The Atomic Bomb Memorial

Being in Hiroshima, Natalie and I decided that it would be a really good idea to check out Peace Park. Unfortunately (and tragically), Hiroshima has the unique distinction of being one of two cities to have had an atomic bomb dropped on it. The city itself is a unique reminder of the disastrous effects of such an immensely powerful weapon and also of the spirit of humanity.

Hiroshima itself is a city of the 21st century. It's modern and full of life. One would never know that 70 years ago, the city was completely leveled in an instantaneous act of destruction. The only reminder is thesomber Hiroshima Atomic Dome. The Hiroshima Atomic Dome is the shell of the former city hall. The only thing left of it is the shell, some twisted metal bars, and a few bricks. It's a unique reminder of what such a bomb is capable of.

Hiroshima is brimming with activists raising awareness and with memorials of some of the Atomic Bomb's victims. One such memorial is for a girl who folded 1,000 paper cranes because she thought it would heal her illness caused by radiation. When she died, her classmates erected a memorial in her honor and filled it with paper cranes. Each year, schools from around the world and Japan send paper cranes to the memorial.

Another unique place is the Atomic Bomb Museum. The museum was extremely eye opening. It gave clear cut facts and numbers, and even better, it didn't point any fingers. It seemed to be quite neutral. It didn't say America was bad for dropping the bomb or this and that, it just gave clear cut facts. It went through the history of Hiroshima and Hiroshima's part in WWII. It then went into why America decided to drop the bomb and then it showed the destructive power of the bomb itself. The museum also went into the effect of radiation and the every day lives of people who survived. It talked about nuclear bombs and what people around the world are trying to do to prevent the use of Nukes. It was all very stunning, and emotional.

The bomb caused unbelievable suffering, both short term and long term. There are still people suffering from the effects of the bomb. The museum also did a great job of showing how Hiroshima survived and built itself back up.

I'm certainly in no position to analyze such a catastrophic event but I recommend that everyone should go see Hiroshima. It's important that we become aware of such a weapon and that we realize just what we have in and to learn from our mistakes. We need to get rid of them, for sure.