Japan! Day 1 – Hiroshima

After 26 hours of travel I have finally made it to Hiroshima! Today was my first day in the city and boy was it a busy one. Started the day with breakfast on the tip floor of my hotel overlooking the city and surrounding hills.

Peace Memorial Park and Museum

Our first destination of the day was to the Peace Memorial Park. The park was created in memorial of the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. The park was filled with various monuments, The Cenotaph, Peace Bell, Children’s Peace Monument, Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound, and The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. Between all of the monuments, the call for peace and denuclearization was clear throughout. It was such a beautiful day to be able to spend time walking the park and reflecting on the devastation that had occurred here.

The Cenotaph honoring the victims and asking for prayers for a peaceful future and the end to wars and nuclear bombs.
Children’s Peace Monument – Was created by classmates of a girl who died of radiation related leukemia in a girl who was only 2 when the bomb detonated. The monument is in honor of all the children who lost their lives because of the bomb.
The Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound made up of the ashes of the victims of the attack.
The Peace Bell
Monument to Korean Victims and Survivors bringing light to the many Koreans who died in Hiroshima, on foreign lands.

At the edge of the park we saw the Atomic Bomb Dome, the remains of a building that despite being 160 meters from the hypocenter of the bomb partially survived.

The Atomic Bomb Dome

After the walk around the park, we made our way in to the museum. The museum exhibit chronicled the attack from the beginning of the development of the bomb and the target city selection to the dropping of the bomb and the effects that presented themselves for years and years to come afterwards. The most moving exhibit at the museum was one that displayed items that were in the blast zone of the bomb. From a watch that had been broken at exactly 8:15 when the bomb was dropped, to bloody and holy clothes that had been worn by victims along with their stories and the dates they died. The exhibit put all of the devastation in to a physical aspect that was very moving. While I learned about the bomb in school and had seen photos before, nothing compares to the experience of being in Hiroshima and seeing videos of parents talking about losing their children and survivors accounts of the day the atomic bomb dropped. A uniquely moving experience that has given me a completely new perspective on the atomic bombing.

Hiroshima Castle

After the morning spent in peaceful reflection and learning, we went to the Hiroshima Castle and spent the afternoon walking around the grounds. We saw a shrine within the castle ground and I learned about the very particular way one must clean there hands and mouth in order to enter and pray at a shrine.

Gate to the Hiroshimagokoku Shrine

The original Hiroshima Castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb, but it was rebuilt afterwards. The castle now has 5 floors with museum like exhibits on the original castle as well as the life style during the time of its existence. On the top floor we got to go out on to the balcony and look out over the grounds and the city.

Hiroshima Castle Tower
View from the top of Hiroshima Castle Tower

Finally, as we were leaving the grounds we passed over a bridge that had massive koi fish in the water below. We bought some fish food and got to feed the fish from the bridge!

Hiroshima Museum of Art

Our last stop for the day was at the Hiroshima Museum of Art. It was a rather small art museum, consisting of only 4 small galleries, but they had a few paintings by some well known artists such as Picaso, Monet, and Van Gogh to name a few. A wonderfully quiet and peaceful way to spend a part of the afternoon looking at some wonderful art.