Hiroshima....City of Peace!

A dragonfly flitted in front of me

and stopped on a fence.

I stood up, took my cap in my hands

and was about to catch the dragonfly

when.......

 

At 8-15am on August 6th, 1945 Hiroshima fell victim to the world's first atomic bombing. The bomb exploded 580 metres above the city and within an instant tens of thousands were dead. Seemingly, nothing could have survived the massive amount of radiation or the 3,000-4,000 degrees celsius temperatures at the hypocentre. Most people in a 1km radius were killed instantly or died within a few days. To wander the streets of this now beautiful and modern, cosmopolitan city, it was difficult to comprehend that such a sad event had occurred.

Every country has a location that is, 'just somewhere you have to visit'. For Japan, I believe that Hiroshima is that place. Located at the western end of the main island of Honshu, about 700 kilometres south west of Yokohama, Hiroshima is ideally accessed by Shinkansen.

We departed from Shin-Yokohama, the station specifically established for the bullet train service. I had purchased reserved seat tickets on a Nozomi Super Express at Yokohama Station during the week for 68,520 yen (about $900-00 AUD). Overseas travellers can purchase a JR Pass before arriving in Japan, which easily covers the cost of this ticket and also offers good package deals, but as 'alien residents' we are not eligible. The JR Pass doesn't actually cover travel on the fastest Nozomi trains but they are all fast. It is a very comfortable way to travel and the service is good.

On line I'd also booked somewhere to stay. Being a public holiday weekend, many places were booked out so in the end we were grateful to get any booking. As it turns out, Hiroshima Ekimae Green Hotel, was ideally located just opposite the Hiroshima Station. Our room was nothing flash but the people running it were lovely and for an extra 800 yen each per day we had a Western breakfast 'a la' Japanese style. Our room for the two nights cost 16,800 yen plus the breakfasts which made it 20,000 yen (about $268-00. The exchange rate is terrible at the moment, the worst it has been).

Leaving Shin Yokohama on Friday at 8.33am we arrived in Hiroshima at 12.15pm. The Shinkansen service is amazing and, typical of all trains in Japan, they run like clockwork and are accurate to the minute (unless something like a typhoon, earthquake or tsunami hold them up. We spoke to an Australian family who had been delayed for over 9 hours on a train ,two days earlier as Typhoon Roke had passed through!). As a passenger you need to be totally ready to embark and disembark as there is no waiting!! Train stops, doors open, on or off, doors shut and it's gone! Like a pit stop at the car racing. Amazing!

After checking in at our hotel, we headed straight off on a streetcar (150 yen flat fare) to the Atomic Bomb Dome. The Atomic Bomb Dome, a registered World Heritage site, is a symbol of Hiroshima conveying the horror of nuclear weapons and appealing for world peace. The concrete section was burnt and even melted, leaving the skeletal steel frame exposed against the sky. It is the only atomic-bombed building that has been permitted to stand. The weather was perfect and the blue sky made a beautiful backdrop. On the day of the bombing, it had been perfect weather which had sadly sealed Hiroshima's fate!

We wandered through Peace Memorial Park amazed at the beauty. A Children's Memorial decorated with hundreds of chains made from origami cranes symbolizes the lives of children lost as result of the bombing, not just on the day but even now as adults! The story, 'Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes' is a reminder of the long term horrors of war. Sadako, who was two at the time of the bombing, died 10 years later of the 'atom bomb disease' called leukaemia. She believed if she folded a thousand paper cranes her wish to get better would come true. Sadly, she died before reaching her target. After Sadako's death, her classmates folded the remaining 356 cranes so that one thousand were buried with her. Her friends dreamed of building a monument to her and all the children who were killed by the atom bomb. In 1958, the statue of Sadako holding a golden crane in outstretched hands was unveiled. Cranes have now become an International symbol of peace and each year on Peace Day, August 6th, thousands of paper cranes are placed beneath Sadako's statue. A wish is engraved at the base of the statue...

This is our cry,

This is our prayer,

Peace in the world.

Paper crane collage.

We wandered around in the sunshine and warmth absorbing the many memorials. The Cenotaph for the A-bomb victims stands in the centre of the park.  For 50 yen, we visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum where hundreds of people also stood discovering or revisiting the sad facts leading up to the bombing, of the day and beyond.....

The sound was amazing!!

Indiscriminate bombing of Tokyo and other large cities had begun in March, 1945. In May, air raids were prohibited in cities selected as possible atomic bomb sites to ensure that the effects of an A-bomb could be accurately observed. A-bomb dummies ('pumpkins') had been dropped on cities across Japan in July and August to ensure an accurate drop would be achieved. 

On August 6th, planes took off from Tinian Island in the Marianas (near Saipan where we went last year, see 'The Great Escape!'). One, a reconnaissance plane, went ahead to check weather conditions. The 'Enola Gay' headed straight for Hiroshima where the reconnaissance plane had reported the sky was clear. The 'Enola Gay', a B-29 bomber, carried the atom bomb, 'Little Boy'. At 7.47am the electric fuses were checked, at 8.09am the plane was within sight of Hiroshima and the Aioi Bridge (the t-shaped bridge chosen as the target central to the city), at 8.15am the bomb was released at a height of 580 metres and the 'Enola Gay' made a sharp turn away to clear the site. Even still, the plane was shaken by the shock waves as it watched the cloud, 5 kilometres across, form below.

There was no opposition from the ground or air. The super high pressure at the epicentre of the explosion generated a shock wave followed by a blast of wind that instantly crushed buildings. Most buildings within a 2km radius were burned. Unable to bear the heat and their burns, thousands jumped into the river. Subsequently thousands of corpses were retrieved from the river. That night, radioactive materials in the sky caused a poisonous 'Black Rain' to fall over the city. More than 100,000 thousand people would eventually die of radiation related diseases. Known as hibakusha, the survivors sadly became victims of severe discrimination from other Japanese. At 11.02am on the same day, another A-bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. By August 14th Japan had surrendered. The war in Asia was over! 

After our visit to the museum, we consulted the map and headed off, on foot, to Hiroshima Castle. The castles of Japan, with their surrounding moats and sculptured gardens, are such beautiful places. For a minimal fee,  there's always plenty to discover about the history of the samurai and country. Powerful samurai initially built manors called yakata. These gradually developed into true castles which were classified by their location. Yamajiro were mountain castles, hirayamajiro were on low hills and hirajiro were on the flatlands. This castle which was constructed in 1589 did not disappoint.

As usual we walked miles. It was weary pair of tourists that wandered back to their hotel that evening. Fortunately, we found somewhere to eat just a few doors down from the hotel then donning our Japanese pyjamas, we fell into our 'Japanese' double bed complete with the standard rice husk pillows!!

Hazukashi desu!

The next morning, Saturday, we were rearing to go. We'd decided to spend the day at Miyajima, an island just off shore and about 31km in circumference, which is easily accessed by ferry. At the street car terminal outside the station, we purchased our daily tickets for 840 yen each entitling us to unlimited streetcar access and our ferry crossing to Miyajima. Naturally, what should have been a simple task became another 'Oops..Lost in Japan' incident..... we took 32 minutes to get to the wrong port....30 minutes to discover our mistake....then 1 hour and 40 minutes to correct the mistake and, finally, arrive at the correct port on the other side of the city where we still had to catch the ferry! We certainly did get an unexpected scenic tour of the town.

At one stage, I was intrigued to watch a woman calmly folding miniature origami cranes as she rode the streetcar. Once finished she would safely the tiny birds in her handbag!

Our day on Miyajima was yet another magical day. It was crowded, as we knew it would be, but wonderful. Miyajima (Shrine Island) has long been revered as a sacred island because of the Itsukushima Shrine that was founded in 593AD. The shrine is dedicated to the maritime guardian goddess. We hired bikes for 3 hours (300 yen) and soon escaped the crowds and enjoyed cycling to one end of the island. There were some pretty steep hills but it was thoroughly enjoyable. The island is home to many, many deer which enjoy eating your food, maps and even your clothes if you leave them lying around. The 'residential' deer, as they call the ones in town, have become a bit of a problem but seem wonderful for tourism.

Itsukushima Shrine

Out of town we had the roads to ourselves and enjoyed the gorgeous views from different vantage points. 

Oyster beds were dotted along the coast.

Back in town we attempted to take the Ropeway but were put off by the one hour wait. We instead just enjoyed taking in as many other attractions as we could. Steve decided that the Senjokaku (Hokoku Shrine) was undoubtedly the most impressive one he has seen to date. Senjokaku means 'the hall of the one thousand tatami mats'. Built in 1587, its wooden structure with huge beams and complex roof framework is awesome. The hall had been built for chanting the Buddhist mantras every month to console the souls of the war dead. However, because of the creator Hideyoshi's death in 1598, the building remains incomplete without ceilings or a front entrance. Even so, it is a stunning building!

Standing beside the shrine, a five storied pagoda overlooks the temple in the sea.

After returning our bikes, we enjoyed the customary 'soft serve' ice cream and some yummy food from the various food stalls.

Before heading home we visited 'Doctor Fish' to soothe our tired feet! We arrived back in Hiroshima by 6.30pm, absolutely exhausted after walking and riding our feet off. Another exhilarating day!

On our last day, Sunday, we checked out of our hotel and wandered along a river before heading to Shukkeien Gardens, whose construction began in 1620. Its name means 'shrink scenery garden' which expresses the idea of miniaturising many scenic views. These gardens too were mostly destroyed by the atomic bomb but have been lovingly restored. Many trees hold pride of place simply because they survived. Japanese gardens are such beautifully serene and peaceful places. As you wander around, there are places to rest and just enjoy the tranquility. People pray, relax and quietly enjoy the space. There are carp filled ponds, little bridges, bamboo stands and perfectly sculptured trees trained to grow into such intricate shapes.

Once again, it was a beautiful day just perfect for walking. I found I was inextricably drawn back to Peace Memorial Park and the Museum, just needing to see it one more time. We found this gorgeous little outdoor restaurant and enjoyed yet another 'iced kohi' and yummy chocolate gateau and mango gelato. I returned to the museum while Steve enjoyed the live music on the river bank. 

Sadly, it was soon time for us to head back to the station and our 2.37pm train. My weekend had far exceeded all expectations...the weather was perfect, the city magnificent, the history unbelievable! With its wide open streets, wide footpaths, wide rivers and cobbled streets this picturesque, modern city is a delightful place to visit.

It's impossible to include everything in this post but simply put, we had another, 'Wow, that was the best thing we've done time!' Once again Japan, 'Arigatou gozaimasu!' As the country side zoomed past me on our return journey back to Yokohama, I again felt amazed that....here we were........speeding across the Japanese countryside on a Shinkansen....seemingly faster than a speeding bullet! Sugo-i, sugo-i!!

It's not a Buddhist mantra 

But my mantra is..... 

'Never forget to be enchanted by what you're doing!!'

Made with paper cranes!