Hiroshima

A visit to Japan is not complete without spending time in Hiroshima.   The number one site there for us and most visitors is the Atomic Bomb Dome on the 31-acre grounds of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. With waking paths, lawns, and trees, its most characteristic feature is the stark and sobering A-Bomb Dome, the remains of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.  This skeleton is one of the few buildings left standing after the infamous blast.

People thought that the two-kilometer radius of unimaginable destruction that came about from the August 6, 1945 bombing would never be inhabitable again.  But four years after the bomb was dropped, it was decided the area, once a thriving center of the city, would become a peace memorial.  The memorial park is intended to memorialize the victims of the bombing but also to perpetuate the memory of nuclear horrors and advocate peace.  Below the arched tomb standing in front of the reflecting pool in the park is a chest holding a register of 220,000 names of those who died in the initial blast or from exposure to radiation.  An eternal flame burning since 1964 in the center of the arch will burn until “the day nuclear weapons disappear from the earth.”  The nearby Children’s Peace Monument dedicated to children harmed in the bombing disaster tugs at the heart.

In the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, tears are hard to hold back.  The history of WWII and the rationale behind the bombing were documented.  Something had to be done to bring about the end of the war that had endured far too long.  The A-bomb successfully led to the end of the war but seeing photos of massive devastation, photos of the burn victims, clothing of victims, and reading personal stories of those killed and injured in the blast brought on sobs from many of us.

Today Hiroshima is a rebuilt city. And while its history can never be forgotten, it is a happy place too.  Fortunately for us, we happened to be in town for the Summer Festival in which people store their heavy-weight winter kimonos and don colorful cotton summer ones.  This three-day festival is celebrated, of course, with many people wearing kimonos but also with fairs throughout the city of drums, music, burning incense, game booths, many food vendors, and joyful crowds.

There are several gardens in the city but the most remarkable is the beautiful Shukkeien Garden.   Its construction began in 1620 and expresses the idea of collecting and miniaturizing many scenic views. It has representations of a mountain, a solitary valley, a lake, and a broad seashore.  The lake has 14 islands formed in the shape of tortoises and cranes.  This park was among the destruction by the 1945 A-bomb but in the years following was restored to its prior condition.  The day’s light was just right for capturing beautiful photos that afternoon.

Before ending the day we walked to Hiroshima Castle, the five-story castle in the center of the city built in the 1500s by a powerful warlord.  Destroyed in 1945 it too was rebuilt 13 years later and houses a museum with a collection of 16th-century swords, sets of woven-reed armor, and other early war objects.  On the top floor is a panoramic view of Hiroshima. 

Tired and hungry we made our way back toward our hotel.  Most restaurants were closed for the day or shad topped serving at 2 pm.  Across the boulevard from our hotel which is only minutes from the train station, we happened to find one of our best Japanese meals yet.  No noodles; no rice.  We bravely started off with grilled oysters.  Two had lemon mayonnaise topping and two had a gin and herb topping.  Wow!  Those lightly cooked oysters tingled our taste buds reminding us of delicious buttery lobster.  The main was grilled thin slices of lamb on cabbage.  The dish may sound strange but it tasted fabulous.

On our last day in Hiroshima, we made a day trip via train and ferry to Miyajima, a small island just outside Hiroshima.  We came to see and photograph the iconic red toril gate, the Itsukushima Shrine, standing in the bay and at high tide seems to float on the water.  Walking toward the gate, we encountered sacred deer.  While they are not supposed to be fed, a tame young one poked his nose into my purse seeking a treat.  I gave him grass plucked from the hillside. We saw signs for the ropeway.  Thinking it might be a rope bridge, we followed the signs.    The ropeway is a tram system to the top of Mt.Misen, the highest point on the island.  With nothing more pressing to do, we bought tickets to ride in a gondola up the mountain.  Wouldn’t you know?   Once there we saw the beginning of the trail leading to the observation platform at the very top of the mountain.  Along the way, the sign said, we’d see a Buddhist temple with a flame that has burned consistently for 1200 years.  We could see people at the top; while we were not wearing hiking shoes or hiking gear, the trail looked doable.  It was only 1.3 kilometers . . . straight up.  We are fairly fit for old timers but we found ourselves stopping for air every now and then.  Cheers!  We made it and the view was pretty but the sky was hazy.  We congratulated ourselves for yet another mountain climbed.

Tomorrow we will journey back to Tokyo on our JR passes in preparation for the flight to Seoul, Korea, the last destination on this trip that began on December 27.  Another six months evaporated.  Shocking, isn’t it that time goes by so quickly especially when it’s broken up into chunks.