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Japan 2.0: No Shrines Needed in Hiroshima
By Nick Hodge | July 8, 2007
Up at 6:00am to get ready for a long day. Osaka JR train to Osaka-shin. Catch the Shinkansen to Hiroshima via Shin-Kobe and other stations that mix together. The Hodge's almost broke the whole system by inserting our Suica cards into the wrong machines. Friendly JR staff kindly help us for gaijin out.
Just like the blur of the Shinkansen passing in the opposite direction, with many many tunnels. And also like yesterday, all land us used. Fukuyama has a large catholic cathedral clearly visible in the centre of the town.
Avril and Liam had fun feeding me unknown Japanese foods. They tasted awful. Do not want.
Off at Hiroshima, and a short walk to the Street Cars. Choice: Y600 for a day ticket or Y150 for each trip. A picture of the railway station from August 1945 clearly demolished, over 1.2kms away from the hypocentre brings you back to the reality why Hiroshima is now a city name everyone recognises.
The street car takes you on a short 20 minute ride into history.
The Atomic Dome is a silent, yet stark reminder of our history. Our shared history. Not a pleasant history at all.
The building, right next to the Aioi Bridge, is one of the only buildings to survive. The hypocentre (the ground nearest the blast, the blast being only 580m from the ground). The original iron girders are now inside in the Peace Museum. There is a slight twist against the force of the blast. Touching items such as roofing tiles that have bubbled; bricks that have fused together: brings home the blast.
The city of Hiroshima has left the Atomic dome as a reminder to us all of the effects of the bomb. The whole area of the Peace Park was once a bustling part of the city centre. Now gone. Various peace organisations populate the edges of the park, along with statues. These organisations present the Japanese perspective on American militarism - and vastly different to the sitting on the fence of the Peace Museum.
The museum shows how Hiroshima was the home of the 5th Division (note: this division served in Java and Timor during WW2) and alter the HQ of the Second General Army. The tasking documents from US Military command do not mention the military nature of the target.
No matter how man justifies his horrific actions to other men: religion, ideology, perceived differences; the horrors of war are clearly on show at Hiroshima. It is neither shrine nor temple. It is a living reminder of what humans can do to others. No matter the couching in strategic, political or tactical terms: war is most unwanted.
There are many clocks in the Peace Museum at stuck on 8:15am. The time that the bomb blast hit. Hiroshima remains staunchly anti-nuclear weapons to this day. And with clear justification.
The Peace Museum, with its purposeful highlighting of the effects on children: showing the innocents in the war; heightens the parent in all of us. Whilst the technology of the bomb is shown with a menacing scale replica of the bomb sitting over a part of the display -- all seem to disregard it. The after-effects are rightly shown.
Another moving place to visit is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall. It has a downward spiralling walkway into a room. This room has a 360degree picture of Hiroshima, post bomb. However, this picture's dark/light is made from the names of 140,000 (various places in Hiroshima report 350,000) victims. It is a powerful display.
On our long return to the Shinkansen station, we pass through many malls and shops. Strangely, a Yellow Submarine store selling B29 models sits directly underneath the hypocentre.
We point at menus, get more strange food; and return to Osaka via Shinkansen and JR. Hotel at 9.15pm.
Hiroshima is no modern shrine. It's name is the shrine.
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Topics: history, hodgejapanjul07, observation, personal |
July 11th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
I hope you had a chance to try some natto (Japanese fermented beans). It maybe sound unusual but it's very healthy.
During my trip to Hiroshima, I had a very memorable time in Miyajima. Miyajima is one of Japan's three most scenic views. It is most famous for Itsukushima Shrine, which, together with its large wooden torii (gate), stands in the ocean.
July 13th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Eating all sorts of weird food, Berno. Most is good. Some, not so good
September 13th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
please send me worldwar2 these pictures when US was blast the item bomb on japans hiroshema
September 14th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
ghafoor-- probably best to do a search on http://images.live.com/