Hiroshima

Friday morning, we took the bullet train from Tokyo to Hiroshima, a commute of just under four hours. We spent the day reflecting on the city's tragic past while also enjoying and celebrating its progress.

The Genbaku Dome

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. The destruction and prolonged suffering brought about by that very instant are overwhelming. Though the city was demolished, one structure stands tall to this day near the explosion's very epicenter. This structure is the Genbaku Dome. The city decided to preserve it after recognizing it as an important reminder, so that the citizens of Hiroshima would never forget what had taken place, even after the last survivor had passed.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

We visited Hiroshima's Peace Park and memorials, including a poignant area honoring Japanese children who died due to the bombing. Thousands of paper cranes, symbolizing peace, are displayed, inspired by Sadako Sasaki's story. Sadako, exposed to radiation as a child during the bombing, developed leukemia a decade later. While hospitalized, she folded paper cranes, hoping to make a wish come true, because of the Japanese legend that granted a person a wish if they could fold 1,000 cranes. The story goes that Sadako passed away before reaching 1,000 cranes, so her schoolmates folded the remaining ones to honor her. Now, cranes continue to be brought to this memorial in memory of beloved Sadako, the other children of Hiroshima, and to promote a spirit of global peace.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

This view is of a sculpture from just outside Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Museum. It is supposed to be an abstract image of two upturned hands with a flame burning from the middle of the palms. This flame is symbolic of the presence of nuclear warheads in the world, and it will not stop burning until every last one is eradicated. The museum itself detailed everything from the politics and logistics of the day of the bombing to the unfiltered horrors of the event. Stories from survivors, lost and half-destroyed belongings, and artistic renditions of what could be seen on the day were included.

Through this visit, it became clear that the city of Hiroshima is one of extreme resilience. This is an unspeakably dark moment in history, and yet the city's people do not shy away from the topic and do not sugar-coat it. Instead, they have dedicated themselves to educating their people, tourists, and the wider world so that history will not repeat itself. Combined here was a powerful protest mixed with an uplifting message of hope.