives, in their delicate handling of why the US decided to bomb Japan, and in its unabashed criticism and disgust for countries that are developing/have nuclear weapons. The museum also did not proclaim complete innocence in the war and admitted that they were involved in such wartime atrocities as well. It goes on to discuss to some degree US-Japan relations since then, the Hiroshima maidens and has comments from world leaders on how moved they were by the museum.
Peace Memorial Park was definitely one of the most amazing places to visit in Japan.
Everytime a nuclear weapons is tested or produced, the governor of Hiroshima writes a strong letter of protest to the respective heads of state. Copies of such letters number in the hundreds. Its a sad sight to see.
The park was a beautiful place to see and visit and to pay respects to those who so innocently lost their lives.
