Hiroshima would probably have been just a normal Japanese city not particularly different from the others, if it weren´t for the atomic bomb that hit the city on the 6th of August 1945.
In just a couple of seconds the thriving city was turned into ashes and chaos, and just a couple of buildings were left standing. But it was built up again at an amazing speed, and today it is hard to tell that only 50 years ago the entire city lay in ruins.
Still, there is one building that still stands to remind us of what happened in Hiroshima in 1945: The A-Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム). This building is situated right below what was the epicenter of the atomic bomb explosion, and though parts of the building itself remained almost intact all the people inside the building was killed instantly.
Today this building is considered the main symbol of the bombings.
Back then the people of Hiroshima was told that no plant would be able to grow there again in at least 70 years, but just like the people strived to build up again their city in ruins, the vegetation slowly managed to grow again as well.
From the A-Bomb Dome it is only a short walk to the Hiroshima Peace Museum, where you pay a symbolic sum of 50 yen to enter.
Pictures of models of Hiroshima inside the Peace Museum, showing the city before and after the bombings.
The museum is absolutely worth a visit, though it is quite a tough experience to see and here about the effects the atomic bomb had on the city and the people of Hiroshima.
All I can say is that I hope that we can take this knowledge with us, and do what we can to avoid that such things happen in the future..
Miyajima (宮島)
After our visit to the Peace Museum we went to visit the island Miyajima (or Itsukushima 厳島), most known for the floating torii gate.
But there was also a couple of other things that caught our interest here, like the deers for instance. They are used to humans, so you can get pretty close to them without them running away.
On the other hand, some (/a lot) of them expected you to give them food, and we also saw deers trying to steel food from other tourists. They still are so cute though, haha..
This little one tried to get into our restaurant.. Soooo cute.. :P
One of Japans most photographed landmarks: the floating torii.
Another picture from the wedding.
The 5-store pagoda Gojuto (五重塔) is right beside the Itsukushima Shrine.
The torii and some deers
After our trip to Hiroshima we spent some days in Kyoto before my family went back to Norway.
Tomorrow I´ll be leaving for Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Shanghai though, so stay tuned for my next adventures..! (^_^)v
About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.
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