Our final day of the tour was Hiroshima. Hide-san brought a local guide to assist. Nobuko-san's family was originally from Hiroshima. Fortunately, her mother and father were far enough away from the epicenter of the bomb that they were unharmed by its blast.
As many of you may already know, last year I had the opportunity to visit Sauchenhausen Concentration Camp outside of Berlin. That was a very moving experience. However, for me Peace Park in Hiroshima was even more difficult to get through. I'm fighting back tears just writing about it. Someone asked me why and I think it has something to do with the fact that the concentration camps were run by Hitler, an obvious madman, whereas the destruction at Hiroshima was caused by the Americans. I know that Emperor Hirohito provoked us, forcing us to enter the war when he bombed Pearl Harbor, and I know that by ending the war with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, tens of thousands of American soldiers were able to return home, including our grandfather, who told us that after VE Day his division was scheduled to be shipped to Japan to aid with the fighting in the Pacific, I still have a difficult time when I'm forced to think of America as anything other than the good guys.
Masa-san dropped us off at Aioi Bridge, the intended target for the bomb. Nobuko-san explained that Hiroshima had been selected because it had been largely untouched by the war and the U.S. government believed that there were no American POWs detained there. After the fact, it was discovered that there were, in fact, approximately 10 POWs at the time the bomb was dropped. Once Hiroshima was selected as a potential detonation site American aircraft were ordered not to drop any bombs on the city so that the impact of the A-bomb could be accurately measured. Because the people of Hiroshima watched countless American bombers fly over without attacking, a false rumor was started that Hiroshima immigrants to the U.S. had successfully negotiated for the city's safety. On the morning of August 6, 1945, when Hiroshima residents saw the Enola Gay approach they just assumed that it would continue to fly over.
Aioi Bridge was chosen as the detonation spot because it was the largest bridge in Hiroshima. The Enola Gay missed its target and the bomb landed slightly down river. The former Hiroshima Industrial Promotion Hall is one of the few buildings that was not totally destroyed in the blast. A mere 160 meters from the epicenter, Nobuko-san explained that it survived because it was a Czech design and therefore made of stone rather than the traditional Japanese wood and plaster structures. The building's copper roof melted immediately melted in the heat.
Nobuko-san told us there was much controversy over what to do with the building after the bombing. Many people wanted it torn down as it served as a painful reminder. It was decided that the building would become a memorial, now called A-Bomb Dome, to serve as a reminder to future generations of the effects of nuclear weapons. A-Bomb Dome was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, although experts are uncertain as to how long they will be able to preserve the delicate structure.
As we crossed over the river, Nobuko-san told us that thousands of people burnt by the blast threw themselves into the river seeking relief from the pain of the burns, not knowing that the temperature of the river had also been raised. These bodies were later recovered miles downstream.
We passed a school where classes were already in session at the time the bomb was dropped. Only one teacher and one student survived.
Nobuko-san next took us to the Peace Clock, which rings every morning at 8:15 in memoriam to the victims of Hiroshima. Near the Peace Clock, Nobuko-san pointed out flowering bushes by the river bank which were a gift from the people of Hawaii showing their solidarity with the people of Hiroshima.
Next, Nobuko-san took us to the Bell of Peace. Etched on the bell is a stylized representation of a map of the world. On this map, the countries have no boundaries. There is an inscription running along the bottom of the bell which reads "know yourself" in Japanese, Greek and Sanskrit. We each took turns striking the bell to show our support for a nuclear free world.
Nobuko-san told us that the very next day, the rescue work started. The bodies needed to be collected as it was summer and they feared additional health problems if the rapidly decomposing bodies were left for too long. Most of the bodies could not be identified, so a mass cremation was held at the site of a destroyed Buddhist temple near the epicenter. The ashes were formed into a mound and dedicated as a memorial, which was completed on the ten year anniversary of the bombing. There were approximately 70,000 unidentified individuals. Thousands of colorful paper origami cranes were next to the memorial, causing me to think of the rescue efforts after the 9/11 Attacks in the U.S. and the cranes that are contained in the church that stands next to the World Trade Center site.
Across from this site was a memorial to the Korean immigrants, many of whom were forcibly brought to Japan because they were unable to find work in the failing economy in Korea. When they immigrated their names were changed to Japanese names, so it was impossible to tell exactly how many Korean workers were living in Hiroshima at the time of the bomb. Nobuko-san told us they estimate it was about 50,000.
The next memorial we came to, the Children's Peace Museum, was dedicate to the children of Hiroshima and was inspired by the story of one girl, Sadako. At the time of the bombing, Sadako was only two years old. She and her family were far enough from the blast that they were not immediately effected. However, they were exposed to the black rain that came from the radiation cloud a few days later. It appeared that Sadako had been unaffected by the radiation and lived a normal and healthy childhood. About ten years later at the age of twelve, she developed leukemia. The Japanese believe that if a person folds 1,000 paper cranes, their wish would be granted. Sadako folded 1,000 paper cranes, but her wish to be cured did not come true. She started folding another 1,000 paper cranes but died on October 25, 1955 after completing only 300 more cranes. Some of those cranes are preserved in the nearby museum. It was difficult for Sadako to find paper, so she reverted to using labels from medicine bottles in the hospital. Some of the cranes are so small that the entire wingspan is probably smaller than a dime.
Sadako's classmates were so moved by the story that they started a fundraising campaign to create this memorial to her and other children who died from the effects of the A-bomb. The bronze bell and crane were a donation from a Nobel Prize-winning physicist.
Across the street is another A-bomb building that was 120 meters from the epicenter. One person from the building survived and only because he just happened to be doing something in the basement at the time of the explosion. This gentleman was 47 at the time of the bombing and lived to be 84. The building has now been converted into a tourist information center.
There is a long reflecting pool running to the Peace Memorial Museum. In 1964 the Flame of Peace memorial was erected in the center of the pool. The flame will not be extinguished until all nuclear weapons have been dismantled.
At the other end of the reflecting pool is the Cenotaph for A-Bomb Victims. The stone chests under the archway bear the inscription, "Let all the souls rest in peace for we shall not repeat the evils." Inside the chests are 102 volumes of register books with the names of all of the people who have died as a result of nuclear weapons. There are currently over 280,000 names contained within. One book contains no names and simply has the inscription "For those who died" in memory of all of the unidentified victims. It was estimated that there were 350,000 people living in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing. 70,000 of those people died instantly. By the end of 1945, another 70,000 were dead. Each year on August 6, a ceremony is held in Peace Park to encourage an end to nuclear weapons. 50,000 people from all over the world attend each year. So far, President Obama has not been one of those attendees.
Our final stop in Peace Memorial Park was Peace Memorial Museum. We could have spent the entire day just in this museum, so Kevin and I decided to focus on the things that we couldn't glean from a book. I've always known about U.S. war rations but I never much thought into what our enemies were doing to conserve resources. The beginning of the exhibit had Japanese war time ration coupons and items that would have been used during the war like matches. There was a large section dealing with the Manhattan Project and also a sobering diorama of what Hiroshima looked like before and after the bombing. We learned that each mayor of Hiroshima has written a letter to the leaders of countries each time they carry out a nuclear weapons test, encouraging them to disarm such weapons. Needless to say, many of the letters are addressed to the United States and Soviet Union. I was surprised to see how many recent letters were addressed to President Obama. I'm obviously not paying close enough attention to the news.
Needless to say, this was a very moving experience for all of us and the mood on the bus was quiet and reflective as we drove to our next destination. En route, Nobuko-san told us the story of two A-Bomb victims she came to know. One boy, who later grew up to be a manga artist, was 7 years old at the time of the blast. He was in the school yard talking to a classmate's mother and was only saved because he was standing with his back close to a large stone wall which shielded him from the blast. He ran home to find his family and found his pregnant mother trying to help the remainder of the family, who were trapped in the burning house. His father knew that the mother and small son would not be able to move the debris blocking the exit so he order the son to take his mother and go to safety. His mother went into labor and gave birth to a baby girl. Unfortunately, the baby only lived two weeks before dying of malnutrition. The boy grew up, not telling anyone that he was an A-bomb survivor as they were often ostracized and discriminated against because people thought their ailments were contagious. It wasn't until his mother passed away several years later that he began to share his story, authoring a ten volume manga series which I hope to be able to find on Amazon.
The final stop on our tour was Miyajima Island, two kilometers (1-1/4 miles) off the mainland in the Seto Inland Sea. The island has been designated as one of the three most spots in Japan and has been held sacred since ancient times.
We took the ferry across to the island. We could see the large orange tori gate of Itsukushima Shrine as we approached. The shrine was founded in 593 to honor three female deities. The shrine is built on piers over the water, so at high tide it appears that the shrine is floating on the water. The tori gate several meters out to sea is the largest tori gate in all of Japan.
Nobuko-san explained some more of the customs for praying at a Shinto shrine. You walk through the tori gate to purify your soul. As you walk along the pathway after the gate, you must stay to the side, as the gods use the center. She also explained that the white folded fan-like creations I had been seeing at numerous shrines signified the most sacred area of the shrine. She also pointed out that the roof of the shrine was made of cypress bark and needed constant upkeep.
Miyajima Island is also home to sacred deer. They banned feeding of the deer here about five years ago, so now the disgruntled deer, looking for food, stalk visitors, nibbling on any loose clothing and trying to steal papers from their hands or pockets.
After we toured the shrine, we were free to visit the shopping streets on the island. We choose to stay with Nobuko-san who took us to some of the more remote garden areas and showed us where to climb the steps to the pagoda. On the way back to the ferry, she also showed us her favorite café, where we could sit and have some green tea and sample one of the momiji manju cakes for which Miyajima is known.
Our tour ended with a late lunch at a sushi train restaurant. The booths throughout the restaurant were all situated along a conveyor belt that ran through the entire restaurant. Small plates with two small servings of various foods went by on the train line, and when you saw something you wanted you grabbed it. At the end the waitress came over and counted the number of empty plates and charged you accordingly. The restaurant served a variety of traditional raw sushi dishes, cooked seafood dishes and western dishes like fried chicken, mini hot dogs and chocolate cake. When I heard that we were having sushi, I was afraid that Kevin would not be able to find anything to eat. I think that he ended up with the most plates of any of us.
We got back to our hotel fairly early. Kevin was able to locate the world feed of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the TV. He decided to stay in and watch the end of the race while Robin and I set out to explore our hotel and the surrounding area. We ended up at a huge high-end department store, about eleven stories total. We rode the escalator to the top, stopping on any floors which looked interesting. On the top floor there was a food court with spectacular views of Hiroshima. Robin and I split an order of takoyaki which was served in a real dish, even at a fast food joint. As we sat and watched the sun set and the city lights come on, I still had a hard time believing that sixty-seven years ago, this beautiful city had been reduced to a barren wasteland.
