We made it back to the mainland and then jumped on a bus. Sei was taking us to the heart of Hiroshima to see the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
Before we entered the Memorial Sei turned to us and told us that this would be a very somber experience. He asked us to be reverend and respectful. He told us that some things we may talk about and see will be difficult, but it's important for us to see and understand.
On August 6, 1945 the Allies (lead by the United States) drop an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Over 140,000 people were killed with 70,000 of them never being identified. The immediate aftermath of the explosion was horrific with people's skin literally melting off their bones. Those that were in close proxmitiy to the river crawled to the water to get relief, but most of them did not survive very long. Many of those who survived the initial blast would die from radiation poisoning within a year. Many survivors suffered from blindness and thermal blast burns.
The Japanese people hope that this Memorial will serve as a reminder to the rest of the world that nuclear weapons are not the answer and should never be used again.
Our first stop at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was the Hiroshima Victims Memorial Cenotaph. This particular monument was opened on August 6, 1952, just seven years after the bomb. The engraving on the monument says (in Japanese) "Please rest in peace, for [we/they] shall not repeat the error."
[Cenotaph with the Peace Flame and A-Bomb Dome]
Next we visited the Peace Flame. Sei told us that the flame has been burning since it was lit in 1964 and will remain lit until the threat of nuclear annihilation is gone. He said that the goal is to see the flame go out.
We then walked over to the Children's Peace Monument. This monument is dedicated to the children who died during and as a result of the bombing. At the top of the monument is a statue of a girl named Sadako Sasaki with a paper crane. She was only two years old when the bomb was dropped. She developed leukemia and spent most of her life in the hospital. When she was 12 she set out to make 1000 origami cranes. Legend says if you can make 1000 origami cranes then your wish will come true. She made more than 1000 cranes, but she died in 1955.
Kids around the world today will fold cranes and send them to the memorial. There were large clear containers around the memorial that were filled with paper cranes.
Next we saw the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound. This mound contains the cremated ashes of the 70,000 unidentified victims of the bomb.
We then walked over to the rivers edge to see the A-Bomb Dome
and the Aioi Bridge. This bridge has a distinct T-shape and was the target for the bomb as it was easy to see from the air. Due to wind the bomb missed the target by 800 feet and detonated directly over the Shima Surgical Clinic.
Before crossing the river Sei took us to see the Bell of Peace. Visitors are encouraged to ring the bell for world peace.
[The "mirror" with an inscription that says "Know Yourself"]
[Atomic symbol where you hit the bell]
After ringing the bell for peace we walked across the Aioi Bridge to the A-Bomb Dome.
This is the building that was the closest to the bomb that remained standing.
We then walked by this small memorial that had a lot of water bottles at its base. I asked Sei about it and he said it was dedicated to those people who were trying to get to the river to drink after the bombing.
We then visited the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Monument. It was 1900 feet above this spot that the bomb was detonated.
[Memorial Tower Dedicated to Mobilized Students]
We then walked back arcoss the river and Sei took us to the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, so we could watch an educational movie about the aftermath of the bomb.
[Private viewing]
After the video Sei took us to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. He said he would meet us at the exit and he told us to take our time and walk through the museum.
Clock that shows the number of days since the first dropping of the A-bomb (29,121) and the number of days since the last nuclear test (350).
Luke and I walked through the museum.
[Shadow from someone who was killed instantly by the heat and pressure from the bomb]
Cries of the Soul:
“It hurts, hurts!”
“Hot! Water!”
“Help! Mother!”
“I don’t want to die ...”
“How could this have happened to me?”
“My son, where are you?”
“I am sorry I cannot save you.”
Each of those who perished as well as those who survived,
all cried out from the depths of their hearts.
We met Sei at the exit of the museum. I asked him about his family and if they were in Hiroshima during the bombing. Luckily, his parents were not there, but his wife's parents were survivors. I also asked him if the Japanese people held the United States and the Allies responsible for the bomb and if they still held any anger towards them. He said that the people at the time were focused on healing and moving forward. That is why they built the Peace Memorial so quickly.
As we left Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Sei told us that the somber part of the tour was over. He thanked us for our questions and for being respectful.
We then headed to our final site: The Hiroshima Castle. It was originally built in 1589 by a feudal lord and was an important seat of power in western Japan. Hiroshima Castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945, but was rebuilt with the exterior to look just like it had before it was destroyed.
[Sei loved feeding the fish!]
And that was the official end of our tour. We were sad to say goodbye to Sei. He was a fantastic tour guide!
It was such a nice evening that Luke and I decided to walk back to our hotel. Along the way we found a restaurant that looked delicious and IT WAS!
We then stopped by 7/11 to get snacks and breakfast for tomorrow. We have a LONG day ahead of us!
Originally Hiroshima was not on our itinerary, but Luke really wanted to go here, so I did some more research and we were able to add it in. And I am so glad that we did! It's a beautiful city with a very powerful and rich history. Visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was very humbling and I'm glad we were able to go and learn about what happened after the bombing.
I can't believe we are heading home tomorrow ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
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