Pacific Odyssey - Leg 5

Today was a momentous day; nearly everyone went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Memorial Park.  The Museum was built in 1955 “to preserve and convey to future generations the facts about the unprecedented tragedy.”   The Museum presents objective, well-written and interesting exhibits that describe Hiroshima before and after the bombing. It displays belongings left by the victims, photos, and other materials that convey the horror of the event. There are exhibits that explain the history of the bomb and the current status of the nuclear age.  I found it incredibly sad, interesting, maddening, educational, emotional, and passion invoking . . . a melee of feelings passed through me.  I found myself thinking that everyone needs to walk through the museum, visit the memorials, and learn in this manner, about the devastation of nuclear war; everyone needs to understand why there are people who spend their lives trying to convince the world that nuclear weapons need to be eliminated.  After a moving experience such as today, I understand better the passion of these people and am convinced that anyone learning of Hiroshima will also be consumed by the desire to strive and work toward a nuclear-free world. We left at 1000hrs and boarded a trolley for the Atomic bomb Dome.  The Peace Memorial Park covers acres of land between two large rivers and the memorials are contained within its boundaries.  In 1945 the area was filled with wooden housing that children were mobilized to destroy, in order to make fire exits during the war.  When the bomb went off, the children were already out in the street working and this is one reason why so many people were immediately killed; they were in such close proximity to where the bomb was dropped.  There were signboards explaining the different buildings and memorials; they were well written, everything an English teacher likes: clear, concise and complete.   We visited the Memorial for Mobilized Children, the Children´s Peace Monument (for Sadako and the 1000 paper cranes), the Peace Cairn, the Peace Bell, the Flame of Peace, the Pond of Peace, the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, and finally the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, both East and West wings.  It was a thought provoking 4 hours.  The site and the size of this beautiful park are a wonderful memorial to the tragedy; it is very peaceful and beautifully laid out. The park is in the middle of the busy city but yet there is no sense of hurry or busy-ness.  It was the nicest memorial park I have visited; it truly allowed one the time and space to learn and reflect.  Here are some words I copied from the signboards:
     “At 8:15 am August 6th 1945 an American 9 bomber dropped an atomic bomb, the first atomic bombing in human history.  The bomb exploded approximately 600m above and 160m southeast of the Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Hall [the Dome]. The building was crushed and gutted by fire.  Everyone in the building died immediately.  However, because the blast came from almost directly above, some of the walls of the building remained standing leaving enough of the building and iron structure at the top to be recognizable as a dome.  After the war, the badly damaged [H.P.I.P.H. ADthe Dome] came to be known as the A-bomb Dome . . . In December 1996, the A-bomb Dome was formally registered on the World Heritage List as an historic witness to the tragedy of human history´s first use of a nuclear weapon and as a universal peace monument, appealing for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of world peace.”
At 1500hrs we met outside and sat together, being quiet and having some lunch.  It will take some time to process all that we´ve experienced today. From here everyone went her separate way.  Trainees continue to spend time shopping, corresponding to friends and family, visiting the bathhouse, and seeing the historical sites.  Hiroshima has so far been an excellent visit with very interesting things to do and friendly people to meet. Everyday there are people who come alongside the boat, interested in the ship, trying to communicate with us.  We smile, show them around, and offer them a brochure, and they return with oranges, chocolates, statues of Buddha, and rice cakes . . . it´s all good. Men are fishing off the dock by the boat and they call our little boys over to have a look, intuitively knowing they are interested.  This is it for tonight, until tomorrow, good night, Bonice.