Hiroshima

Part II of our mini vacation was to Hiroshima. While we were there we visited-
1. The Peace Park, A-Bomb Dome and Museum
2. The Hiroshima Carp Baseball Game
3. Miyajima Island

First I'll write about the Peace Park and Museum. At first I thought it would be strange to visit a place the Americans had destroyed so many years ago, but I think it is an important part of history. The Japanese have done a wonderful job of making this part of history more about peace in the future than about destruction in the past. Here I am ringing the peace bell.Although, the Japanese view of history is a little different, like the war generally starts when they bombed Pearl Harbor. They don't include much about their aggression prior to this. If you ask the Japanese about the war, they also say that they lost the war and they needed to be humbled. Either way though, Glenn and I didn't advertise that we were American. Surprisingly though, unlike where we live and even in Kyoto, Hiroshima was filled with Europeans. We heard every language under the sun while we were in Hiroshima.

The A-Bomb Dome was a building near the epicenter (hypocenter) that was only partially destroyed. The building is now going to be preserved forever as a reminder of the destruction of nuclear weapons. There were photographs of what the area looked like after the bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 M and it was hard for me to believe.

The majority of the area that was destroyed that used to be houses and industrial areas is now preserved as a park. There are memorials and statues dedicated to all those that were killed on that day. Memorials to the Koreans, the children, the union workers, etc. Some of the memorials are recent additions to the park. This is a picture of a few of the thousands of paper cranes that were at the childrens' memorial. I know there is a childrens' book written about these. One japanese child that died as a result of radiation thought that if she made a thousand paper cranes, she would be cured. Now children around the world make paper cranes as a sign of peace.The last part of the park was the museum. The museum recounted the war, Hiroshima before and after the bombing and what happed during the actual bombing as well as the after effects and radiation conditions that people are still suffering from. It was a sombering experience. Glenn and I both kind of wandering in silence throughout the museum.Here is the centograph in the middle of the peace park. The flame behind it will burn until nuclear weapons are eliminated from this world. The stone vault in the center contains a record of all of the people that have died as a result of the bombing. Thousands of names are still added to the list each year on August 6th.

It was a great experience and I'm happy I was able to be there.

Part II of Hiroshima tomorrow.