Tim's visit: Hiroshima

We got up early in the morning to travel from Kyoto to Hiroshima by Shinkansen.  This time we had reserved seats, so the entire journey was very comfortable!

Gnomes like the Shinkansen too!  

 Our first stop in Hiroshima was the Peace Memorial Park.  I have been feeling like this is a place I should visit for a few months, and I am so glad that I did not go alone because it was an emotionally heavy place.

This is the atom bomb dome.  It was almost directly under the hypocenter, but like a few other ferro-concrete buildings, remained mostly intact.  A few years after the bombing it was decided that it should be preserved as a reminder of the horrendous damage caused.  I would have to say it has the intended effect.

 This is the Children's Peace Monument - to remember the children that were killed.

 There is an eternal flame that will continue to burn until all nuclear weapons in the world have been destroyed.

 This arch is the Cenotaph.  Inside is a coffin like structure that holds the names of everyone killed by the bomb and the after effects of the radiation.  Each year on the anniversary of the bomb any new names are added.

 After viewing the peace park we went to the Peace Memorial Museum.  I was surprised at how plainly the facts of the war were laid out.  It was a very neutral presentation of the roles of all countries involved.  Also, it was completely devastating to see.  I think it can be compared to going to the Holocaust Museum, but to me it had a different perspective, coming from the country that dropped the bomb.  (I know that there are many theories about the direction the war would have taken without it, and that all parties in war commit grave atrocities, but the feeling is still there.)

After all the museum we walked to Hiroshima castle, a much lighter experience!  It was rebuilt after WWII.  Here is the outer keep and the moat.

 Hiroshima castle might be the largest castle I have visited in Japan!  It is so tall!  Inside was a museum with a lot of samurai swords, and the view from the top was great.

 For dinner in Hiroshima we had Hiroshima style okonomiyaki.  I'm sad now we didn't take any pictures of it - we sat right by the grill and watched them make it.  It was pretty tasty with the soba noodles mixed in!  We also had some fried oysters - oysters are famous in Hiroshima!

After dinner we took the tram back to the peace park to see the atom bomb dome lit up at night.  It had a different feeling without the daytime business of the tourists.

Overall, I am glad we went to Hiroshima.  Parts of our day were heavy, but it is an amazing city and we only got to see a small glimpse of it.  Although Tim was probably glad we didn't have more time for the shopping arcades that I always seem to find in every city!