Blogs from Hiroshima, Japan, Asia - page 7

My last blog was written while I was contemplating going home after feeling down and a bit bored with all the travelling that I have been doing. One of the main things that a lot of people picked up on is the fact that I couldn't get a SIM card for my iPhone and I thank the people who replied to the blog telling me where I should get one from but in all fairness I realised that I was getting too addicted to my phone and I can really survive without it. However there seems to be a constant routine that you stay in one place for 3 or 4 days, run around the area trying to take in as much as you can, trying to strike up conversations with new strangers in your hostel, ... read more

Other than Tokyo, Hiroshima was my favorite place I visited in Japan. It's a small, unassuming city with plenty of river walks and tasty food, and its history is ubiquitous and palpable. Anyone visiting here should absolutely read John Hershey's novel Hiroshima. It was published just a year after the bombing and it brilliantly laces together the lives of several survivors who basically never should have survived the blast. After visiting the museum, these people weren't just in the blast zone where some survived- they were in the area where practically no one survived (beyond a few days). Reading the novel ahead of time was so much more valuable than just reading the descriptions on the historical landmarks; actually, it enhanced my understanding of the landmarks around the city that tell brief stories about the condition ... read more

Die dritte Station unserer Reise... read more

"Mögen alle Seelen hier in Frieden ruhen, denn wir werden die Katastrophe nie mehr zulassen" steht auf dem Steinsarkophag eingraviert, der in Hiroshimas Peace Memorial Parc stellvertretend für alle die, deren leibliche Überreste niemals beerdigt werden konnten, aufgebahrt steht. Als ich von meinem Hotel, direkt gegenüber des Peace Memorial Parc, bei strahlendem Sonnenschein über den Fluss spaziere, sehe ich erst nur eine riesige wunderschöne Parkanlage aber je näher ich dem Mahnmal komme, umso beklemmender wird die Atmosphäre. Und als ich schließlich vor dem - zugegebenermaßen nicht wirklich hübschen - Betonbogen stehe, unter dem der Steinsarkophag steht und durch den man in einer Sichtachse die "Flamme des Friedens" (die erst gelöscht werden soll wenn die letzte Atomwaffe der Welt vernichtet ist) und den "A-Bomb-Dome" sehen kann, habe ich wirklich einen Kloß im Hals. Links weht die j ... read more

Everybody knows Hiroshima due to its terrible place in history. In fact our prompt to come here was to visit the Peace park and museum. There is little doubt that its past has had a profound impact on its people and yet there is a strong sence of peace and hope. Hiroshima is an excellent example of a place that is not dwelling on the past but forging a positive future. Even the destruction of the city has been turned to its advantage as Hiroshima has been rebuilt with wide tree lined streets and beautiful parks and gardens. Our hotel room overlooks a tree lined boulevard that runs to the Peace park not far away. At night this boulevard is transformed by elaborate Christmas light displays and is full of families enjoying the sight. The areas ... read more