Day 9 - Hiroshima

We left Osaka early and jumped in the bullet train to Hiroshima.  Well, actually, we jumped on one train, got off that train, got on another train, got off that train....then got on the bullet train.  The bullet train is amazing.  I found my ears popping from the speed.  I had to check out the facilities...just like the plane :)

Hiroshima is a really pretty city, we came right to the main station, so we were pretty much downtown. The city is built on a river delta, so there are many rivers through the city.  We crossed this bride on the way to our hotel.

Of course the first order of the day was lunch :). We started on our way to the memorial museum, and found this little restaurant.  We liked the look of the menu outside - that is, the 3D models of the various menu items looked appealing. Inside the door was a machine with all the menu items.  We put our money in the slot, chose our items and received slips showing our choices.  We gave these to the waitress, who brought us our drinks and soon after our meal.  We decided that the meal order was sent from the machine to the kitchen because the food arrived so fast,

 Menu machine...a very practical ordering system.

We continued on our way to the memorial.  We learned that Hiroshima is a "peace" city...wishing for world peace and the end to all nuclear weapons.

 Sidewalk on the way to the memorial.

The memorial museum and gardens cover the area in the center of the city between two rivers, the area below the hypocenter of the atomic bomb which exploded on August 6, 1945.

The museum houses not only displays about Hiroshima and the bomb, but also about the development of nuclear weapons, and how a nuclear weapon works.  The displays showing the devastation of the bomb, and the stories of the people who survived, and who died are sobering, to say the least.  Completely absent are any words of blame, or hatred...facts are simply stated.  Hiroshima was chosen as the bomb site for a number of strategic reasons.  Included in the call for world peace is the recognition that as a world and colonizing power, Japan has (historically) treated other nations badly.  Their search for understanding includes recognizing how others may see them, given their own colonizing history.  We found this interesting, because of living in Korea this last year, we have heard the Korean view of Japan, and especially of the hardships under the Japanese occupation.  

 This is a scale model of Hiroshima before the bomb.

 This is the same area after the bomb.  Few  buildings are left standing.  This whole triangular area is now the memorial museum and garden.

 The city of Hiroshima wishes for an end to nuclear weapons.  To this end, whenever a country tests a nuclear weapon, the mayor of Hiroshima sends a letter of protest.  There are 604 letters on display, and they are all different.

 This display shows the position and size of the bomb as it detonated above the city.  (Red ball). Many of the victims were "mobilized children" who were middle and high school students who had left their studies to help with the war effort.  On the day of the bomb, many of the were demolishing buildings to create fire breaks throughout the town to stop the spread of fire in the event of bombing.

In fact, Hiroshima was not bombed by conventional bombs at all, because the US wanted to accurately evaluate the destructive force of the A bomb.  While other Japanese targets were being bombed using conventional weapons, Hiroshima and the other cities which were being considered as targets were spared.

Outside the museum is the memorial gardens and park. 

 The memorial cenotaph for A bomb victims.  It contains the names of all the victims, and a prayer for everlasting peace.  Through the centre, the eternal flame can be seen.

 The eternal flame.

Further on in the park is the Children's Peace Monument.  It is dedicated to all the children who lost their lives in the bombing of Hiroshima.  It was inspired by the death of Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old at the time of the bombing, and lived for 10 years before she developed leukemia.  She folded 1000 paper cranes in the hopes that it would make her better.  Sadly, she died.  It was interesting to me to find out that Sadako was a real person, since I have read her story in "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes".  Next to the Children's Peace Monument are kiosks filled with paper cranes which have been folded and sent to Hiroshima.  They have a data base of people who have sent cranes in Sadako's memory.

 Children's Peace Monument

 This is the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound, which was constructed in 1955, and holds the ashes of tens of thousands of victims from the bombing.  Memorial services are held at this location every August 6th.

 This is a monument to Korean victims and survivors of the bomb. Because at the time of the bombing of Hiroshima, Korea was under Japanese occupation, there were many Koreans living in Hiroshima.  It is estimated that 20 000 Koreans lost their lives in Hiroshima that day.

 This is the gravestone of Kunai Okamoto, who was an elder councillor to the Asano house of the Hiroshima fief.  The gravestone has been in this spot, which was once the Jisenji temple, since Okamoto's death in 1689. The atomic blast caused the capstone to fall off.

 Bell of Peace

 Memorial clock tower.  The clock chimes at 8:15 every morning.

 The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall was the only building left standing in this area, and was less than 200 m from the hypocenter of the blast.  Only part of the wall remained and the metal frame of the dome.   At first people wanted it removed, but it was finally decided that it should stay as a reminder, but also as a symbol of hope.  Currently the structure is undergoing seismic testing, so scaffolding is covering much of the walls.

The final monument in the park is one to the "mobilized children" who gave up their education, and in many cases their lives to help with the war effort.  On the day of the bomb, many were working very close to the hypocenter.

This picture on a street sign show a stark scene in October of 1945, just 3 months after the blast.

After this powerful experience of history, we went in search of sustenance.

Ray's book suggested a little place which served okanomiyaki....a type of Japanese pancake.  We were in for a treat.  The restaurant was no more than a kiosk really, with about 10 chairs. The cook made our meal right in front of us while we enjoyed a frosty beer. 

 The bottom is a thin pancake like a crepe, then cabbage is added, followed by green onions and special sauce.  This is flipped and cooked.  Then this is placed on some cooked noodles and fried.

 Barbecue sauce and some green spice is added.  An egg with ginger is fried up and placed on top.  The whole thing is cut up and then it is ready to eat!

 Yummy!

Another jam-packed, interesting and sometimes delicious day.