Hiroshima Part Shi ...

Just beyond the Peace Pond and the Children's Peace Monument stands the Atomic Bomb Dome, or A-Bomb Dome. The dome is amazing because the nuclear explosion was almost directly over the building. They hypocenter was less than 500 feet away and it is said to be the closest structure to withstand the explosion. "The building has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing, and now serves as the reminder of nuclear devastation and as a symbol of hope for world peace and elimination of all nuclear weapons." (Wikipedia, again)

I think I took 100 pictures of the same thing. I have a habit of doing so.

The building was some sort of government building before the bombing.

It wouldn't be a photo without a little peace.

The Dome has been called "a landmark for the whole of humanity"

and "one of Hiroshima's most striking landmarks".

I would agree that it was rather striking. Amazing even.

The Dome was left exactly as was after the bomb dropped.

It hasn't been altered, restored, or preserved in any way.

The A-Bomb Dome is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This has brought about conflict, especially from China.

"China had reservations regarding the confirmation of the Memorial as a World Heritage Site and the delegate of the United States to the World Heritage Committee dissociated himself from the decision.

China cited the possibility that the monument could be used to downplay the fact that the enemies of Japan suffered the greatest losses of life during the war, while the United States claimed that the memorial as such would omit the necessary historical context." (guess who)

The A-Bomb Dome concluded our trip to the Peace Park. Our next stop on our Hiroshima adventure - Miyajima to see The Floating Torii and to do some shopping. I'll post that blog soon enough.

much love

-tara-

xoxo

Hiroshima Part San ...

As we continued our emotional trek through the Peace Memorial Museum we came to the story of Sadako Sasaki. I remembered the name, but not the story and now that I know it, I will never forget it.
Here's her story:

"Exposed to the A-bomb at the age of 2, Sadako Sasaki contracted leukemia a decade later and died in 1955 at the age of 12. In the belief that folding 1,000 cranes would cure her disease, Sadako folded one after another during her hospitalization. After her death, classmates at Nobori-Cho Elementary School conducted prayer meetings to console the souls of children killed by the bombing and, wishing for an end to the war, started a movement to build a "Children's Peace Monument". The movement spread to elementary, junior high, and senior high schools around the country. The statue was complete in 1958.

As Sadako's story spread throughout the world, paper cranes have become an international symbol of peace. At the foot of the Children's Peace Monument lies a continually replenished pile of folded cranes sent from around the world."

"Sadako continued folding cranes even after reaching 1,000. From that time on, the cranes became smaller. Sometimes she used a needle to fold them. For Sadako, the number of cranes was less important than investing each one with the wish to live."

These cranes were SO tiny.

"Paper cranes folded by Sadako were distributed as keepsakes to those who attended her funeral. These cranes conveyed to all how much Sadako had wanted to live."


Outside the museum, just beyond the Peace Pond, we reached the Children's Peace Monument.

All of these cases are filled with cranes from all over the world.

There were literally hundreds of thousands of cranes.

They are strung together in strands of 100 and put in a bundle of 10 to make 1,000.

Some of the cranes were assembled to make these posters. They were pretty amazing.

American Style:
Japanese Style:
I was amazed by the amount of cranes and the messages and wishes for peace. So, in true Tara-style, I began my quest to fold 1,000 cranes. I've been doing this since December & haven't been doing so hot lately, but I have roughly 200 cranes. I'm going to keep working & then hopefully donate them to the Peace Park. Wish me luck. :)

If you're interested ...

Click here to read more about 1,000 Cranes

Click here to read more about Sadako Sasaki

Click here to read more about the Children's Peace Monument

Still not finished with Hiroshima ... Stay tuned.

much love & peace

-tara-
xoxo

Hiroshima Part Ni ...

Our day of peace continued when we went to the Peace Memorial Museum, but I was in no way prepared for what we were going to see, or even more surprisingly, how I was going to feel.

I had voiced some concern, or some uneasiness, about being American and visiting the Peace Park in general, but everyone reassured me that there is no ill feeling towards Americans. I wouldn't get stared at or talked about or be made to feel unwelcome. That couldn't have been more true. I never once felt like that while I was there, but I did feel a whole slew of other emotions I was unprepared for. Overwhelming sadness, disbelief maybe. Shock over the magnitude of the destruction and the brutality of the bomb. I tried to take some perspective, but I just couldn't imagine. I couldn't even begin to grasp the concept. There weren't any politics behind my feelings, they were only my own.

It all started at 8:15am on August 6th 1945.

The sign says:

"The world's first atomic bombing took place at 8:15 am, August 6th 1945.

The destructive power of that bomb was incomparably greater than that of any previous bomb, and the massive amount of radiation released had devastating effects on human bodies.

With the development of this new weapon of mass destruction, the world entered a nuclear age."

Hiroshima at 8:14am

Hiroshima at 8:15am.

The bomb in proportion to the city of Hiroshima.

And the area of damage suffered.

The red area signifies the area that was totally collapsed and burned.

The pink area representing an area completely collapsed.

The yellow signifying the area half collapsed and burned and irreparably damaged.

The radius equaling over 5 kilometers, or over 3 miles.

One of the most amazing things I read said that just 3 days after the bombing, the Japanese had trains up and running to and from Hiroshima. Three days after they had started rebuilding not only their city, but their lives. Wow.

I stared at this picture for a long time.

"In the shade of trees and out in the blazing sun, teachers and students could be see diligently studying in classrooms made by placing the few surviving desks and chairs on straw mats on the ground. Open-air classrooms were common at many schools after the A-bombing, but they were not the pleasant break from regular classes we know today. The scene surrounding the students was utter devastation - the charred A-bomb desert punctuated here and there by the shells of terro-concrete buildings."
Number of Nuclear Weapons

Wikipedia (my best friend) says ...
"The Peace Memorial Museum collects and displays belongings left by the victims, photos, and other materials that convey the horror of that event, supplemented by exhibits that describe Hiroshima before and after the bombings and others that present the current status of the nuclear age. Each of the items displayed embodies the grief, anger, or pain of real people. Having now recovered from the A-bomb calamity, Hiroshima's deepest wish is the elimination of all nuclear weapons and the realization of a genuinely peaceful international community."

Reading the realities of the Japanese people before, during, and after the bombing of Hiroshima was unbelievable. The pictures, the stories, the relics that still remained, the sadness in the eyes of the people, the silence throughout the museum, despite the fact that there were hundreds of people there are things that I will never forget.





John & Yoko said it best. Ashley and I both agree. :)

Stay tuned for Part San ...

much love

-tara-

xoxo

Hiroshima Part Ichi ...

A while back, ok WAY back in November (I know, I know), Amanda and I decided to brave a trip on our own. Since it was the day after Thanksgiving, we decided to head to Hiroshima and spend the day celebrating peace and reflecting on all that we were thankful for in our lives.

We packed our bags, checked the train times, and came up with a tentative agenda. We got a good night's sleep considering we had to be up around 6:00am on a Saturday. I know we should be used to it by now, but it kills me every time. I still don't like the mornings!

We barely made our 7 something train, but we were on our way and rather excited. The trip started our comical. It was early in the morning so there are typically drunk people that are catching the first trains home. This train ride was no different. There was a group of salary men (business men back home) who appeared to be rather intoxicated. One man kept making slurring attempts to strike up English conversation and was waving at us from across the train. We couldn't help but laugh. It was even funnier when he got up, walked over and handed Amanda and I each a can of peach chu-hi, which is Japanese alcohol - kind of like a flavored Smirnoff Ice in a can. He let us know it was "Okayama peach" and "very good". Amanda and I thanked him for his generosity and wondered how many chu-his he had drunk the night before. The trip was off to a good start.

We killed time on the two hour train ride by watching Grey's on the iPod.

I absolutely LOVE my iPod... without it I wouldn't survive the long train rides. We found the bus we needed to get on and headed for the Peace Park. Of course we rode the bus too far, got slightly lost, got off at a random stop & had to walk like two miles back to the stop we should have gotten off at, but we kept our smiles and were really excited when we finally arrived.

The first thing we saw was the Peace Fountain. It was really beautiful and reminded me of the Bellagio in Vegas, minus the Celine Dion. Thankfully.

It was late November and the weather reminded me of late September back home. It was definitely fall and kind of chilly, but not in a frostbite kind of way. It was a great time to be outside and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. The leaves were changing, there were people everywhere, and it was kind of peaceful. Peace being the theme of the day.

In the middle of the park is the Peace Pond. We threw in some yen and made a wish. For world peace, of course. I threw some extra yen for Matt. He's kind of a pessimist. :)

Just beyond the Peace Pond is the Peace Flame. The Flame is another monument to the victims of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, but it has an additional symbolic purpose. The flame has burned continuously since it was lit in 1964, and will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed and the planet is free from the threat of nuclear annihilation (Thank you Wikipedia).

Near the center of the park is a concrete, saddle-shaped monument that covers a Cenotaph holding the names of all of the people killed by the bomb. The Cenotaph carries the epitaph, "Repose ye in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated." Through the monument you can see the Peace Flame. Memorial Cenotaph was one of the first memorial monuments built on open field on August 6, 1952. The arch shape represents a shelter for the souls of the victims.

I'm writing this blog in parts. It's difficult to upload a lot of pictures at once and it just makes my life a little easier.

Part Ni to come ...

much love
-tara-
xoxo