Hiroshima and Miyajima Island

I have about 90 minutes to write this before I head to the airport for the next part of my adventure, so this will be a brief overview of the last three days in Hiroshima.

We arrived early on Sunday afternoon, so we got going pretty much right away. Then Monday was a free day, and yesterday we took a day trip to Miyajima Island.

Here are the photo albums:

• Hiroshima
• Art Museums
• Miyajima

City of Peace

As the place where, on August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped as an act of war, Hiroshima has come to identify itself as a City of Peace. Many monuments, as well as a museum, are dedicated to the hope that there will be no more Hiroshimas, no more atom bombs, and more broadly, no more war.

The bomb that detonated 600 meters above the center of Hiroshima that morning had an explosive yield of about 15,000 tons of dynamite. The number of people who were killed immediately from flash burns, blast pressure, and flying debris, plus those who died by the end of 1945 from injuries sustained, from the firestorm that ensued, and from Acute Radiation Syndrome totaled 140,000. And long term from radioactive fallout and cancer brings that total to around 200,000. The bomb obliterated virtually everything within 2 kilometers of the hypocenter.

The photo up top shows the A‑Bomb Dome, the ruins of the former Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Hall that stood about a hundred meters from the hypocenter.

By way of comparison, modern nuclear warheads are anywhere from 18–30 times more powerful than “Little Boy.” And the most powerful weapons deployed today are more than 300 times more powerful.

Survivors

We met two survivors that afternoon. One was on the street near the A‑Bomb Dome, sharing his story. He was in utero on August 6, 1945. You can find documents telling his story in my photo album.

We also met a 95-year-old woman, Kiyomi Kono, who told us her story.

It won’t be long before there are no remaining survivors. As with the Holocaust, we must never forget. We must keep telling their stories. 

We saw a lot of young people visiting the Peace Park and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. I asked Ms. Komo if she was hopeful that they are learning. She said all we can do is keep sharing the stories.

Free Day in Hiroshima

I planned a full itinerary for our free day. Two of my fellow travelers, Val and Sandy, decided to join me.

Shukkeien Garden

Our first stop was this beautiful garden.

Art Museums

We visited two excellent art museums. The Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum is adjacent to the Shukkeien Garden. The collection included both western art and Japanese works. The highlight was an exhibit of Japanese mountain landscapes by Kunihiko Sasaki (1909–1972). Unfortunately, I can’t find any information about this painter. But his works were beautiful.

And also at this museum was a large work by Salvador Dalí.

All the work on display at the Hiroshima Museum of Art was by western artists. It was extraordinary to find such a rich collection here.

Hiroshima Castle

After the garden and the museums, we got lunch and did some shopping, and by then we were all too tired to continue with the rest of my plans for the day, so we went back to the hotel and crashed. I didn’t even go out for dinner that night. I just got a salad from a convenience store near the hotel and ate in my room.

Miyajima Island

The torii is, of course, associated with a shrine.

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Well I managed to get this done in just over an hour. So now I’ll finish packing and get my ride to the airport. Next stop: Taipei, where the forecast is for hot weather with monsoon rains. Yay!