JAPAN: Hiroshima & Miyajama Island

Hiroshima is well known for the atomic bomb attack in 1945 which destroyed the entire city within a 2 km radius.

After the war great efforts were taken to rebuild the city In a way that still pays tribute to those who suffered.

There is a park in the centre called Peace Memorial Park with a museum called the Peace Memorial Museum where visitors learn the historical events that took place in the city.

It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and has represented people's prayers for lasting peace.

 

The A Bomb Dome is one of the few remaining buildings after the attack.

It was designed by a Czech architect in 1915 and was used as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall to promote Hiroshima's industries. At that time, the citizens of Hiroshima loved the modern buildings of Europe.

The building, located about 160 meters from the center of the atomic bomb, was blown up and everyone inside the building was killed and vaporized in the air. However, the building was not completely destroyed by the explosion.

It has been preserved as it was in the immediate aftermath of the nuclear explosion. In the succeeding years, there was much debate over whether to raze the ruined building, but it was allowed to remain and stand as a reminder. 

This statue, The Children's Peace Monument, is in tribute to the young children who perished from the horrific event. It is a 9 meter tall bronze statue with a girl on a pedestal holding a golden origami crane and on the left and right are statues of boys and girls symbolizing a bright future and hope. 

Behind it is this story: Teiko Sasaki was exposed to the atomic bomb when she was 2 years old. Ten years later she developed leukemia and passed away. Shocked by her death, her classmates called on the nation to ``build a memorial monument for all the children who died in the atomic bomb". They received support from students from over 3,100 schools nationwide and from nine countries around the world. 

Around the monument are displays of origami cranes made by schoolchildren across Japan and around the world. 

 

The Peace Park has other symbols of peace.

Also in the Peace Park is The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum which displays the consequences of the bombing and reflects on what peace really means.

It is a very sobering museum with photographs, panels, videos, and panoramic models showing the actual history of Hiroshima before and after the bombing. At the same time, it is positive and optimistic for a peaceful future.

To contrast the past horror, just an hour outside of Hiroshima is the island of Miyajima. It is known as the “romantic shrine island.”

This is the floating Tori Gate. A Tori gate is a symbolic gateway marking the transition from the mundane to the sacred at the entrance to a Shintō shrine.

Visitors can walk out to the Torii Gate during low tide, but during high tide, it appears to be floating on the water.

The Itsukushima Shrine, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is dedicated to the god of the sea and is considered one of the most beautiful and sacred places in Japan. 

There were tons of school kids visiting the island. 

They are very proud of the deer roamed the island freely. 

Almost too freely. They have zero fear of people. And if anything, they like the people because it is easy to get handouts. I think some of them have perhaps had a lot of handouts! 

We took the gondola to almost the top of Mt Misen for great views. This sign for the gondola made me laugh.

We then hiked the rest of the way to the top.

We found more shrines on the mountain.

And more great views.

We figured hiking back down would be easy. But the hike back down was not really that easy. Our thighs and calves were talking to us the next couple of days!

A sobering reminder that we need to pay more attention to consistent exercise.