Hiroshima Cont`d
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2008
1
53
93
Trip End
Jan 31, 2009
Hiroshima,
Chugoku,
Japan
Monday, December 15, 2008
There are a Dutch couple, a Lebanese lady, a British girl and a Turk staying in the same dorm. The British girl has safely traveled through South Africa, Swaziland and Namibia.
Walked around the residential areas to the northeast of the city. The least developed neighborhoods are the same as in Tokyo, which would be equivalent to an average neighborhood in Istanbul.
Worried about not eating enough vegetables, had an apple and a clementine for breakfast.
Went into the National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
Children`s Memorial
. The Hall was a modern architectural masterpiece. Through a narrow path, you descend into the main chamber. After you have traveled back in time, you arrive at a spherical room that has a bomb shaped fountain in the center. The clock motif on the fountain surface displays 8.15am, the time of the blast. Arranged around the fountain are marble stools. The wall is covered with 14,000 tiles, alluding to the number of victims who died in 1945. On these tiles, you can find the names of Hiroshima`s neighborhoods. The lower the name`s position on the wall, the closer it was to the epicenter of the blast. If you just sit in one of the stools and listen to the sound of water, you could easily have one of the most peaceful moments of your life. However, as peace starts to settle in, you look around the chamber and remember how severely burnt victims died begging for a drop of water. This juxtaposition is the most powerful tool that could have been used to convey the purpose of the museum.On the top floor, victims` memoirs were on display. Across from the memoirs, there are the a-bomb archives. The touch-screen computers here give you access to a wide variety of info, ranging from the victims` profiles to related videos from the US military archives.
As I was eating my apple in the Peace Memorial Park, I met an American girl who is an exchange student in Hong Kong
Hiroshima
. She is a physics major with the mission of bringing the arts and science communities closer together, as a journalist. She wants to introduce more technological tools to artistic pieces. I wish I had a mission statement like this...Walked all the way to the eastern end of the city where the Hijiyama Park was. Inside the Park were 2 museums that I wanted to visit: a modern art museum and a comic museum. Unfortunately, they were closed. In general, Mondays and Tuesdays are risky days to visit museums.
Remember the Japanese fastfood restaurant in Tokyo with the vending machine? I found a branch of that near the Park. Had a rice bowl with beef and vegetables, miso soup and green tea for $6. Thank God, I`m saved from the evils of McDonald`s...
Visited the World Peace Memorial Cathedral. Finally... A Christian establishment in Japan... The building was intensely modern. Its bare concrete walls resembled a ruined, post-a-bomb Hiroshima building. The inside of this Jesuit church was quite peculiar as well.
The window paintings were almost Manga-like and there was no crucifix; only a strange Jesus image above the altar
In Rob`s Memory
. The Jesuit missionary quarters were right next door.Some of the buildings in Hiroshima, such as the Urban View Grand Tower, belong to South Beach, Miami. The only thing they need is a bit more pastel.
The Hiroshima Castle is not worth a visit. It`s sufficient to take a look at the main tower from the outside. As expected, none of the original buildings could withstand the atomic blast. Therefore, everything here is a late 1950s reconstruction. However, the main tower is an ornate building, resembling the main tower of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The interior of this originally 17th Century palace has been transformed into a museum, which cannot compete with the quality of the memorial museums.
Called my family from the green public phone. My 1,000 yen phone card allowed me to speak for at most 10 minutes. Expensive...
Comments
church
I just looked the Jesuit church up online (I love the Jesuits!). It is really beautiful and striking...I wish I could have visited it in person.