Hiroshima, Japan

Felt bittersweet arriving in Hiroshima this morning. We’d booked a ship excursion to visit the Peace War Memorial and the Peace War Museum and knew it would be an emotional day visiting the site of where the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945.

It is incomprehensible.

We were struck by the resilience and optimism of the site and the museum and how this decimated city has come back as a proponent of peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons. The memorial names 330,907 people who died as a result of the bombing.

School children were everywhere in the park and museum. At the Children’s memorial, we witnessed a school group delivering paper origami cranes to the site. Read more about the cranes here: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/japan/hiroshima/at…
It was incredibly moving. (We couldn’t help but notice how well behaved the school groups were.)

After touring the park and the museum, we abandoned the tour and, with our regular co-adventurers Geraldine and Thomas, we walked to Hiroshima Castle which was recreated after the bombing. The original castle was built in the 1590s. We climbed to the top of the castle and looked out upon the city, saddened and amazed at what has risen from the ashes.Read more