This last Monday was a national holiday which meant no work and a lot of free time so I decided to hop on the Shinkansen for the 2nd time in 2 weeks and this time take my first trip to the the city Hiroshima one of the two cities (Nagasaki being the other) that had an Atomic bomb dropped on it near the end of World War 2. Hiroshima is the capital city on the Hiroshima prefecture. I have two friends who live there so they were kind enough to spend a day showing me around.
A Time For Joy
About 45-50 minutes from downtown lies the island of Miyajima. A short trip on a ferry gets you there quite easily.
The island is one of Hiroshima's biggest tourist attractions as made evident when I visited. I haven't seen so many foreigners in one place in a long time. One thing Miyajima is known for is the abundance of wild deer casually living their lives amongst all the people. It was also one of the most excited things for me. I can't recall if I have ever been up close to a deer at a petting zoo or something but this sure felt like the first time. It was cool to see them and touch them and I love watching them as they harass other people. They are pretty docile but if they see that you have food they WILL attempt to get it.
The island is also known for Torii a large gate also sometimes called "Floating gate" because of they way it appears to be floating on the water when the tide is high. It was my top reason for wanting to go to the island and it's kind of like Cloud Gate in Chicago in that pretty much everyone who visits takes a picture with it and then uses it as their Facebook/Myspace profile pic.
Another popular attraction is Mt.Misen. Two rope way carts and about 50 mins of walking will get you to the top with some interesting spots on the way up.
(View while climbing)
There are tons of shops on the island perfect for tourists including some famous Miyajima snacks and Hiroshima Okonomiyaki, one of my most favorite Japanese foods.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okonomiyaki
It can be a bit tiring but the trip is worth it.
Downtown Hiroshima is also quite lively with lots of shopping and restaurants and a lively night life. It's definitely got a big city feel.
A Time For Sadness
As I mentioned before Hiroshima was one of the cities (the first one) to be hit by the Atomic bomb. This happened August 6th 1945 at 8:15am. Visiting Hiroshima means visiting an important part of history and essentially visiting a tomb. The city is not considered a peace city and helps to remind people everyday of those tragic events with museums and monuments. Seeing it all effects everyone differently and for me it was a time of sadness mixed with a little depression. That may make it sound like something to avoid, but the exact opposite is true. These sights should be as the bomb itself was to so many helpless victims, unavoidable.
One of the biggest monuments is actually a building that manage to keep standing during the blast. There were a few others that stood in shambles as well but the Atomic Bomb Dome is the only one that still stands till today . The others were demolished after the bombing my the cities choice and the Atomic Bomb Dome was planned to share the same fate but was saved through petition. It is now a striking visual reminder of that dreadful day.
There is a large park nearby known as the "Peace Park" which houses many monuments dedicated to victims such as the one to the children who died as well as 2 museums that are bound to set a mood.
Inside the museum there are stories from survivors, objects that survived the blast, pictures of victims, and horror stories.
(A tricycle after the blast)
(A wall of video screens displaying the names and pictures of all the victims in the blast. A computer nearby can be used for typing in names and finding people.)
One of the horror stories is about victims who's skin was literally melting off of them after the blast as they walked through the streets their hair being pulled off of their scalps.
The museum had a lot of information and all of it available in English. It was solemn experience in which I could literally feel my heart being affected by what I was hearing and seeing and only for the price of about 50 cents. I highly recommend visiting the museum as well as the other monuments dedicated to that event.
I have no position when it comes to the war. Honestly I believe people seem to be inherently evil and thus things like this have and always will happen. I lay blame on both Japan and America. Hiroshima is now a huge promoter of a world without nuclear weapons and I totally agree, but I know mankind, so without closing out on too depressing of a note I think it will remain a dream for all of us. What we can do as individuals with power over ourselves is try and learn to live in peace with each other. The world isn't all that big and if we can't get along we will all lose. On a positive note, God is there even during times like an atomic bomb so in that case it's worth holding on to a dream.
In general the trip was fantastic. I got to see and do so much and had some great guides/friends to enjoy it with me. I am now a fan of Hiroshima. I'll definitely be back to see what else the city has in store for me. God bless Hiroshima, God bless Japan.
*Interesting fact: Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor are sister cities.
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