At The Crossroads of History... (Hiroshima, 5/6/2008)

Taking up the challenge of finding our way back to kosuke's house provided us with a great opportunity. we just didn't think of it until we were already on board the local train to Hiroshima Station.

Instead of just staying on board and heading straight back, we got off two stations early, and hit Hiroshima to see the memorial for the atomic bomb victims.

it really is something to see. there is one remaining structure from the blast (i believe it is the only one left). the walls are still standing, and the steel skeleton of the dome is still in place. that's about it. apparently it avoided total destruction by being almost directly beneath the bomb when it detonated. this devestated most of the building (and hiroshima), but left the structural components. i think it was good to see what happened on the other side of history. americans may think of august 6, 1945 as a good day, when we ended the war, but it did have it's costs. i feel we have an obligation to at least appreciate that.

it's not about right or wrong. i'm not sure there is a 'right'. it may be justified, but in the end, we did what we did, and we have to live with it. even if most of us weren't alive at the time.

there is a more traditional memorial across the river from the A-Bomb Dome. there is a nice park, a pool with an eternal flame type structure, and the tomb for the remains of the victims. the memorial is all in line with the dome, so it can be seen along the length of the memorial. something like the reflecting pool in washington d.c.

I don't know for sure, but i think the victims' remains are interred at ground zero. it seems consistent with the information at the dome (the bomb detonated ~160 meters SE of the dome, ~600 m above ground)

if you don't get the chance to see it yourself, take a look at the pictures. i believe they enlarge if you click on them.

two thoughts:
-experience something is a whole lot different than reading about it. i kind of felt guilty about it, as an american in hiroshima. kinda like taking responsibility for what happened, even if it is somewhat irrelevant. it's humbling.

-63 years ago hiroshima was leveled by the U.S. today it is a huge city. huge. and there are no apparent signs of the trauma. it would be very easy for a visitor to get around hiroshima today (probably on the way to miyajima) without realizing. it's pretty incredible.

Miyajima (5/6/2008)

today kenji-san (kosuke's dad) drove us out to see miyajima. we drove down to hiroshima, then took the streetcar out to the ferry. after a short trip across the channel (or some form of body of water) we were in miyajima. the island is a japanese national park, and includes several temples, and many incredible views. the mountains literally drop right down into the sea. very impressive.

the place is a big tourist destination, and as a result there are countless shops and vendors, and deer. the deer are everywhere. if you have food, they will follow you around in packs trying to get it. it seems funny, until you are trying to eat. terrible.

the area more than makes up for the deer though. the main attraction includes a temple, with a gate of sorts out in the sea. the tide was down, so we could have walked out to the gate, but when the tide is up, the temple appears to be out in the sea, with the gate further removed from the land. very cool. included is a pic with high water to show you what it looks like. this is not my picture.

even with the water down, it was very cool. it's hard to say for sure, but this may have been my favorite place in japan (at least at this point). The picture below is probably my favorite of the entire trip.

during the drive down, kenji-san proposed one, of what promises to be many, 'Japan Challenge' (one of many we anticipate throughout the course of the trip). the challenge was to find our way back to kurashiki on the shinkansen (using the ever-handy japan rail pass). chris and i obliged, loving both challenges and the opportunity to really experience japan. we also took it a step further by electing to make our way to the shinkansen via local trains, instead of being driven to the station (it's all free with the rail pass, so why not? besides getting hopelessly lost and being incapable of communicating with anyone).

aside from the love of a challenge, it also provided us with a great opportunity we didn't realize until we made it onto the local train...