It began on a Friday afternoon when I hoped on the Shikansen bound for Hiroshima (using a student discount, of course!). I checked into my hostel that evening and ended the night with pizza.
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| Super cool hostel that served you a free drink every night. |
Saturday I woke up bright and early to tackle everything on my list (Museums, parks, and monuments) dedicated to the events at Hiroshima. First the Museum to actually see photos and understand life within the city before and during the war.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was established in 1955. The museum displays the realities of the atomic bombing through photos and personal belongings of those impacted by it. Exhibits display this in hundreds of letters and articles of clothing that can be seen through glass panels. I became very shocked at seeing this reality and out of respect, chose not to take an pictures of the exhibits (though allowed). One thing that stuck out to me was a display that held the steps to a local bank. The bank was extremely close to the initial detonation that a man who was sitting on the steps, waiting for the bank to open, had literally been incinerated by the heat. His shadow was etched in the steps and can still be seen. To this day, no one is exactly sure who the man was.
After the museum, I took a walk around the peace park to see the monuments and atomic bomb dome. There I saw the Children’s Museum and monument dedicated to all of the young children who died. The Atomic Bomb dome is probably the most iconic structure after the events. The building still stands, but is clearly destroyed and has not been touched since that day. If you look closely as I did, you can still see the rubble and broken bricks on the ground, but you can also see grass and flowers blooming all around and through them.
I ended the day taking a ferry ride to Itsukushima Shrine. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the shrine seemed to be floating on water and displayed the beauty of Japan. It was a great way to lift some of the heaviness experienced earlier in the day and allowed me to have time alone and just think.
The feeling of actually seeing these things closely compared to that of seeing ground zero last summer in NYC. Any amounts of disbelief in the event is eradicated when one sees with their own eyes. However seeing the commitment of the Japanese people to turning the disaster into a catalyst for furthering world peace is something to be admired. And having learned of the historical events before it all has allowed me to also join the worldwide movement for peace for all.
