I love history. Along with film, I studied it in undergrad with a focus on 1918 ~1975, WWII/Vietnam and American history. I also seem to have a morbid curiosity about sites of atrocities (as I've now been to Auschwitz, The Killing Fields, Pearl Harbour and the World Trade Centre). So obviously visiting Hiroshima was a must on my Japan list.
The shinkansen was packed for this trip! It is the beginning of oban, a Japanese holiday where many people return to their homes and celebrate their ancestors. Reservations were tight and I had to book a later train that I originally wanted, but since I was finally adjusted to the time change, sleeping in a little bit longer was ok with me. Unfortunately, I overslept and my breakfast on the ride was an iced coffee and water from a vending machine just before boarding.
When I got to Hiroshima (about 2.5 hours from Kyoto), I quickly ran to a pastry shop to grab a breakfast snack. I had this amazing cheese curry bun/croquette and a banana pastry that seemed to look a bit more phallic than it was supposed to.
With my JR pass, I had free run of the Sightseeing loop which hit up a bunch of landmarks to see like the castle and the peace park. Due to heavy rains in the morning, the trains to Mayajima were all outta whack so I decided to forgo that famous water shrine and stick to just the Hiroshima core.
I visited the Hypocenter location first. This was where, 600m above, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima by the United States on August 6th, 1945. 66,000 residents died right away, while thousands more died in the following days and years. According to the City of Hiroshima website: "The exact number of deaths from the atomic bombing is still unknown. Estimates place the number of dead by the end of December 1945, when the acute effects of radiation poisoning had largely subsided, at roughly 140,000". At the hypocenter, there is just a plaque and a picture since most of the area has been rebuilt.
Hiroshima Peace Park & Memorial Museum
Next, I walked over to the Atomic Bomb Dome. This structure was the only thing that remained standing after the explosion. This UNESCO World Heritage site was certainly impactful juxtaposed with modern day Hiroshima.
At this area, there are often survivors giving their stories. One survivor was busy telling his stories to a Japanese couple so I just read the English booklets he had available. This excerpt caught my eye.
To most of the Japanese, it seems Hiroshima is a tragic incident but they hold no lingering hostility towards Americans. They built this memorial not to only mourn those lost but to strongly advocate for the de-escalation of nuclear armament and a future with NO NUKES. Obama was the first American President to visit this site.
One of the most important places I visited was the Children's Peace Monument. When I was in Grade 5, we read Sadako and her story about the paper cranes. We diligently learned how to fold cranes (a skill I retain to this day) and I remember we did a whole thing for Rememberance Day about it. Mr. Finlayson really was the best.
Seeing the monument to Sadako and all the children who were victims of the bombing, as well as the thousands of paper cranes in closed in cases surrounding it, was very touching. Those cranes came from children all over the world.
I took a/c refuge in a Cafe nearby that housed two interesting artifacts. One was a piano which was restored after the bombing in honour of a little girl, Akiko Kawamoto, who played it. Akiko died a day after the bombing. It was restored and now is played yearly during the anniversary.
I also went to the basement that has been preserved and which used to be the basement of a Fuel Hall Rationing Site. A worker, Eizo, who just happened to go down to get some papers from the basement at that time, was the only worker out of the 36 employees to survive. There were panels in the basement to tell his story.
I walked around the rest of the park, finding the cenotaph, flame of peace and burial mound. I stood in line for about half an hour to gain entrance to the museum.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was pretty heavy, but important. It houses articles like clothing and personalarticles from those who died. A particularly evocative one was that of a burnt up tricycle. I didn't take any pictures in this museum out of respect. It's something you should see for yourself.
Okonomiyaki & Bon Dori Festival
I decided to have a late lunch of Okonomiyaki. This Japanese dish is found both in Osaka and Hiroshima with regional varieties between the two. It's made teppanyaki style on a hot grill infront of you. It is a savory pancake style dish with layers upon layers if different ingredients. I found one that had a pescatarian/vegetarian option with no pork and waited about 40 minutes to get in.
It was worth it! The performance of them making it was almost like an art and the dish was delicious! 10/10 would reccomend upon a visit to Japan.
After gorging on food, I realized it was now too late to go to the castle (my 2nd plan for the day), so I wandered around for a bit before stumbling upon Hiroshima's Bon Dance Festival. They had dance, drumming and singing performances, games for little kids, and tons of food and drink stalls (I tried a delicious strawberry drink but definitely had no room for food).
I was so glad to have experienced such a full and enriching day in Hiroshima. I am so impressed with their resiliency and kindness. I will definitely want to come back here to visit again.
Very cool stories. That would be a very emotional day.
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