Our
Hiroshima tour guide Enamie-san or Amie-san as she preferred to be called, was
born in 1945, the year of atomic bombing in Hiroshima. She said that she was in
her mother’s womb that time. At the time of bombing (6 Aug 1945; 8.15 AM), her
parents who were residents of Hiroshima weren't in the town; they were on the way back home from another town and the train was stopped hearing the news. By luck, they
evaded serious injuries, death and the radiation. Thank goodness for that!
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With
our tour guide, Amie-san. Hiroshima, Japan. Apr. 26, 2014
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“Do you know the meaning of Hiroshima?” was
the first question asked by our guide. No point in squeezing our brain; so we
just looked at her face with no expression on our face. Understanding our
position, she herself came out with the answer that, ‘Hiro’ means wide and
‘shima’ means island.
The bomb nicknamed ‘Little Boy’ aimed at
Aioi bridge which was ‘T’-shaped, easy for targeting. Little Boy destroyed
everything within 12.6 sq. km area to ashes.
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The
‘T’ shaped bridge that backdropped us.
Hiroshima, Japan. Apr. 26, 2014
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After returning from the Miyajima island, we
visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and museum. Hiroshima Peace Memorial
is commonly called, ‘Atomic Bomb Dome’ or Genbaku Dome which was one of the
buildings standing after the bombing. It stands as an evidence to discourage
the use of atomic bomb in the future as well as a testament to the people to maintain
peace.
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Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Hiroshima,
Japan. Apr. 26, 2014
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We then went to Children’s Peace Monument,
a place dedicated to a girl who had leukaemia a blood cancer caused in her by
the radiation from bombing. She hoped that she could survive the leukaemia if
she followed an old myth.
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Children’s Peace Monument. Hiroshima, Japan. Apr. 26, 2014
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According to the old myth if you fold a
thousand cranes, you are granted one wish. Till now it hasn't been known the
exact number of cranes she folded, but nonetheless, hats off to her. Our guide
gifted us cranes which she folded at home and brought for us. Thank you,
Amie-sen!
That
is the reason how cranes became the sign of peace and hope.
Following this, we saw the Peace Bell
under which Albert Einstein had stood out of curiosity to see what it felt like
to stand under and inside a bell when it was ringing. It wasn't dangerous as one
hardly heard anything; the explanation is simple, the noise within the bell
cancelled out each other; Physics..!
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Peace Bell. Hiroshima, Japan. Apr. 26, 2014
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We saw an inscription on the bell in
Sanskrit, its translation in Japanese is “Know Thyself” an ancient Greek quote.
A few Indians from North part of India were there; our guide asked them to read
the inscription, they tried but failed.
The Memorial Cenotaph was the last, being
located at the end of the park. This Cenotaph holds the name of those killed in
the nuclear attack. The visitors were offering flowers and burning incense
before it in reverence for the lost souls. If you were to look through the
interior part of the arch, you would see the park all the way to the Atomic
Bomb Dome aligned in a single line.
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The Memorial Cenotaph. Hiroshima, Japan. Apr. 26, 2014
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Our last stop before the end of the trip
was the museum which was only a few meters away from the Cenotaph.
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The museum is seen. Hiroshima, Japan. Apr. 26, 2014
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The contents in the museum were mainly of
the items possessed by the people when they died. For example, a broken pocket
watch, a uniform, shoes, bottles, nameplates etc. All these objects had a story
behind them and that was the reason they were displayed. Other than that at the
first floor, they had the model of the town before and after the bombing. The
museum had two buildings both interconnected by a passageway. The Hiroshima visit
for me was over faster than I would have liked due to the time constraints, but there was
no doubt in my mind that I would visit again Hiroshima.
A link for a short video:
Jinu-Hiroshima visit on Apr 26,
2014
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