Trip to Hiroshima

One of the main things I wanted to do while we lived in Japan was to go to Hiroshima. I felt that it was an opportunity for a History lesson from a different perspective (definitely different), as well as what the citizens (innocent citizens- which is typically the case in war, isn't it?) went through and pay homage to a city that suffered so much during the drop and its aftermath. The city, which was completely demolished almost immediately, has rebuilt itself into a hustling, bustling, beautiful city, honoring those who suffered, and with a steadfastness to No Nukes. This was the girls first time to take a Shinkansen (Bullet Train) ride, and according to Hanna "it doesn't go that fast, and it has wings" so she thought we were actually flying during part of the trip. Oh, to be a 5 year old!

Girls on first Shinkansen ride

We were able to see the Shukkeien Gardens (traditional Japanese gardens- beautiful!), and visit the Hiroshima Castle on Friday (we had a complete downpour for a good part of the day- very wet, and a bit cold).

Shukkeien Gardens

That night after a forgettable dinner at Molly Malone's, we ventured out and accidentally wandered into the Tori-No-Ichi (Rake Fair). This fair is quite unique, in that it sells Rakes to rake in good fortune while people throw money into barrels and pray for good success in business. It takes place on the days of the Tori (or Rooster) in November at various Otori-jinja shrines found in all parts of Japan. Otori-sama is the patron Deity of good fortune and successful business and is enshrined at Otori-jinja shrines. Days of the rooster occur every 12 days in November, which means that there are at least 2-3 days of the Rooster in the month. This fare sets up tons of booths, with the main and most important sale being that of a Kumade rake for "raking in wealth and good fortune".

Tori-No-Ichi (Rake) Fair

On Saturday, we spent the morning in Miyajima Island, about a 30 minute train ride, and a 15 minute Ferry from Hiroshima. Again, the weather was a little rainy, but warmer than the day before. We had the opportunity to see the Itsukushima Shrines Tori-i Gate (3rd most picturesque site in Japan), as well as visit the shrine, the parks on the Island, eat some good Yakatori and visit with all the wild deer that freely roam the Island (the Girls favorite part!). From there, we took a Ferry ride from the Island right to the Memorial Peace Park.

Itsukushima Shrine Tori-i Gate

Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park is a large area, very close to where the bomb hit, in which everything/everyone around it was completely and immediately destroyed. It was decided four years after the bomb dropping that the area would not be rebuilt, but would instead serve as a memorial to all of those who suffered at the hands of the atomic bomb. Within the Peace Park, there is the main attraction- the Peace Memorial Museum. I went in by myself, as we were warned in advance that the photos and detailed information is very graphic,and not suitable for young kids. It covered the bombing, the decision making process on choosing Hiroshima as the place to drop the bomb, as well as what a nuclear bomb can do, and most importantly, and sadly, the aftermath. There were many very sad pictures, stories and information told regarding the citizens of Hiroshima and what they had to endure. I could not spend a lot of in depth time reading, as it was so sad, I would have had a hard time snapping out of it- I did a lot of browsing and skimming, and that was sad enough. I truly hope that the world has learned a lesson, and will never, ever drop a nuclear bomb again.

A-Dome

The A-dome (also known as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial) is the remains of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. When the bomb exploded, it was one of the few buildings to remain standing, and has been names a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Centopath- see the A-dome through it?

Between the Museum and the A-bomb Dome is the Cenotaph for the A-bomb victims. It is an arched tomb for those who died due to either the initial blast of exposure to radiation. Below the arch is a stone chest holding a register of those names, which there are over 220,000. Looking through the arch, you can see the eternal flame for world peace, as well as the A-dome.

With the Peace Bell

The Peace Bell was also located in the Peace Park, and Maya could not wait to see it. Last year, in 2nd grade, the author of the book The Peace Bell, Margi Preus, came to ASIJ for a workshop with the Elementary students. They had the opportunity to learn the amazing story of the Peace Bell, which now resides in the Peace Memorial Park. We all had an opportunity to ring the bell for all the world to hear!

http://www.margipreus.com/

Children's Peace Monument

We also got to see the Children's Peace Monument, dedicated to  Sadako Sasaki, a two year old girl at the time of the Atomic bombing, who died of cancer, directly related to the Nuclear bombing. It is a Japanese legend that if you fold 1000 paper cranes, you will receive your wish and she thought it would make her illness go away. She worked very hard to fold her paper cranes, eventually reaching more than 1000. Unfortunately, it did not cure her,and she passed away at the age of 12. Her friends raised money to resurrect a peace monument, dedicated to Sadako, in which a gold crane bell hangs in the middle to be rung for World Peace. There are also several small buildings surrounding the kids museum filled from top to bottom with paper cranes made by people from around the world.

http://gimundo.com/news/article/one-thousand-paper-cranes-for-peace-the-story-of-sadako-sasaki/

That night, after visiting the Peace Park, we went to dinner at Mario's, and Italian Restaurant with some good food and delicious wine, we headed down Peace Memorial Blvd to view the crazy Christmas lights. Because the Japanese aren't, for the most part, Christian, the entire Blvd was lit up with castles, fruit, stars, pirate ships and pretty much anything and everything you could think of. It was quite amazing, and the girls had a blast going from lit up area to lit up area- it was a nice way to end a great visit to Hiroshima.

Girls with all the lights!