Hiroshima

Our travels today brought us to the western extent of our two week visit, the city of Hiroshima on Japans Inland Sea, almost 200 miles from Kyoto. We travelled on the Shinkansen in two legs, the first bringing us southwest from Kyoto to Kobe-Shi where we switched trains. During this ride I enjoyed a somewhat overpriced ekiben, one of the complete meals-in-a-box offered for train passengers. My ekiben consisted of rice and beef with some veggies.

After arriving at the Hiroshima terminal, we took a brief train ride to Yokogawa station, from which we enjoyed a ten minute walk to our Airbnb where we deposited our luggage before setting out to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. 

The city of Hiroshima is situated on what appears to be a river delta consisting of several rivers branching out from a common source. The Peace Memorial Park is located at the northern tip of one of the islands in this delta, several hundred meters from the hypocenter (ground zero) of the 1945 atomic blast. Directly across the eastern river bordering the park is the Atomic Bomb Dome, the scorched remains of the Industrial Promotion Hall building which can be recognized by its iconic dome frame atop shattered walls. 

We entered the park from the north and proceeded south, passing a variety of monuments and memorials dedicated to preserving the memory of those killed by the bomb and advocating for a future world of peace devoid of these destructive inventions. These monuments include the Peace Bell, a large bronze bell whose forlorn tones can be heard throughout the park as it is rung by visitors symbolizing the spread of peace in the world, the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound, which contains the ashes of thousands of unidentified victims, and the Flame of Peace and Cenotaph for A-bomb Victims. The latter monument is a stone box containing the names of the bomb victims enshrined beneath an arched gateway resembling a saddle, which is meant as a shelter for the souls of the victims. This arch is oriented so as to align with the Flame of Peace and the Atomic Bomb Dome. Beyond these monuments is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which we did not enter, and the Fountain of Prayer. At the southern end of the park is a statue named "Mother and Children in the Storm", which depicts the suffering a mother will endure for her children out of love. 

Our visit brought us around this statue and back north, where we walked through the National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims before taking a closer look at the Atomic Bomb Dome on our way out of the park.

-Theodore

 

The author and Maryrose before entering the park with the Atomic Bomb Dome in the background. This structure was relatively near to the blast and remained mostly intact due to the steep angle of the shock wave at this point, meaning that its walls did not bear the brunt of the force which was instead directed mostly downwards. Ground zero is several hundred meters to the southeast, which is behind the building in this picture. You can see that the walls on the other side of the building, which used to be situated symmetrically around the dome, are far more damaged. The frail structure has since been reinforced from the inside.

Maryrose ringing the Peace Bell.

 

The Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound. The stone disks on the shrine topping this mound are reminiscent of a mushroom cloud. 

 

The remains of a 17th century tomb which was toppled by the blast. 

 

The cenotaph shrine, Flame of Peace, and Atomic Bomb Dome. 

 

The statue at the south end of the park.

 

A clock-shaped fountain above the underground Peace Memorial Hall which depicts 8:15, the time of the blast. There is a functioning clock at the north end of the park which tolls at this time every morning.