Thursday, 27 May 2010
Hiroshima, Japan
Sleek and slender is the Shinkansen Nozomi bullet train to Hiroshima. People stand in an orderly queue at the points marked on the platform where the doors will be. Not like the bloody pushing and shoving you get in the UK. Such a polite society. Once inside the train, it’s quite a wide cabin and you’re quite low down. Presumably to lower the centre of gravity. A mere sixty six minute journey at 300km/hr. Work that one out dear reader.
Arriving Hiroshima station grab one of the cleanest taxis I’ve ever been in. The rear doors are opened automatically by the driver. He tries to take my rucksack off me to put in the boot but soon wishes he hadn’t. It’s about as big and as heavy as the petite driver is.
“Velly heavy”, he says.
Check in to the Crowne Plaza (https://www.anacrowneplaza-hiroshima.jp/language/english/) but as it’s still only 1030hrs have to leave bag with reception. Bell boy takes rucksack off me to put in storage. Its 23kg is a struggle for him. Quite comical seeing him waddle with it.
Like Busan and Fukuoka, there’s a serenity and calmness to Hiroshima.
So.
This is where it all happened on 6 August 1945.
The beginning of the end of World War 2.
The famous landmark is the ‘A-dome’. The hypocentre of the bomb. The building was originally an exhibition hall with a large glazed dome. The bomb exploded 600m above and 160m away from it with a pressure of 35 tons per square metre which created a wind of 440 metres per second. Just think about that for a moment, dear reader. Nearly 1,000 miles per hour. It miraculously survived this blast whilst everything else in the city was completely obliterated. It’s retained exactly as it was as a reminder of the events in August 1945.
Around the A-dome are a load of school kids on a visit. It’s a mixed bag of yellow hats, white shirts, white hats etc for different groups. Approached by four young boys of about 8 or 9 years old and asked if I will answer some questions in English, to practice their language skills. Where am I from. What’s my favourite Japanese food. Can I write my name in this box. Can we take a picture of you. Their teacher is taking photos as we speak but we have a proper group photo. You can imagine how big I look at 6’5” towering over these young children, dear reader. Am thanked very much and the little lad that has been asking the questions gives me two paper origami cranes (as in birds not construction) for me to keep. Say their goodbyes and off I go.
Have wandered all of a few steps when approached by two young girls the same age as the lads. And repeat the whole process.
Finally left alone, walk over the bridge to the Peace Park with the constant dong, dong of the Peace Bell. Every school child is ringing it. The place is awash with school kids. School choir is singing in the Children’s Memorial and placing paper origami cranes (birds not construction) connected together by string on specially built hangers. As one group leaves, another quickly takes its place and does its bit. There’s a lot of cranes.
Once inside the Memorial Hall, silence reigns. Peaceful place for contemplation.
Across the plaza is the Peace Memorial Museum. Appears that Hiroshima was bombed due to its military camp and lack of POW camps. The USA wanted to end the war to prevent Russia being part of the post war allied front which it would have been if Russia declared war on Japan, as it was about to. If the USA could stop the war then Russia wouldn’t have such a great say in the region.
Impressive montages of a completely obliterated city along with video archives and photos from the bombing.
And.
Memories of survivors.
One poignant memory reads:
‘A dragonfly flitted in front of me and stopped on a fence. I stood up, took my cap in my hands, and was about to catch the dragonfly when…’
One response to “RTW 25. Hiroshima”
The Memorial Hall was most moving for me