Hiroshima 10 to 13 January 2016


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January 15th 2016
Published: January 17th 2016
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Hiroshima 10 to 13 January 2016



Tom and I were looking forward to seeing how the Japanese present WW2 events, compared to what we saw in Pearl Harbour. We learned of the Japanese sensitivities, their yearning to ensure the “evil of war” was never repeated and their sorrow that so many people were killed. 140,000 people were killed from the A-bomb which the Americans dropped and loss of life continued for many years after, from various cancers.



The great difference between the battle of Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima was the targets and the bomb substances used. Many civilians were killed in Hiroshima but mainly members of the armed forces were killed in Hawaii. I don’t intend to lessen the horrors of the treatment the Japanese authorities applied to their captives in so many parts of the world, and to other war strategies they applied. I am simply presenting the differences in the results of these 2 events.



The afternoon we arrived in Hiroshima, we caught 2 taxis (to cope with the 5 of us and all our luggage) from the bullet train from Kyoto. It was easy to find our Hotel Oriental which was in the Peace Boulevard which lead down to the Peace Memorial Park.



We easily walked to the shopping area and found a restaurant for lunch. The latter was a little trickier because it was Sunday and quite a few restaurants were closed.



We then walked around the shopping area in the CBD and spotted many new sites, shop designs and things to buy.



Tom and I decided to use the local hop-on-hop-off tourist bus to get to the Hiroshima Castle while Kerrie, Adam & Gemma looked around a very quaint and busy shop that had everything imaginable to buy. The bus went via the Hijiyama Park which was on a hill to the SE of the city.



We arrived at the castle a little after the others. Hiroshima Castle was constructed in 1589 but was destroyed in the atomic bombing. It was originally the home of a feudal lord of the region and later the Imperial General Headquarters when prefectures replaced the feudal system in 1871.



The castle was rebuilt in 1958 after the bombing and is now a museum focusing on samurai culture. Adam and Gemma got dressed up in samurai cloths for a photo. It was a fantastic view of the city and its river from the top (5th) floor balcony.



We then visited the Gokoku Shrine which was in the same precinct as the Castle. We also saw a eucalypt tree that was blasted by the A-bomb. The trunk is now completely disfigured but is still growing vigorously. Incredible!



It was time for more wandering around the city mal and later finding, would you believe, KFC for dinner. You have to ‘mix it up’ when you are away!!!!



We 4 adults stayed up chatting until midnight.



The next morning it was breakfast at Starbucks and we then walked to the hop-on-hop-off bus stop in front of the Convention Centre to travel to the northern side of the city to view a massive mural. It seemed to depict a story of the early life of people from Hiroshima.



Next we visited one of the most amazing gardens, the Shukkeien which also included several shrines, memorial stones, Terrace of the Miracle, tea gardens and beautiful flowers. There were plenty of fish and ducks to feed.



It was then into the Peace Memorial Park the Hall of Remembrance, the Eternal Flame, the Children’s Memorial, the Peace Bell and the A-Bomb Dome.



If I said that the next 2 hours while wandering around the Park was an amazingly emotional time, this would be understating what we all experienced. There was a video in the Hall of Remembrance which showed some horrific scenes of the effect of the bomb. There was also a list of all those who perished. One of the pamphlet we received said “the Hall provides for recollection of the victims, prayer for the peaceful repose of their souls, and contemplation of peace.



They emphasised their strong need to ensure the horror of the war never happens again.



Gemma and I read many of the signs in the Hall and her response was “I hope the evil of the war never happens again”. She also wished the Japanese won …. An interesting thought from a 7-year-old.



There was also a circular structure that was a stylised clock which showed 8.15am, the time when the bomb exploded.



The Peace Bell allowed us to sound the bell to ensure the ‘evil of war’ never happens again and there would be everlasting peace.



With sombre mood, we walked back to the CBD and found yet another fantastic Japanese restaurant for dinner.



Before dinner, some of the scenes we saw was a racoon being taken for a walk down the street on a leash, and a fantastic pet shop where they allowed Gemma to cuddle a little black and white puppy. She was in heaven, with a big wide smile on her face.



By this time, it was getting late so we returned to the hotel, very satisfied with our day.



The next morning we had to catch an limousine coach to the airport to fly to Hokkaido….look out snow, here we come. Our flight to Sapporo was 1.5hrs.


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