We arrived in the station with plenty of time before our train to Hiroshima. Unfortunately we still managed to get on an earlier train to Osaka (which was technically kind of on the way). At that train station we got on the real train to Hiroshima. Take into account that I am over exaggerating all of these transportation issues- in reality none of these mistakes were really that bad.
Walking out of the train station in Hiroshima I would not have been able to tell that this city had been hit with an atomic bomb sixty years ago. It was bustling and fully rejuvenated. We went to the Peace Memorial Museum and walked around learning about the bombing. I was immediately reminded of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. I thought the museum was really well organized and did an excellent job of providing historical, personal, and cultural facts about Japan before the bombing, during WWII, and the aftermath of it. I learned a lot about the actual tactics of choosing Hiroshima as the place to be bombed- it was the only one of the four final cities that did not have any POW camps. I also was shocked to learn that the US did not present any type of warning to the Japanese prior to the bombing. I kept thinking about the pilot of the Enola Gay and how he must have felt when he dropped the bomb. Seeing charred clothes, skin fragments and fingernails of the victims, and personal testimonies was indescribable. The most surprising thing for me was the lack of animosity towards Americans the museum displayed. For the most part it told the story of the war very honestly and fact-based. There was no blame, just a sad reality.
We proceeded to go to the Children’s Memorial where we saw thousands of paper cranes in honor of Sadako and the other children who perished from the bombing. Sadako was a toddler when the bomb hit and appeared to be fine. When she was in the sixth grade she was diagnosed with a much progressed form of cancer. She began making paper cranes in her hospital room (if you make 1,000 paper cranes your wish will come true). She did not survive the cancer. Paper cranes are sent to Hiroshima and the children’s memorial by people worldwide.
We had lunch at a café, the first time we were able to walk into a restaurant and all find something to eat, and then walked around the shopping area of Hiroshima. It was a fun area and crowded. We then made it back to the train station and took a train to Kobe, the last city we would visit.
Walking out of the train station in Hiroshima I would not have been able to tell that this city had been hit with an atomic bomb sixty years ago. It was bustling and fully rejuvenated. We went to the Peace Memorial Museum and walked around learning about the bombing. I was immediately reminded of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. I thought the museum was really well organized and did an excellent job of providing historical, personal, and cultural facts about Japan before the bombing, during WWII, and the aftermath of it. I learned a lot about the actual tactics of choosing Hiroshima as the place to be bombed- it was the only one of the four final cities that did not have any POW camps. I also was shocked to learn that the US did not present any type of warning to the Japanese prior to the bombing. I kept thinking about the pilot of the Enola Gay and how he must have felt when he dropped the bomb. Seeing charred clothes, skin fragments and fingernails of the victims, and personal testimonies was indescribable. The most surprising thing for me was the lack of animosity towards Americans the museum displayed. For the most part it told the story of the war very honestly and fact-based. There was no blame, just a sad reality.
We proceeded to go to the Children’s Memorial where we saw thousands of paper cranes in honor of Sadako and the other children who perished from the bombing. Sadako was a toddler when the bomb hit and appeared to be fine. When she was in the sixth grade she was diagnosed with a much progressed form of cancer. She began making paper cranes in her hospital room (if you make 1,000 paper cranes your wish will come true). She did not survive the cancer. Paper cranes are sent to Hiroshima and the children’s memorial by people worldwide.
We had lunch at a café, the first time we were able to walk into a restaurant and all find something to eat, and then walked around the shopping area of Hiroshima. It was a fun area and crowded. We then made it back to the train station and took a train to Kobe, the last city we would visit.
twinsicle,
ReplyDeleteRemind me when you get back that you should watch a film I saw in a film class I took last yaer called "Hiroshima Mon Amour" I'm sure it will interest you after your visit.
oxoxoxoxoxox
Don't worry about the pilot, he didn't care
ReplyDelete