Hiroshima

​ Hiroshima Peace Park and Atom Bomb Museum Cimo, Tori (GA)
Well, on our last full day in Japan we took the bullet train from Kyoto to Hiroshima. This was one place of course that we all already knew about but I don't think any of us could have been prepared for the emotional trip we were in for. Some on the trip were upset from the moment we got there and others were hit suddenly by one thing or another in the park or the museum. The museum for me personally was amazing - to see the items and see the stories of those who were affected by this bomb was heartwrenching. I only wished that we could have had more time there. One of the places I was excited to see was the Children's Monument, we took a group photo in front of the statue of Sadako and the crane - the paper cranes that people leave behind the statue was amazing to see, it looks like thousands of cranes have been left. Seeing the A bomb dome in person was unbelievable - just seeing the devastation of this one building and wondering how it survived and then seeing the rest of Hiroshima as a brand new city around it. Seeing the war through the eyes of the Japanese by going through this museum and the other one we saw in Tokyo was very interesting, of course we all see the events of our country through our own country's eyes so seeing how the Japanese have chosen to remember the events of the war was interesting. Below you will see some of my pictures and if anyone has any great photos from this site please feel free to add them.





I have to admit that going to Hiroshima was one of the big reasons why I wanted to go to Japan. I have long had an interest in the bombings and have had my students do a trial of Truman to determine if the bombings were necessary. I have to admit also that I have always felt that the bombings were a necessary step in ending the war. This is one of the big debates - did we have to use the bomb to end the war. There are books written about this and historians and everyone has a point of view about the necessity of the bomb. I am very curious to see how I feel after going to this very emotional stop on our tour.

One of the new things I learned through researchig was that Hiroshima was not the first choice by some who wanted to bomb Kyoto, luckily this city was spared when the Secretary of War, Henry Stimson nixed it since he had been to the city of Kyoto and realized its cultural importance to the Japanese. Hiroshima ended up being picked partially because it had not been bombed much during the war and eveyone could really see the effects of the bomb on such an unbombed site. After that there were various cities in the running for the bombs - it all came down to where the weather was more favorible for the bomb drop.

Dr. Leavell sent me a short piece with his thoughts and comments. It will be an emotional day for us when we go to the Hiroshima A-Bomb Museum and Peace Park, just the knowledge of what occured back in August of 1945. I think for most of us we view this from the American viewpoint and this will give us a chance to see the other side. The A-Bomb Dome (Genbaku Domu) is the most famous of the images found in Hiroshima. It shows in very stark detail the devastation that occured. It was basically the only thing left standing.



The city of Hiroshima was devastated killing an estimated 90,000 - 200,000 people (the numbers depend on who you listen to.) Now the city has been rebuilt and is a bustling city of over 2 million people in the city and its metro area. The people of Hiroshima decided to rebuild an entirely new city that did not resemble the old city.



Since being assigned this topic I have come across the following great resources:

__Hiroshima - by John Hersey__ (this was recommended by Jim to read) - I had never read it before and it is a quick read - follows the lives of 6 people who survived the bombing __Shockwave: Coundown to Hiroshima by Stephen Walker__ - follows the preparations for the bombing to the actual bombing and beyond. __Sadako and the thousand paper cranes by Eleanor Coeer__ - this one is a very quick read. There is a statue of Sadako holding a crane at the Peace Memorial which we will see in Hiroshima. __White LIght/Black Rain: The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki__ - this video was more graphic than any I have seen that showed the effects of the bombing - it is told by the people who survived the bombings and by the few Americans who were alive back in 2007 who were part of the bombing.

The Official Homepage of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum - []