I also write reviews on another site under another name, but I do not just duplicate these and try t...
I also write reviews on another site under another name, but I do not just duplicate these and try to write original reviews for each of the sites.
Member since:27.07.2006
Reviews:13
Members who trust:2
HIROSHIMA
I am sure everyone has heard of Hiroshima as the place where the Atomic Bomb went off in August 1945, ending WW2.
On a visit to Japan I felt I had to go and see for myself what Hiroshima is like. We travelled by ferry from Shikoku island but you can also travel by train from Tokyo or wherever you happen to be staying.
Hiroshima is a modern city, its towering buildings are a delight to wander around. Sixteen storeys is nothing for a department store here! There are speciality shops, specialising in Japanese souvenirs and there are three major shopping centres so if you are a shopaholic you are sure to enjoy Hiroshima!
Oysters are a speciality food of the city as the waters of the Inland sea are a good source for them, along with other kinds of fish.
Hiroshima has rebuilt its industry and are now highly valued, not only in Japan, but internationally. They produce cars, bridge constructions, containers and cranes to name but a few.
Hiroshima is steeped in tradition and customs, and throughout the year there are various festivals. Perhaps the most moving of these takes place on 6th August every year when there is the Peace Memorial Ceremony at the Peace Park and paper lanterns are floated along the rivers.
I
will say more about the Peace Gardens later, but first of all want to give a mention to other tourist attractions in Hiroshima. There is a castle, called the "carp castle" which was reconstructed in 1958 after the original was burnt in the atomic bombing fires. This is now a museum of local history and is open daily, except in the New Year period. Do check opening times prior to visiting. The price when I was there several months ago was around 400 yen.
There is also a museum of contemporary art, a zoological park, botanical gardens and a temple. However, I did not have time to visit these so will now move onto the Peace Park.
The first thing I want to mention is the A Bomb Dome, this is all that remains of the devastating attack on the city and it is left as a reminder of the damage caused. Its skeletal remains look stark in comparison to the other modern buildings surrounding it, all that remains is a windowless concrete building that was once the workplace of many local people.
As you walk through the Peace Park you see the eternal flame flickering in front of the Memorial Cenotaph, a solemn promise that it will never be extinguished until all nuclear weapons are abolished.
The Memorial Cenotaph is an archway underneath which is a stone chest containing the names of all the victims of the A Bomb. Silhouetted through the arch is the Peace Dome and people come here to pray and lay flowers in memory of those who perished. The Cenotaph was dedicated on 6th August 1952.
A stone hewn from Ben Nevis, has a place in the Peace Park and this was donated by the people of Scotland in 1972 as a symbol of the quest for world peace.
In another section of the Peace Park is a huge bell, the Peace Bell. I stood underneath this with a Japanese man and together we struck the bell. A relative of mine was a POW in Japan and although he left a diary which revealed the hatred he had for the Japanese and the suffering he endured, I felt I should make an effort to help achieve better cultural understanding.
A plaque by the bell reads "We dedicate this bell as a symbol of Hiroshima aspiration. Let all nuclear arms and wars be gone and the nations live in true peace. May it ring to all corners of the earth to meet the ear of every man." The bell was put there in 1964.
Another feature of the Peace Park are the almost bus shelter like structures which house paper cranes. The crane is a symbol of hope to the Japanese and a young girl, Sadako, who was a victim of the bombings thought if she could make 1,000 origmai paper cranes, this would make her well again. Sadly the little girl did not recover and only made about 700 cranes before she died from radiation poisoning. However, since then in her memory, and the memory of the other victims, schoolchildren and other groups make tiny paper cranes out of origami paper and string them together into a kind of garland and they are hung in the shelters at the Peace Park. On my first visit to Hiroshima several years ago the garlands were just laid on the walls, but I was told on my last visit that shelters had been erected to protect them as someone had set fire to them when they were on the walls. They are now displayed in the shelters in the daytime but locked away in the evenings. This struck me as particularly sad that someone could stoop to such vandalism in the Peace Park.
I must point out there that a visit to the Peace Park was very emotional, it is very tranquil, hardly any noise, it has even been said that no birds fly over the park and I must admit I didn't see any. The whole visit brought home to me the effects of the bombing and made me realise that even now, 60 years or so afterwards, people are still suffering from its effects.
There are elderly people who are still suffering from the physical effects of the radiation and as I walked around the park I saw a group of American visitors being given a talk by someone. These were elderly men and women, all with tears in their eyes, as they listened to the interpreter relating the tragic story of the old Japanese lady sitting in her wheelchair.
After the Peace Park we wandered into the Memorial Museum. Again, I found this very emotional. Remnants of children's clothes and their school bags were on display, showing what remained of them as they made their way to school on that morning when the bomb was dropped at around 8 am. A doorstep shows the radiation burnt shadow of someone, there are fragments of buildings, household artefacts and many photographs of the damage.
It was truly a very moving experience to go here. I would like to see all those people today who want to start wars being made to go and see this place, it just might make them think again about the horrific effects a war can have.
Nevertheless, let me end of a less morbid note. Hiroshima is not just about the Peace Park and Memorial Museum, there is a lot more to see here. There are lots of good restaurants, including fast food places like MacDonalds, and I highly recommend you visit the Memorial Park first then spend some time browsing in the shops before having a relaxing meal. Otherwise, you just might find you feel depressed for the rest of your visit.
NOTE - this review is also on another consumer site, under my ID.
Pictures of Hiroshima (Japan)
The Peace Dome
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The Peace Park is indeed a moving place, but I would have been more moved if the presentation of the related history had been a bit less one-sided and out of context. You could almost believe that the attack came without provocation out of a clear blue sky. It is disturbing that the Japanese are not given a balanced picture of their own role in World War Two. I quite liked the city though. My son (Hmatt on Ciao) lived there for six months and you might be interested in his review on the same subject. Duncan
Paul99ine 25.11.2006 00:58
In any war it's always the 'ordinary folks' who suffer and we should never forget this and ALL the lessons of previous conflict. Pauline.
laramax 24.11.2006 20:58
Great review - you are right we should never forget
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