Hiroshima- A City Dedicated To Peace

We are staying at the Hiroshima Tokyu REI Hotel, very comfortable, quiet and convenient. The hotel is located on Peace Boulevard, only a short walk away from the magnificent Hiroshima Memorial Peace Museum and Peace Park, as well as close to a host of fine eateries, shopping centres and cultural activities.

It is now 80 years since the dropping of a uranium atomic bomb on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, followed by a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. A multitude of heart wrenching stories of the Hiroshima bombing are captured in the Museum. We went there first. At the start of the museum journey, the writing on the wall says:

‘A single atomic bomb indiscriminately killed tens of thousands of people, profoundly disrupting and altering the lives of survivors. Through belongings left by the victims, A-bombed artifacts, testimonies of A-bomb survivors and related materials, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum conveys to the world the horrors and the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons and spreads the message of "No more Hiroshimas."’

The whole excellent presentation was deeply moving. It was hard to look at some exhibits. For example, the x-ray shadow of a man who had been sitting on the steps of the post office burned into the stone when the bomb exploded. I was doing okay until the story of Sadako, a young girl who suffered from blood cancers. In early August 1955, Sadako heard about an old saying, “Fold 1,000 paper cranes and your wish will come true." She began folding paper cranes using the small papers her medicine came in, and any other paper available. She folded 1,000 cranes in less than a month. After her death the Children’s Peace Movement started up and today there are folded cranes from all over the world next to its monument.

We went from the Museum further into the beautiful Peace Park with a cenotaph to those whose lives were taken by the bomb with its eternal flame. The fabulous array of healthy trees is of special celebration in Peace Park and beyond since immediately after the atomic bombing, it was said that no plants or trees would grow for 75 years. The lush green of this part of the city developed over the last 80 years gives the lie to that thinking. The miraculous ruin of the dome that survived the bomb stands as stark reminder of the horror of the atomic bomb.

Refreshed after a lovely western style lunch at the Cafe Jardin, a cool and classy oasis in the Hiroshima Art Gallery, we visited the final item on our itinerary for the day, the beautiful replica of the historic Hiroshima Castle. It was a great day.Read more