China Picture of the Day: 3 February 2011 ~ Hiroshima and Miyajima

Our day in Hiroshima started at this cute little hole in the wall for breakfast just around the corner from the hostel. (Staying in a hostel was a new experience for me, a combination of camping and good ol' dorm life.)

The perfect breakfast...

We were all enthralled with the adorable little creamers.

Old cash register at front desk of restaurant.

After breakfast, we headed to Peace Memorial Park and saw more signs of the Year of the Rabbit and...

...another beautiful flower shop.

Within minutes we were at our destination. This is the view of the park from across the Honkawa River.

I wasn't quite prepared for the rush of emotion that overwhelmed me as I first set eyes on the Atomic Bomb Dome. Instant tears and deep sadness.

Aioi Bridge in the shape of a T

Man with doves

Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall

A-bomb Dome

"At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, and American B29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb, the first in human history. The bomb exploded 600 meters above and 160 meters to the southeast the Hiroshima Prefectural Promotion Hall. The building was crushed and gutted by fire. Everyone in the building died immediately. However, because the blast came from almost directly above, some of the walls of the building remained standing, leaving enough of the building and iron structure at the top to be recognizable as a dome. After the war, the badly damaged skeletal remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall came to be known as the A-bomb Dome."

The A-bomb Dome is the only structure still standing in Hiroshima that is a visual reminder of that terrible day. As I stood there and read the description and stared up at the building with tears streaming down my face, these were the words that really hit home. Such utter devastation in seconds.

Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall before the bomb.

Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall after the bomb.

Megan and I stood and talked with this dear woman for quite a while. She is a volunteer who comes to the A-bomb Dome on a daily basis to educate visitors about the events of August 6, 1945. She was a wealth of knowledge and imparted the information with grace, dignity, and the warmest of smiles on her face. I will forever remember her words. As she masterfully and respectfully articulated the events of that horrific day with her stories and pictures, the words first and foremost in my head were, "I am so deeply sorry."

Children's Peace Monument

"This monument stands in memory of all children who died as a result of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The Monument was originally inspired by the death of Sadako Sasaki, who was exposed to radiation from the atomic bomb at the age of two. Then years later Sadako developed leukemia that ultimately ended her life. Sadako's untimely death compelled her classmates to begin a call for the construction of a monument for all children who died due to the atomic bomb. Built with contributions from more than 3,200 schools in Japan and donors in nine countries, the Children's Peace Monument was unveiled on May 5, 1958."

"At the top of the nine meter monument, a bronze statue of a young girl lifts a golden crane entrusted with dreams for a peaceful future."

An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds 1,000 paper origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness.

After being hospitalized and given only a year to live in February 1955, Sadako Sasaki's best friend came to visit her and cut a golden piece of paper into a square to fold into a paper crane. Sadako then set out to get her wish to live by folding 1,000 paper cranes. An exhibit in the Peace Memorial Museum states that by the end of August 1955, Sadako had reached her goal of 1,000 paper cranes and continued to fold more and more. In the children's story, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, it states that she fell short of her goal, having only folded 644 before her death on October 25, 1955 and that her friends continued until they reached 1,ooo, and buried them all with Sadako.

To this day, children from around the world continue to fold paper cranes and send them to Hiroshima, which are then placed around the Children's Peace Monument.

Many, many tears flowed as I walked around the Children's Peace Monument.

Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound

"At 8:15 on the morning of August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb in human history was dropped on Hiroshima. Here are laid the ashes of tens of thousands of its victims."

As I sat in contemplation and mindfulness, an old Japanese man, riding his bike through the park, stopped near the burial mound. He parked his bike and came over to pay his respects. He placed his hands together at his lips and bowed deeply toward the mound. I knew in my heart that this was a daily ritual for this man and I literally felt his connection to the ashes held inside the mound. His tears flowed freely and I was overcome with emotion. As he walked away, his eyes caught mine and he gently bowed and smiled. What an honor it was to stand there 66 years later...an American witnessing this Japanese man's daily ritual to honor those who perished.

Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims

Near the center of Peace Memorial Park, is a monument that holds a cenotaph with the names of all the people killed by the bomb. It states: "Rest in Peace for the error shall not be repeated." Through the arch-shaped monument you can see the Peace Flame and A-bomb Dome.

Peace Flame

This peace flame was lit in 1964 and will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed.

An area where the paper cranes sent by children from around the world are kept.

This says is all...

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Fountain of Prayer

I was truly at a loss for words when I read this, and again now as I look at this picture...

Walking through the Peace Museum alongside the Japanese and people from around the world was truly a gift. I learned so much about the war, why Hiroshima was chosen, and how the atomic bomb came to be. I was deeply moved by the resilience of the human heart and the stories held within the walls of the precious place.

I learned that Albert Einstein did not directly participate in the making of the bomb, but his Theory of Relativity and this letter written to President Franklin Roosevelt urging the bomb to be built were instrumental in facilitating its development.

Model of hypocenter before the blast...

...and after.

The atomic bomb exploded 600 meters above the earth's surface. This red ball, extending from the ceiling of the museum, is a representation of the bomb.

Letters of protest to nations around the world to abolish nuclear weapons and promote peace.

Mother Teresa

Commitment to Peace pledged by the children's representative at the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6, 2010.

Yoshito Matsushige, a photo journalist who survived, was the only one to take photos the day of the bombing. He only took five.

Standing there in the museum reading about and listening to (I had purchased the audio story upon entering the museum) the heartbreaking story of this tricycle and helmet was the most powerful, agonizing moment of the entire day.

The bike belonged to Shinichi Tetustani, a nearly four year old boy. Shinichi was riding his tricycle in front of his house when the sudden blast occurred. He was badly burned and died that night. His father, who thought he was too young to be buried in a lonely grave away from home, placed a helmet on the his son's head and buried him, along with the tricycle he loved so much, in his backyard. In the summer of 1985, forty years later, his father dug up Shinichi's remains and reinterred them into the family grave and donated the tricycle and helmet to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. So powerful...so impactful. Such a tragedy. I just stood there and cried.

Sadako Sasaki

It was sweet to see the actual cranes Sadako folded.

Artist's rendition of that tragic day.

Overlooking the Memorial Monument from the Peace Museum windows.

This day was a precious gift...a chance to be surrounded by and soak in an important piece of world history. Something that no high school or college textbook could ever convey. Every human being needs to stand in this spot and "make it a lesson." To see with their own eyes the horrors of war. To read the stories about and see the pictures of innocent lives that were taken so tragically.

To transcend hatred. To live in peace.

After spending the morning at the Peace Museum and Park, we hopped on a trolly and headed south to catch a ferry to Miyajima Island. It was a race against the pull of the moon's gravity. We had to get there by 4:00 p.m.'s low tide, so we could walk under the Miyajima Torii and "get good fortune!" : )

Hopping on the trolly to Miyajima-guchi.

School children looking so cute in their uniforms.

If this ferry could speak, I think it would say, "Which way do I go? Which way do I go?"

Our first glimpse at the famous "floating" torii...aka gate. A torii is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance to a Shinto Shrine. It symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred. This torii marks the entrance to Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island. (Miyajima means "shrine island" in Japanese.) The two most popular times to come see this particular torii are at high tide and low tide. At high tide it looks as if its floating and at low tide you can walk under it for good luck.