Hiroshima WW2 Museum - 広島平和記念資料館

Today we got up early to go to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. This is an important place to remember those who suffered during the bombings during World War 2 on Hiroshima that left over 100,000 people dead or left with life long health and social problems. This place is meant as a way to remind the world of the horrors that can come of using nuclear based weapons. Those who were not killed went on to live painful lives full or hardship.

I wanted to see this place especially because of how it interlocks with my home country. We are taught various things in school from the perspective of America so it is important to also see things from the perspective of Japan. The contrast of these two countries during this time is another reason I was drawn to learn more about the culture of Japan. Only ~77 years ago our countries were at war and cultural exchange would be near impossible. Along with that, Japanese people in America had hardships because of the fears the American governent had about Japanese immigrants. Many immigrants were sent to internment camps as prisoners just because of their nationality, ethnicity, or how they look.

If I were alive during that time, I would not get to have the cultural exchange experiences I'm having today and I would probably be brainwashed by propaganda to think that the Japanese people are a threat to America's safety. I'm thankful to live in the time I do now where both countries can live together in a symbiotic relationship. I'm thankful to have made the friends and connections that I have now that would probably not be possible in a similar political climate that existed during that era.

We first stopped at the Atomic Bomb Dome where we saw the structure that was left standing after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Because the bomb was dropped directly above the structure, there was less horizontal force on the building allowing the dome to maintain its shape enough to still resemble a dome. The sign outside of the building said that there was a debate on whether to replace the building or to keep the structure as-is to to remember past events. As time went on, more and more structures were replaced and it was decided to maintain the structure as-is because so little was left to represent that day.

From the dome, I stopped and got some pizza (I wanted to see what standard japanese pizza is like) and orange juice from a small cafe before heading to the main museum. I'm generally the kind of person who does not read many of the descriptions in museums but the stories that were told here of peoples' suffering were impossible not to read. Seeing so many children in pain and survivors' struggles was a very heavy experience. All those people had their entire lives consumed by a single day. No matter what their life was before, after that day their life became defined by the bombing. Any dreams they may have strived for or worked to achieve were taken away. Having this pushed onto them was truely cruel. It hurts to imagine having everything taken away in an instant as these people did. For many, the lives they lead after the bombing was a fate worse than death.

I encourage anyone in Hiroshima to go to the museum to reflect on the atrocities that have once happened here. While vacations are meant for fun, it's important to take time to reflect on what it means to be human. And part of being human is doing our best to prevent anything like this happening again. To do this, the first step is always remembering.Read more