Hiroshima 広島
- amandagoss
- Jul 25, 2016
- 6 min read
After visiting Hiroshima, it quickly became my favourite place in Japan. Most famous for the site of the Atomic bombing in August of 1945, today Hiroshima is a city with a vibrant culture that is still connected to the past with it's many parks, memorials and castles.
In Hiroshima we stayed in Aster Plaza International Youth House, a budget accommodation provided by the city for foreign tourists. I would recommend this accommodation for anyone staying in Hiroshima. It was close to the Peace Park, a main shopping arcade and tram stops, also the rooms were spacious and comfortable.
After getting settled in Aster Plaza, we went as a group to the Memorial Peace Park (平和記念公園) and Museum. The museum was full of facts about the bombing as well as all the messages of peace since the attack. Including the most recent American President Barack Obama's message of peace he wrote on his recent visit to Hiroshima. According to the museum close to 80,000 people were killed as a direct result of the atomic blast, with another 35,000 being injured. A further 60,000 also died by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout.
One thing you cannot miss in the park are all the brightly coloured paper cranes, strung together and hanging around the monuments. Our tour leader Leigh pointed out some from schools in Osaka. It is common for school groups in Japan visiting the park to make one thousand paper cranes to hang in the park. The paper cranes are the symbol of peace in Hiroshima and originate from the story of a young girl Sadako Sasaki, who died ten years after the bombing from leukemia. When the bomb hit, Sadako was only two years old and she suffered no apparent injuries. However nine years after the bombing she became sick. The following year she was diagnosed with leukemia, and was admitted to the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital. It was whilst in hospital that Sadako started making paper cranes believing that if she made one thousand they would help her recover. Unfortunately she didn't beat the illness and on on October 25, 1955 she died. Apparently she kept folding the cranes until the end. Her death triggered a campaign throughout Japan to build a monument dedicated to the children affected by the bombing. Hence the Children's Peace Monument was built by funds donated from across Japan. Now, approximately 10 million cranes are offered each year before the Children's Peace Monument. Each strung up in bundles of one thousand, fulfilling Sadako's unfinished goal of making one thousand before she died.
There were also 90,000 buildings in Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped, with only 28,000 remaining after the bombing. Today only one of these buildings remains, the Atomic Bomb Dome. It was intense viewing the ruins and it is a stark reminder of the reality of war and the destruction it can cause. It is strange because although today we still have wars being fought overseas, you don't see the impact it can cause in your everyday life. I now have more sympathy for people living in war torn areas, who would be surrounded by crumpled ruins that were their homes.
Something I wasn't aware of until after visiting the memorial park, is that underneath the Memorial Cenotaph there is a stone chest containing all the known names of those who died from the atomic bombing. The Memorial Cenotaph is designed in a traditional Shinto style, and is meant to provide protection to the souls of the victims.
After walking through the peace park it was time for dinner. So we all headed to Okonomimura to eat at one of the twenty five Okonomiyaki restaurants located there. Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a specialty in Hiroshima. Essentially it is a savoury pancake. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like", and yaki meaning "cooked". I honestly wasn't a fan, so I don't think I will be ordering it again anytime soon.
The next day we headed to Miyajima (宮島). It is most famous for having a Giant Torii gate in the water. Now although the island is popularly called Miyajima the islands actual name is Itsukushima (厳島). I honestly do not understand how so many places in Japan can have multiple names. All being completely different. I can understand L.A. for Los Angeles, Straddie for Stradbroke Island but Miyajima for Itsukushima? It doesn't make sense in my mind, but apparently the island was coined Miyajima (Japanese for Shrine Island) because it is so closely related to it's key shrine, Itsukushima Shrine.
When you first arrive on Miyajima, the one thing you notice is the abundance of wild deer. They were everywhere you looked and it was a great place to get a selfie with one for Instagram. As the rope way we were meant to be taking to the top of Mt. Misen (弥山), was closed for maintenance, we were given a free afternoon to explore the island. I went off with Angie to walk some of the hiking trails in the area. Later in the afternoon I visited Miyajima Aquarium. To my surprise I was able to pet a penguin! That definitely made my day, but on top of that I was able to see an abundance of marine animals that come from Japan and the surrounding waters. In particular the Japanese horseshoe crab, was so different to anything you would see in Australia. Found only in Asia these so called crabs are not even crabs at all. They are actually more closely related to arachnids. I really enjoyed seeing a variety of species I would never see in the aquariums at home.
Following the visit to the aquarium I went to the Senjokaku (Hall of One Thousand Tatami Mats), and the Five Story Pagoda. Then it was time to meet back up with the group for dinner back in Hiroshima.
Our last day in Hiroshima was a free day. Most people chose to spend it in bed as the weather was rather unpleasant. The rain would not stop all day, but that didn't stop Sam, Ollie and myself from going out and exploring. I was really keen to see a Japanese garden, so we braved the rain and went to the Shukkeien Garden (縮景園). When we went to pay our entry we were surprised to learn we could get entry to the garden and the nearby art museum for ¥650 or around $8 Australian. Which was really cheap and the appeal of going inside after being out in the rain was to good to pass up. So we bought the bundle ticket and headed inside the garden. It was beautiful, really a little hide away from the bustle of the city. As the rain was rather heavy, we had the park to ourselves. This made it that much more special.
It was then on to the art gallery. We were lucky enough to see not only the regular exhibition (Hiroshima Masterpiece Selection Exhibit) that showcased sculptures, paintings, and crafts related to Hiroshima. But also a special exhibit (The 4th NEW KENBITEN Annual Competition of Art in Hiroshima Prefecture). Which was full of the most beautiful oil paintings. I was glad that I was not judging the competition as it would be too difficult to pick a winner. Unlike the regular exhibition the special exhibit had brought many locals to the gallery. I felt like everyone their was really enjoying it. I certainly enjoyed seeing another side to the culture in Hiroshima.
After visiting the art gallery, I split from Sam and Ollie and went to see Hiroshima Castle. The castle was magnificent. Originally it was built in 1599 and while it didn't survive the Atomic bomb, it was rebuilt in 1958. Inside there is information about the castle and it's history. If you make it all the way to the top, you will be rewarded with a view of the surrounding city. Near the castle I also went inside one of the storehouses. To my surprise I saw a bride and groom getting photographed in their kimonos (着物). They looked really happy. The brides Kimono was white, and the grooms was black. It was not to dissimilar to a christian wedding in which the bride also would wear a white wedding dress and the groom a black suit. Overall Hiroshima was amazing, and is definetely somewhere I would like to visit again.
1. http://hiyh.pr.arena.ne.jp/index.html
2. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-is-dropped-on-hiroshima
3. http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/shimin/heiwa/crane.html
4. http://japantraveladvice.com/hiroshima-peace-memorial-park/
5. http://www.hpam.jp/english/schedule.php
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