Day 7: July 8th (Hiroshima)

This morning I met up with the Suehira Family. I taught Izumi this past year and she was in my homeroom. It was great to spend the day with her and her mom.

Peace Memorial Park

This morning, we visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has personal belongings left behind by victims of the atomic bombing. It also describes the horrors and devastation of what happened on August 6th, 1945 and its impacts for decades to come. Reading the stories and seeing the images was very impactful, sad, and heavy.

Genbaku Dome World Heritage Monument

The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall was constructed in 1915. At 8:15am, August 6th, 1945 an American B29 bomber carried out the world’s first atomic bombing. The bomb exploded 160m away from this building and 600m above it, instantly killing everyone in the building. Since the blast struck from above, some of the center walls remained standing, leaving it to be recognizable as a dome. In December 1966, this structure was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a reminder of the horrors of the atomic bomb and as a symbol of world peace.

The atomic bomb completely collapsed and burned every building within a 2 kilometer radius of the hypocenter. A wider area from the hypocenter of roughly 3.5 kilometer radius also experienced building collapses, fires, and radiation.

We also visited the basement of Fuel Hall and learned about Mr. Eizo Nomura. He was working in the building on that fateful day and went downstairs to the basement to get some files when the atomic bomb was dropped. Of the 37 people working in the building, he was the only survivor.

Memorial Cenotaph

In the center of the park is the Memorial Cenotaph. It is a curved concrete monument shaped like a roof, designed with the intent to shelter the souls of those lost to the bombing. Below the arch is a stone chest holding a register of names of all the people who died because of the bomb, from both the initial blast and from radiation. It is engraved with the words “Let all souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat this evil.”

Through the cenotaph you can also see the Flame of Peace. This flame will be extinguished when there is no longer a world with nuclear weapons.

The Children’s Peace Monument

Sadako Sasaki was 2 years old when the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. While she had no immediate injuries from the bombing, 10 years later at age 12 she developed leukemia from the radiation exposure. While in the hospital, she learned about the Japanese tradition of folding 1,000 paper cranes to grant a wish. She started folding cranes hoping to recover from her illness. After 8 months in the hospital, Sadako passed away in 1955 surrounded by her family. Her classmates completed the 1,000 paper cranes in her memory. The Children’s Peace Monument commemorates Sadako and the thousands of other children who died due to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

We presented the 1,000 paper cranes from Lawrence School. We wish for world peace.

Testimony from Teruko Yahata -- Atomic Bomb Witness

We also had the privilege of listening to Teruko Yahata’s first hand story of the atomic bombing. She was 8 years old and in her home just outside the 2 km radius of complete destruction. She is 88 years old now. She told us her story of the day and the reality of life within the days and years afterwards. She graciously answered any questions we had.

Thank you Teruko Yahata for sharing your story with us. ♥️

Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki

For lunch, we got Hiroshima- style okonomiyaki for lunch. This differs from Kyoto-style since it is cooked layer by layer instead of mixing the batter of ingredients together before cooking.

We got to sit and watch the chef making it.

This was so fun to watch every step!!

TOTEMO OISHI! THIS WAS VERY TASTY!

Miyajima Island

After lunch we took a train ride and then a short 10 minute ferry ride to Miyajima Island.

Izumi and I were so excited to go to the island!

Miyajima Island has been worshipped as a divine island since ancient times. This is why the Itsukushima Shrine was built on the seashore where the tide ebbs and flows.

The island's landscape has an outline of a deity. Laying on its back, you can see the outline of the eyes, nose, and mouth.

The Itsukushima Shrine is dedicated to the three Minakata goddesses of the Ichikishima-hime, Tagitsu-hime, and Tagori- hime. These three goddesses are worshiped as deities of the seas, traffic safety, good fortune, and fulfillment of wishes. It was first built in 593 and then rebuilt by Taira-no-Kiyomori in 1168 where it is today. There is a 280 meter corridor spanning more than 20 buildings.

The shrine was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1996.

O-torii Gate

The O-torii Gate of Itsukushina Shrine was built in 1875 and was designated as a National Important Cultural Property. It has a height of 16.6 meters and weighs 60 tons. The roof is made of thatched Japanese cypress bark and is 24.2 meters wide. The main pillars are 9.8 meters in circumferences and are made of natural camphor trees. The top and under rails of the gate are formed in a box shaped and filled with fist-sized stones that serve as weights, weighing in total about 4 tons.

We were so lucky to see the O-torii gates at low tide since we were able to walk through it and touch it. I couldn’t get over how big it was!

O-Shakushi (Big rice scoop)

This is the world’s largest rice scoop with a length of 7.7 meters and a width of 2.7 meters. Miyajima was the birthplace of the rice scoop. This big scoop was created to pass down the traditional handicraft of Miyajima woodwork. It weighs 2.5 tons and is made of 270 year old Japanese selkova tree.

You can get souvenir rice scoops with specific fortunes on them - happiness, health, wealth, laughter, etc. It is said that if you place them in your home, it will bring you that fortune.

We walked around the island and did some shopping. We also cooled down with a sweet treat. This was coffee jello topped with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

The island also had free roaming wild deer! The deer were not afraid of humans at all. In fact, I watched them go up to many people's belongings to try to get some food.

Izumi and I pet one of them.

Dinner - Sushi

I ended the day with sushi for dinner.

This eel was my favorite!

Thank you so much to the Suehira family for taking me around Hiroshima today!

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