- Hiroshima was an important place for us to make it to on our trip to Japan because we were going to be there on August 6th.... the anniversary of the A-Bomb and my Mother's birthday. It's amazing to see how this city has recovered in 50 years. There are very few signs of the bombs on the surface of the city... however, the long term scars are very much still alive.
Our Itinerary
- Genbaku Dome - one of the only "surviving" buildings left after the A-Bomb was dropped
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum - because we were there on the anniversary we not only saw the museum, but also listened to survivors' stories from their own mouths (there was a special 2 hours of the day where they were in English)... so moving and depressing.
- The rest of the afternoon we went to Itsukushima Shine/Island off the coast of Hiroshima. Where deer are friendly (maybe a little too friendly... they tried to steal our Chocolate Maple waffles and green tea, soft-serve ice cream). We also saw the "floating gate"... of course it was low tide... so it was more like the gate in the sand - but still very impressive.
- Then we participated in the Lantern Floating Memorial - Peace Ceremony - people decorate lanterns and release them down the river as night falls. It's said to release the souls that died there. It was so beautiful and emotional, yet, as an American, it brought up a very different type of sadness.
Watch stopped at 9:15am... when the bomb dropped
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