With the semester winding down, its been difficult to try to keep up with my blog posts. I’ve been wanting to write about my trip to Hiroshima for a while, but studying has kept the idea on the back burner. With all but one of my finals out of the way, I now think I can actually shift my focus to my favorite part of my time in Japan: Hiroshima.
Visiting an atomic bomb cite has always been something I wanted to do, even something I had to do. Along with visiting a concentration camp, I think it is one of several things that people should visit. Nothing that one reads really compares to the experience of actually being at a cite where something like that occurred. As a result, going to Hiroshima was extremely important to me.
My friend and I travelled there by shinkansen, or bullet train, which was also a neat experience. Although it was expensive, the ride was luxurious and extremely fast. Because of its speed, we were able to spend 2 whole days in Hiroshima, which I was extremely thankful for.
The museum and park dedicated to the survivors and victims of the atomic bombings on Japan were so well thought out and meaningful. Every shape, location, and plant seemed to mean something, seemed to represent some important aspect of memorializing those who suffered the bombings on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The museum itself was very in depth and emotional, because even though all of the information could be read about, something about being in the city where so many had suffered made every photo, fact, and story strike home.
Now I didn’t go very in depth on the actual museum and memorial itself because it was the actual city and the rebuilding process that resonated with me so much. I had wanted to learn about the culture and people of Japan so badly on my trip here, and I really think that Hiroshima symbolizes so much about not only the people of Japan, but humanity in general. I still think back to reading one of the last museum exhibits which discussed the rebuilding process for the city. The city of Hiroshima had been a military hub, but the people who wanted to remain and rebuild the city had one condition: Hiroshima must be a symbol of peace. That was such a moving thing to read for me. These people who had suffered, who had been proud of their city and its importance both economically and militarily, didn’t ask for anything but to be a symbol to the world. To be able to turn something so horrible into an example, into an opportunity to show the world that there are other ways to solve problems, is truly a show of the resilience of the people of Japan.
The city of Hiroshima is one of the prettiest cities I visited in Japan too! To think that that city had basically been wiped from existence 73 years earlier was such a profound display of humanity’s power for good to me. Sure, it was also an example of how bad humanity can be. Hundreds of thousands of civilians died because of the two atomic bombs, yet humanity found a way to bounce back and build something beautiful.
I can and want to share this story to everyone. Its sappy and maybe cliché, but its truly how I felt being in a place like Hiroshima where so much bad had turned into so much good. I don’t share this for you to take my word for it, I share this so you can go experience it yourself. You may think you understand, but the message really hit home and changed my perspective when I visited Hiroshima, so I encourage you to do the same!!!