David Grajal

Hiroshima was our last stop in Japan before returning to Seoul (You can also read my Kyoto and Tokyo experiences). We got the Shinkansen in Tokyo early in the morning and we arrived at Hiroshima around 12, so we only stayed there for half a day which was enough to have a glimpse of the city.

Memorial park, at the front the flame that will be on as long as atomic weapons are considered weaponry

We visited the Atomic Bomb museum and we were also sightseeing the different memorials they have in the public park for the Korean people and the children of the first atomic attack in history. The museum is really good and it shows in a very clear way the tragedy this city suffered in August 1945. In the museum there is the famous clock that stopped at the exact time of the attack and other personal objects of the people that were close to the epicenter at the time of the tragedy.

The A-dome

Hiroshima was completely devastated. All the wood based buildings of the city (5km radius at that time) were destroyed and all the earthquake-ready concrete based were in ruins or completely destroyed. It is estimated that 160000 people died in the first months as a direct consequence of the attack but around 5000 people died every year since then as consequence of the radiation effects.

Paper cranes

The most famous case is Sadako Sakasi, which was 2 years old at the time of the attack. She was surprisingly intact after the bomb, but she got leukemia after 10 years. Then she started to make paper cranes because it is a Japanese belief that the cranes can make your wish come true. She wanted to make 1000 cranes wishing to stay alive but died before it was completed. After that, her classmates finished her work. Now the cranes are the symbol of the city and everyday the memorials receive thousands of paper cranes made by people all around the world.

Children memorial

Hiroshima is mainly known because of the bomb attack but there are other interesting sights. In the night we got a ferry to visit the famous flooded Tori in the entrance of the Miyajima buddist shrine on Miyajima island. This is considered one of the most beautiful places in Japan but we got there a bit late and we only had time to see the Tori from the boat, a bit far to make a good picture.

The clock stopped at the time of the attack

The next day we got the Shinkansen to Fukouka just on time to get the ferry to come back to South Korea.

Related posts:

1. Jeonju
2. Exploring the modern Japan in Tokyo
3. Traditional Japanese immersion in Kyoto.
4. Taipei 2008
5. Picasso exhibition