No visit to Hiroshima is complete without learning about what happened here in August 1945. You understand that something needed to be done to end World War 2 however the massive loss of lives in an instant and for months after with the dropping of the atomic bombs should be a reminder to all that it should never happen again.
We spent the morning in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It presents a lot of information on the development and subsequent dropping of the bombs as well as life in Hiroshima before and after the bombs. Even though it is from a Japanese perspective it presents a message to the world that the nuclear solution is not a sustainable solution to the continuation of human life on this planet.
There are a number of memorials in Peace Park including Memorial Cenotaph, Peace Flame, Peace Bells, Memorial Tower to Mobilised Students, Childrens Peace Monument and of course the iconic A-Bomb Dome (one of the few buildings that remained standing near the hypocenter). The hypocenter was located around 240 metres from where it was planned to drop the bomb and a memorial can be found in one of the streets indicating its location.
On the way to Hiroshima Castle the kids wanted to stop in the Pokemon Centre and assist the Japanese economy while I found a convenient seat nearby and had a nap fitting in with the others seated waiting for their families.
We missed the last entry into the castle building which was OK as we would check out Himeji Castle later in the week. One of our exchange students, Sento and his wife Hana, met up with us in the castle grounds. It was good to catch up with Sento. We wandered around the City some more before heading to a restaurant for a Japanese seafood feast. Shippoumaru was a good choice even if the staff didn’t speak English. Even Sento had issues as apparently there are different Japanese dialects depending on where you come from.
We farewelled Sento and Hana, heading back to the apartment after another big day with 12893 steps.
