Day 258: Hiroshima

Warning: Sad post today to reflect on US nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

There isn’t a good way to start this post without admitting that we (Kieran and Mary) couldn’t foresee visiting Japan without taking time to visit either Hiroshima or Nagasaki. As a military history major, defense contractors, and American citizens, it felt imperative to designate time for reflecting on these cities and the US’s impact during and after World War II. Hiroshima is a city more than just its tragic history, but even so it feels inappropriate to explore its joy and beauty when our government caused such devastation.

Mary planned and led the Hiroshima Day trip so the focus was primarily on the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Hiroshima Peace Park. Assuming the day would be emotional, we left time to sleep in and kept the schedule very open depending on how the group was feeling.

The museum is incredibly detailed, graphic, and reflects on individual stories in addition to nuclear proliferation following World War II. Early on we were introduced to the city before the bombing and quickly shown its immediate aftermath and scale. The museum then funnels you into a room where tattered clothing is displayed and melted / damaged items from homes.

From there we continued to hear stories and first accounts from those who were in the hypocenter, the first responders who helped and still passed from acute radiation poisoning, and the families that lost their loved ones. Towards the back half of the exhibit, we learn of life after the bombing and the continued suffering from economic devastation, cancer, and orphans who lost their parents. There are still only a few survivors left from this time. Our final exhibit contained the paper cranes created by young Sadako who was born after the bombing and suffered from cancer she died at the age of 12.

The second half of the museum is dedicated to explaining the threat of nuclear warfare still hanging over the world and our international failures to sign anti-proliferation agreements and arms reductions. It focused on the Cold War and the build up to 70,000 + nuclear warheads across nation states and the impacts nuclear testing has had on environments and people.

As expected, the squad was extremely somber and quiet. We spent our final moments walking around the park to the Peace Memorial, the Children of the Atomic Bomb memorial, the Peace Bell, and A-Dome building which was directly under the hypocenter and survived the blast.

We decided to eat dinner in Hiroshima and tried its local style of okanomiyaki which is a seafood pancake; the difference is Hiroshima will place the pancake on noodles. To process the day, we chatted over dinner and talked about the especially cruel the decision to not warn Japan or look at other options such as denoting the bomb over the ocean in demonstration. In the end, it was a political decision to move forward with bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The government spent $2 Billion on the project and if the American people / soldiers who fought learned we didn’t use the weapon, the administration would have been voted out. The United States is still the only country to use nuclear weapons on another country in war.

To get home, we road on the cable car route that existed before World War II and saw original cable cars still running in the line.

Food:
Okanomiyaki

Spots:
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Hiroshima Peace ParkRead more