So Casey and I were determined to actually see the parts of Hiroshima that we wanted to see, so Saturday night we decided that we would wake up early on Sunday and make the trip via Shinkonsin. Boy am I glad we did.
First of all, the weather was great! It rained on the way there, but by the time we got to Hiroshima, the clouds were going away and it was starting to warm up. We jumped in a street car and headed for the A-Bomb dome. I really expected it to be somewhere on the outskirts of the city, but there it was- right smack in the middle of downtown. The building itself is a little spooky to look at. The bomb dropped very close to the location of the building, so the metal beams are twisted and bent. They left it there as a reminder... and I'm sure people are reminded every day when they go to their apartment
across the street. Not sure if I would be able to live right across from something that is such a bad memory for the country.
After checking out the building, we started walking around the Peace Park. What a beautiful place. It it perfect for strolling around, looking at the various memorial sites, and thinking about what actually happened there. If you visit the memorials and aren't affected by them in some way, then you're probably going to be on the Most Wanted list at some point in your life.
The Children's memorial is very touching, both with the paintings children have made that say "Peace" and "No War!", and also the millions of paper cranes which were made in honor of Sadako, a girl who died of leukemia after being exposed to the radiation of the bomb. I remember reading that story in elementary school right around the time that Lindsey Stephen's family had an exchange student from Japan living with them. She taught us all kinds of origami... including the paper crane, so the Sadako story really sticks with me.
I think the most difficult part for us to see was the Museum... it has a timeline around the bottom of the events leading up to the bombing, and then the rest is dedicated to the people who dealt with the aftermath of the bomb. It was so difficult for me to see some of those images- especially the ones of the burn victims. The museum really doesn't hold back when it comes to the human experience of the bombing... including video accounts and written testimony of the survivors. They definitely play to your emotional side, and anyone that knows me knows that that is the biggest part of me... so I spent over an hour walking around, with what I can imagine was a disgusted, ashamed look on my face. It was sometimes difficult to be an American in that museum, reading about the events leading up to August 6th. Obviously I had nothing to do with the bombing, but a part of me felt so guilty... I understand that Japan did some heinous things before this occurred, but at the same time, the fact that we actually went through with dropping the first nuclear bomb in history, and the fact that all evidence shows that we didn't want to give them any sort of warning at all... basically it just makes me sick. I wasn't around back then so I can't really understand all of the emotions that went on with the situation. All I know is that we started something terrible... and for all of these people hoping for peace on Earth... I just have a feeling that it will never happen.
I hate to be a pessimist, but honestly- if you look around at how many countries have access to nuclear bombs, the number of countries who hate each other, the number of people who will stop at nothing to kill people who are simply not like them... how can we ever put an end to that? The Mayor of Hiroshima sends a telegram of protest to every country that tests nuclear bombs, urging them to stop, and saying that until every nuclear warhead is destroyed, there will never be peace on Earth. Well, I wish you could see the number of telegrams that have been sent since the beginning... they seem to be running out of room to post them. We (the US) have a major part to play in that with all of the testing we do. I really wish I could honestly think about the future of my children and see a world without war, but the world has become so power-hungry that I don't think that will ever happen.
If you know me, you know I don't like getting wrapped up in politics. Normally it's the last thing that I want to talk about. But going to Hiroshima, reading the evidence, and seeing the affect that it had on innocent people... I just can't stand to think that it may only be the beginning. Casey and I think it would be good for all heads of government to have to take a trip to see the museum in Hiroshima. In fact, I wish everyone could see it. It really had an impact on how I think about the world- and especially some of the people that are running our country... and it will make me more aware of who I vote for and what their standpoint is on these issues.
Okay, I'm getting off my high-horse now and I'll tell you about the more pleasant part of the day. After visiting the museum, we obviously wanted to go somewhere and lighten the mood, so we went to eat okonomiyaki (Casey's favorite!)... it was quite tasty.
Then we were on our way to Miyajima, the 'floating' Torii out in the water, off the coast of Hiroshima.
The ferry to the other side was neat. The weather was nice also, so we enjoyed the scenery and atmosphere. Normally, the water is high enough so that it looks like the Torii is floating, but I think they were doing some repairs on the No theater nearby, so the water level was low enough that you could walk out to the Torii without getting your feet too wet. We took some interesting pictures of it. Check out the pictures at
http://photos.yahoo.com/lilbitfromks, in the album "Japan Trip 12: Hiroshima". We hung out here, buying gifts and taking tons of pictures. There were a bunch of deer around the area as well, so I had to take pictures of them... I am always enthralled with them for some reason. There were quite a few babies around right now and I couldn't stop petting them! They are pretty entertaining creatures. Anyway, I really enjoyed this aspect of the day, mainly because it was so relaxing and I could finally put my mind at ease after filling it with such disturbing images earlier in the day. We stayed at Miyajima for probably 2 hours or more, then we decided to head back toward the Shinkonsin station and get home.
All in all, it was a very rewarding experience, and I am glad that we went out of our way to go back so I could see it for myself. Casey's trip last weekend was quite a bit different- since they were rushed for time, he didn't get to see much of it at all. I am glad we got to take our time at the Peace Park, and then relax at Miyajima afterward.
If you ever get to go to Japan, I highly recommend taking this trip. I'm fairly certain that when you leave, you will be taking a lot more with you than when you arrived.
I guess that's about all for now... hopefully I didn't offend anyone with my political views, but just realize that this is all my opinion.
Last night, the lab members threw me a small going away party. They made food from scratch which was really tasty- the picture shows Casey helping Nose-san and Mizugaki-sensei fan the rice so it would cool.
At the end they gave me flowers, and there was a cute little card attached- see the picture. My favorite thing about it is the drawing- Kanai-san drew a little picture of me with my hat on. :)
So I will leave one more picture, not only to show you how huge the coat is, but also to show you the convenience store by our apartment building. We go in here almost daily, which is kind of sad sometimes. Last night I wanted to go back in there to get the koala bear biscuits just for sentimental sake... so this is me outside looking pretty strange. :) Fun times in Osaka.
