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Published: October 2nd 2008
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This is a city which everyone knows of - just over 60 years ago the Americans ensured this city would go into history books, when they dropped the worlds first atomic bomb onto the city and its citizens.
I was very keen to get to Hiroshima and it was on my must do list. I'm not sure why but there is something that has always got me about this city - well that's a dumb thing to say, I know why - it is the same reason we all know it. But I guess the total destruction, the loss of innocent lives, the pain and agony that must have gone through - all due to one item, and at a time when I guess that type of destruction was unknown.
I still can clearly remember learning about Hiroshima. I remember the school, my age, my teacher and I remember sitting there in utter amazement that this happened. I was 8. Well I am now 32 and am still amazed. Images from the museum will always stay with me - and so they should.
Arriving in Hiroshima, the first thing we did was head to the Peace park, and
into the museum (a relief as the weather here is quite hot and humid!). And it was good. There is images and model to give you and indication of the destruction. Images and footage of Hiroshima before, and after. There is information on why the city and Nagasaki were chosen (actually you have to feel worse for Nagasaki - they weren't the target that day but seeing the weather was nice - why not bomb it!)
The museum goes into how/why the atom bomb came into existence. It talks about the US bombing campaign. It talks about the destruction, what happened to the people during and the hours, days, months, years following. There is a stone step there with a 'shadow' on it where a person sat and was incinerated. There are cloths where you see where they melted into the wearer.
Terrible stuff. Something that did stand out though was the museum was well rounded. It did not shy back from saying how brutal its own soldiers were. However that day it was the families and the children that suffered, Something that was known to be the case. And the suffering would go on and on.
The Park also has a monument - inside a 'coffin' is everyone's name who died on the day and since from the bomb. It gets updated yearly. There is a flame - it will not be blown out until all nuclear power is ended. A childrens memorial (created by school children for a girl who developed leukemia and folded a thousand paper cranes to try and save herself). There is also the A Bomb Dome. A building left standing after the bomb detonated above it. It is kept as is as a reminder.
Wandering around Hiroshima you would not know that this all happened. My grandfather lived in Hiroshima during occupation and it was a bit weird thinking I was walking the same roads as he once did. He loved the city alot and was he's only other home apart from Adelaide. The city would have changed so much since he saw it and I am quite interested to share notes!!
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