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Published: August 14th 2013
Surviving building
The bomb went off 600 meters almost directly above this building.Today we left Osaka for the day and took the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima to visit the Hiroshima Peace Park at the site where the atomic bomb went off. First off, I am including a video of the shinkansen super express train as it blasts through a train station so you can get an idea of just how fast it moves, and also one of the Japanese countryside while on the Shinkansen. Inside it's very quiet, so it almost feels like your are floating at high speeds.
Shinkansen passing through the rail station:
Japanese countryside from Shinkansen:
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we took the train to Hiroshima, site of the first atomic bomb dropped on human targets. I wasn't sure what to really expect. After all, it was America that dropped the bomb. Would people there be upset at seeing us at the site? How would I feel about seeing it?
The first thing I saw was the building that survived the blast. It's a famous site and has been photographed continually since the bombing in 1945. The only reason it survived was because it had a copper dome on it, and when the bomb went off 600 meters above the ground, the blast melted the dome
Surviving building info
This plaque shows what the building looked like prior to the blast. and it went down through the building and out of the sides. All people inside were instantly killed. We didn't have a chance to get up close, so my photos are from across the river.
We eventually made it to the museum. The city of Hiroshima has declared itself a peaceful city and the whole park is there to remind people of the terrors of nuclear war and to try and help disarm existing nuclear weapons so it never happens again. The actual museum was very, very informative. We spent about 90 minutes there but you could spend 4 hours and not see everything. It was also very sad. We were exposed to photographs of victims immediately following the incident and also what happened with the radiation fallout with the population for years to come.
What really struck me is that there was no "America did this to us!!" anywhere. In fact, the museum very clearly stated that Japan initiated war with the United States and also went into details of the atrocities they committed against China and other surrounding countries, where they massacred and enslaved many people. It was, more than anything, just a reiteration of the facts and to serve
Hiroshima before
This is what Hiroshima looked like before the bomb was dropped. as a warning of what nuclear war would bring, especially considering how much larger and more destructive current nukes are.
Also, there was no condemning looks from the Japanese people to any of the foreigners there. Everyone was there just to experience the museum. Just a few days earlier on August 6 was the anniversary of the dropping of the bomb, so there was a big event to remember that day. It is obviously very important to the Japanese people and the museum was packed.
We left the museum and headed back to Osaka. Everyone was quiet and obviously reflecting on what they had just experienced, including me. Seeing and experiencing what happened up close definitely gives you some perspective you didn't have before.
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mike petty
non-member comment
moving story indeed.
Glad you got a chance to see this Chris. A lot of things can be said as to the pro's and con's of dropping the atomic bombs on Japan. If I can quote General George S. Patton, "War is hell." Let us hope and pray that theses weapons will never be used again in the future. Just a side note here, the 2 bombs dropped on Japan were actually different. One was a hydrogen bomb. The difference between nuclear fusion and fission. One was quite bigger than the other in size. Aptly Named Fat-man and Little-boy.