I finally left Kyoto after being there for 4 nights. I treasured my time there, but it was time to move on. I hopped the Shinkansen to Hiroshima, the first city an atomic bomb was ever dropped. The bomb detonated August 6, 1945.
Hiroshima is also home to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
Let me take a quick diversion: Teresa asked me the other night, “Why come to Japan?” My answer to her was, “I wanted to go somewhere in Asia and I found a cheap flight, so here I am.” Reading between the lines, one would see that I had no real base of knowledge of Japan before coming here except for a few things, one of which was the first atom bomb being dropped at Hiroshima. I say all of that to say this: I didn’t know a Memorial existed until I was on the plane here from Detroit. But that’s how I travel. That’s how I learn. There is only so much cramming I can do before a trip.
At any rate, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is incredible. I had a similar feeling walking through the museum today as I had at the Holocaust Museum and also at Auschwitz. More thoughts later on that. But, the museum itself is easily the cleanest and well-laid out museums I’ve ever been to. Entry is only 200 Yen (around $2) and am audio tour device is only 400 Yen (around $4). I have inserted some images below. Some are graphic. I’ve left a lot out because if anyone reads this, my desire is for them to experience this museum themselves.
There was a very intentional, seemingly, move from darkness surrounding the exhibits showing destruction to light around the exhibits talking about the rebuilding of Hiroshima and their commitment to peace.
That’s where I got stuck a little.
Peace? Really? A bomb was dropped that killed 140,000 people and damaged far more people in ways that are too gruesome to describe and you’re telling me you’re committed to peace and also a world in which no more nuclear war happens? Really?
Yes.
That’s the Japanese people, in my opinion. Peace. Peaceful. Warm. Welcoming.
The images, video and the stories shown in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum were as graphic as I’ve ever seen. And yet. And yet, they are committed to peace.
The way this museum tells the story of the bomb, from the mechanics of it to that fateful day it was dropped, to the present day world nuclear deals amongst nations and the current information on the threat of nuclear war is so clear even I could understand it. The exhibits are highly advanced technologically and very interesting to interact with. I can’t recommend this museum enough to anyone that can make it here.
As stated above, I didn’t plan on seeing a museum like this. Heck, I didn’t even know it existed until my flight over. But I’m honored to have seen the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
I can’t help but think about a few things after seeing what I’ve seen today:
We’re all one people. Humans are capable of so much destruction. And what’s it all for? It’s scary to me to think about how The Holocaust happened. The events leading up to that were minuscule in the beginning and then a few years later, millions of people were being murdered. And listen, I’m not here to argue that the bomb shouldn’t have been dropped on Hiroshima (and the subsequent bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki), I’m just here thinking about my time in Japan. My time of meeting people from around the world. People that are just doing the best they can just like me. People that are loving and wonderful creatures. And to think that humans would have the capability to inflict so much destruction upon one another. It’s hard to fathom. And I’m just talking about one genocide and two atom bombs. There are plenty more examples of what humans can do to each other to inflict mass harm.
I think about the people that were on Aioi Bridge, the target of the bomb dropped in Hiroshima, and I think those people that were just living their lives, walking to work, walking to wherever and then for them to hear, see and feel the power of humans to destroy one another exploding 600 meters above their heads. It’s just hard for me to imagine. That’s all.
And yet, Hiroshima’s commitment moving forward?
Peace.
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