Hiroshima

On October 1st at 5 in the morning we got up and left for Hiroshima. It was a beautiful day so perfect for a drive. It took about 5 hours to get there from our place. We arrived just before lunch so decided to walk through the Peace Memorial Park first. As you know Hiroshima is the first inhabited city in the world to have an Atomic Bomb dropped on it....Clocks stopped at the time of the blast.

Standing in front of the Flame of Peace, with the A-dome in the background

The Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall. The bomb was dropped almost directly over it, 600 metres in the air. Oddly enough, the building was one of the few buildings left standing after the explosion. All the people inside were killed immediately.The building was left as a reminder of the cruelty of mankind. The A-dome and city of Hiroshima after the blast. Taken in October 1945, 2 months after the blast. Total devastation.

This photo was taken a couple of hours after the blast, about 2 kms from the hypo centre. To the right of the picture there is a policeman bending over distributing oil to put on the burns of the people around him. In the middle of the picture there is a woman carrying a charred baby that is just a black lump. According to testimonies, she was delirious, walking around crying out for someone to help her baby not realising it was already burnt to death.
The cameraman left this statement:
'I fought with myself for 30 minutes before I could take the first picture. After taking the first, I grew strangely calm and wanted to get closer, I took about 10 steps forward and tried to snap another, but the scenes I saw were so gruesome my viewfinder clouded with tears.' Yoshito Matsushige.

Jo studying the map of the Peace Park in front of the A-dome building

Ken sitting by the river in front of the A-dome.

The A-dome today

The A-dome dwarfed by the growing modern city of Hiroshima today.

Eating lunch in front of the A-dome. The park is a popular place for people to come and eat their lunch. I must admit, it felt strangely like eating lunch in a graveyard.

The paper cranes made by children for the blast survivors. 'Peace' is written on each wing. Each one consists of 1000 paper cranes. It is believed making 1000 cranes will cure a sick patient.

The photos and testimonies of that time were so gruesome and devastating it was hard to keep ones composure. Even so, if you ever come to Japan I recommend this Memorial as a MUST on your places to visit-list. Everything is in English and they have an English Audio Commentary you can borrow for 300 yen. The Memorial itself is only 50 yen to get into! Allow plenty of time as there is so much to see and you will find yourself standing in once place for 20 minutes at a time, engrossed in the scenes before you.