Hiroshima

After arriving in Hiroshima & dropping our bags off at our hostel, we set off for Peace Memorial Park to look at the monuments & museum that pay tribute to the A bomb that was dropped during WWII. Scott was our navigator and brought us to the South end of the park where the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is located. We bought our tickets and were given a notecard, made from recycled paper cranes from the Children’s Peace Monument, to take notes if we desired.

Peace Watch Tower

Before going upstairs, we checked out the Peace “Watch” Tower. This is a clock that has multiple purposes. It has a panel that tells the number of days since the A-bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, and a second panel that tells the number of days since a nuclear test was performed anywhere in the world. Last, it has cogwheels that spin faster when the world is in danger from nuclear holocaust. If the cogwheels ever reach the bottom wheel, it will self destruct.

The second floor of the museum takes you through the history of Hiroshima, the destruction that the A-bomb caused, the devastation of those that survived, and how the city of Hiroshima is working to influence a nuclear free world. The museum was enlightening but difficult. As I’ve stated in previous blogs, my history knowledge from school does not exceed much past the Civil War. We continuously take US History, but instead of streamlining it to teach parts of it in different grade levels, we always start with Columbus sailing the ocean blue. Obviously, I have some basic knowledge of what has happened in the past century, but I’ve never learned what happened to Hiroshima other than the USA dropped an Atomic bomb and it ended the war. I didn’t realize the extent of the impact that it had, and that the scientists who developed it asked military leaders to forewarn Japan of a coming attack.

I did not realize that the bomb immediately destroyed everything within a 2 km radius of the hypocenter, and that anything that survived the first gush of wind was destroyed when the wind was sucked backwards towards the hypocenter.  I did not know how many thousands of school aged children died because they were mobilized to the city to help create firebreaks for bomb attacks. I had no clue how awful and painful it must have been for those who originally survived the bombing but died in the hours or days that followed due to radiation poisoning. I did not know that the people drank radioactive rain as their city burned around them. I was shocked to learn that the firestorms created tornado like pheromones as they neared the river, and that people were also swept up into them. I couldn’t help but think as I walked through this section of the museum and looked at the photos and drawings depicting what had happened, that those who died instantly were the lucky ones. I also thought to myself, that if a nuclear bomb is ever dropped in an area where I live, I hope I am one of those ‘lucky’ ones. I was also appalled to learn that many Japanese survivors did not receive adequate treatment in the years after the bombing because others thought they were faking their illnesses or were worried about their diseases being contagious. I had no clue that the USA and other countries sent scientists to Hiroshima after the bombing to do damage surveying. I also did not realize that the USA controlled the information going out of Hiroshima after the war ended as they were working to turn Japan into a democracy. This was to keep people in the dark about the extent of the damage that had occurred.

As I’ve been reflecting on the information that I learned at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, I’ve had a lot of thoughts on the cruelty of mankind. Knowing what I do know about WWII, I understand why the Atomic bomb was developed and used. However, at the same time, I cannot understand why it was used without warning or truly, even at all. What baffles my mind even more is that people around the world do not listen to those from Hiroshima that have worked tirelessly to promote peace by ending the threat of nuclear war.

Flame of Peace

Cenotaph with Flame of Peace and Atomic Dome behind it.

Needless to say, the museum was a horrifying, emotionally draining, but fascinating experience. The three of us didn’t have a whole lot to say to one another as we exited the museum and headed down towards the rest of the Peace Memorial Park. Our first stop was at the Cenotaph, which is in line with the Fame of Pease and the Atomic Bomb Dome. The Cenotaph lists the names of those known to have perished because of the bomb. There were flowers in front of it. The Flame of Peace is in the middle of the pond behind the Cenotaph. The flame will continue to burn until the day all nuclear weapons are dismantled. Until that day, it will continue to be a reminder to those of Hiroshima that this horrific devastation can still occur anywhere.

Children's Peace Monument

Before heading to the Atomic Bomb Dome, we stopped at the Children’s Peace Monument. Friends of Sadako Sasaki called for the monument to be built for the children who died during and after the bombing. Sadako was two years old when the bomb was dropped. She survived but developed leukemia nine years later. She believed that if she folded 1,000 paper cranes, she could beat the cancer and survive. The cancer was aggressive, and she never completed her goal. Her classmates finished for her and wanted a monument to memorialize the children that were lost. There are thousands of paper cranes on display around the statue. They are sent in from students all over the world.

Atomic Bomb Dome

Our last stop at Peace Memorial Park was at the shell of the Atomic Bomb Dome, formerly known as the Industrial Promotion Hall. The bomb exploded almost directly above the dome. This area is known as the hypocenter. Because it was built out of concrete and directly underneath the initial blast, parts of the building survived both the blast and the ensuing fires that raged for days after the bombing.   

   

Making the Okonimiyaki

Final product

We ended this heavy day by finding Okonimi-mura, three floors of stalls that sell Okonimiyaki. The cooks make your dish on a hot griddle right in front of you. They’re rather hard to describe concoctions, but I’ll do my best. The cooks begin by cooking a very thin pancake, and layering cabbage, beansprouts, other ingredients, and bacon on top of it. They then take their two spatulas and flip it over. Next, they cook your choice of noodles either soba or udon. Once they deem that the layered pancake has been cooked through, they pick it up and put it on top of the noodles. Then, an egg is cracked and spread out in a fashion similar to the pancake. Everything is piled on top of the egg and flipped over again. They spread some type of sauce over the egg and push it over to you. From here, you use your personal little metal spatula to cut a section, place it on your plate, and eat with chopsticks. I’m quite certain my description of how it is made does not convey how delicious the Okonimiyaki turned out to be!