Hiroshima & Miyajima

Our crew has been traveling a bit. We just left Kyoto and headed west to Hiroshima on the fabulous Shinkansen. I could get used to traveling this way!  The train station is impeccably clean and safe. Once you go through the 'turn stalls' there is a 'waiting room' where you can watch local TV (clearly not too helpful for this English- speaking American, though it's strangely 
entertaining.) or you can watch the board for information regarding your train. 

We have never had a train be late in Japan. Not once.  I hear it does happen, but we have not had that issue. We all really enjoy the train stations. I enjoy the shopping and people watching. Everyone else likes the trains and finding out where to go next. Go figure! 

On the road train again....The seats on the Shinkansen are comfy and large enough for even our big crew. The train is remarkably quiet. There are bento boxes- adult and kids versions- available for purchase. Who wouldn't want to eat those adore things?!? Please don't ask me what is in there. I have no idea. The food is good though and we eat well.

We arrived in the gorgeous 'river city'. Yes, Hiroshima is clearly a city with a tough history. However, we wanted to see some fun stuff first. 

Explaining to our young children all about World War II and the atomic bomb was going to be tough. We decided to save that for the next day. Delaying gave us a chance to catch our breath and enjoy our first stop.

Hiroshima sits on a breathtaking bay. It is known for the amazing views and rivers throughout the city. It is a town of about 2.5 miliion people. It's climate is close to that of North Carolina. Hiroshima is respected for it's education, cultural events and yearly Peace Summit. 

Enough background, time to get our tourist on. Our first outing was to the Itsukushima, which is more commonly known as "Miyajima" or the 'shrine island'.

In order to get to Miyajima we had to take another short train ride and then hop on a ferry. (The kids are going to know every single type of transportation in Japan when we finish our tour here!) 


Most people recognize
 Miyajima for its "floating" torii gate. The floating torii is the third most 'recognizable' symbol of Japan. (How do they figure that stuff out?) It is said to have been built to honor three female sisters, who became deities of the water, tides and sea life. 

The torii was first built in the 6th century. Wow, that was a LONG time ago! It has been repaired/ replaced several times since then. This sea is affected by strong tides. Most of the year the torii is sitting on island mud.  At low tide, the bottom of the sea is exposed. At high tide, the sea covers all the previously exposed mud and fills the areas underneath the shrine. To view the torii floating is considered such a blessing that there are online maps to predict the days you should visit. We didn't consider any of that. We had to travel when we did. It was pretty cool that it was floating when we were there though. We were "blessed". I'll take it :)

The island of Itsukushima is considered a sacred place. This is a very serious belief. No one is allowed to give birth or die on the island. If a woman is pregnant and close to her due date she has to return to the mainland. If someone is eldery and feeling poorly, they have to return to the mainland. Talk about pressure! You are not allowed to cut down trees or encroach on nature in any way. 

Deer and monkeys roam freely on the island.(The monkeys must have been on vacation when we were there. We didn't see a single one.)  Deer are thought of as sacred in the native Shinto religion because they are considered messengers of the gods. They walk the streets of the city, not afraid of the tourists. Actually, the deer are not afraid of anything! Look at this one we caught trying to get into a restaurant! He kept trying to push the 'open' button with his nose. Poor guy didn't understand why the people inside where holding the doors closed. 

AJ just had to take selfie with some of the deer. It looked like the deer was actually posing! (We didn't touch the deer or feel threatened by them, in case you were wondering.) There were- no joke- probably 75 of them roaming around as we toured the island. It's a little weird. They walk around the tourist and don't seem to bother the many open shops. (The shopping here is similar to most of Japan. It is long rows of three sided buildings with a large garage door-like side that faces the street. When you go from shop to shop you never have to open a door, because the shops are all 'outside'.) 

What is your town 'known for'? This town has a unique claim to fame. The "shamoji", or "rice paddle" in our house, is a style of wooden spoon used to serve cooked rice without impairing the taste. It is said to have been invented by a monk who lived on the island. The shamoji is a popular souvenir- we should know since we bought a tiny one for our Christmas tree. Here is the world's largest Shamoji. Don't say you never saw anything nutty on my blog!

Being a tourist destination there is bound to  be a Hello Kitty store. (Don't ask me about the whole she is really a girl, not a cat thing. I don't get it.) This Hello Kitty had some of the elements of Miyajima: the Torii, the rice paddle and the bell from the shrine. Carson was taking this shot, so hubby took the 'artistic version' with us gals looking away. Whatever. I have a picture. I'm happy.

Here's the little miss with ALL of the elements of Miyajima Island: The Torii, the rice paddle, the deer and dressed in the traditional clothes of the Emperor who established the sacred island. 

She wanted to know what kind of warrior would wear flip flops into battle. I didn't have an answer for that one! Anyone have a clue?

We enjoyed our afternoon on the island. It was a really relaxed, easy way to learn about Japan. Plus, where else will we get to have bacon wrapped, fried lotus flower and fried asparagus with cheese? You never know what you are ordering when you can't read the menu!

We got back on the ferry, to the train, to the hotel. We fed the troops and retired to our rooms exhausted. Well, wouldn't you know it? The kids weren't that tired. They were excited to find the famous "hotel shirts & slippers" we had been hearing about. All the hotels have their own version. The minute they saw the nightshirts and matching slippers, they just had to see why the Japanese loved those things so much. What ensued was a good 30 minutes of nightshirt wearing, picture tasking goofiness. Oh to be young and silly. Wait, I am!

The next day was going to be a doozie. We had all day to tour Hiroshima's historical sites before we got on the late train back to Tokyo. 

We started out the day by telling the truth of war, as best we could, to our military brats. 

We believe in honest conversation. We knew the museum would have pictures and stories that our young kids would be bothered by. Here is the jest of what we said. 

"Countries do things in war that have to be done in order to end the war. People get hurt. Children get hurt. Innocent people die. It sucks.(We never say this word in our house. This was said to enforce how strongly we feel about the subject.)  In the end sometimes the only way to have peace is to face war. "

Then, we gathered our kids and went to one of the most well-done museums I have ever seen. 

Welcome to Hiroshima, Japan.

Walk with me. See what I saw. 

The museum is quiet. You don't hear another soul.  You are forced, due to the small space, to take a solo walk down a long and windy hall. 

For the first 45 steps or so you don't see anything except the walkway. 

It is silent, and hallow. 

Then you come upon the first plaque. It sets the tone for the entire interaction to come. 

I had to pause. Did I read that correctly? I read it again. 

Japan- in it's own museum, in it's own country- just took part of the blame for the tragic history of this town. I was in awe. 

I have been to many, many museums. I have been to Dachu, seen Auschwitz, stood silently at the World Trade Centers, Oklahoma City Memorial, even the Aggie Bonfire Memorial just to name a few. For some reason the tone that was set by this simple plaque touched me. I'm not exactly sure why, but it is a different feel. 

You continue to walk around the circle and read a few more plaques. Then you round the corner to a massive diorama.

On Monday, August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., the nuclear bomb "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima by an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, directly killing an estimated 80,000 people. Within the next few months, another 80,000 people died. The city's population at this point was about 350,000. That means half the city perished in a matter of five months.  At least those are the numbers the Japanese believe perished. A strange effect of blowing up the town was all the records were destroyed, whole families perished and diseases never seen before were taking the lives of people faster than the survivors could keep track of. 


The bomb exploded about 2,000 feet above the city. The famous mushroom cloud soared up to over 40,000 feet before returned it's poison to the ground. For comparison's sake, most commercial airlines fly at about 30,000 feet. Anyone outside within 3 miles of the blast was said to be 'instantly vaporized'. The image on the left is where a person was sitting on the steps of the Hiroshima bank. There was nothing left of the person. Not ash or clothes. The temperature at the time of the blast was said to be about 1500 degrees F for approximately 2 seconds. 

92 % of the buildings with 4 miles were incinerated instantly. Some of the reinforced concrete buildings were of a far stronger construction than is required by normal standards in America, because of the earthquake danger in Japan. This exceptionally strong construction explained why the framework of some of the buildings in the center of  the city did not collapse. The concrete buildings were only shells though, their insides instantly burned or collapsed killing all inside. This phenomenon explains the most famous surviving building, the "A-Bomb Dome". 

Those who lived through the initial blast were in various stages of injury and shock. 94% of the doctors in Hiroshima died the day of the bombing. They had been in town for a training session and were very close to the epicenter. The lack of doctors left those who did survive without anyone with medical knowledge to help them. 

The survivors were tested again when 20 minutes after the explosion the typical summer rains started. Only this time the rain was different. It was called 'black rain'. The 'black rain' reached ground level as sticky, dark, dangerously radioactive water. It not only stained skin, clothing, and buildings, but also was ingested by breathing and by consumption of contaminated food or water, causing radiation poisoning. The picture is from a building 7 miles from the epicenter with the stains of black rain running down the wall.

Inside the museum, there is a circular shaped room that is covered with 140,000 tiny tiles. The tiles are each only 2 inches square and show the remaining town of Hiroshima. Each tile represents one life lost due to the atomic bomb. It is an overwhelming eerie and heartbreaking display.

The sickness and death would last for not just days or months, but years. The most well known story is perhaps that of Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was 2 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped near her home. She was at home when the explosion occurred, about one mile from Ground Zero.  She survived the initial explosion. Ten years later, when Sadako was 12 she developed swellings on her neck and behind her ears. Purple spots formed on her legs. She was diagnosed with leukemia (her mother referred to it as "an atom bomb disease" since so many of the survivors developed this condition). 

Sadako spent her time in the hospital folding origami paper cranes. She was inspired to do so by the Japanese legend says the person who "created 1,000 origami cranes would be granted a wish". She spent months on end folding cranes. Her wish was simply to live. 

Sadako died on 25 October 1955.

In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. At the foot of the statue a plaque reads: "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on Earth." You can see the cases behind the statue that holds just a small portion of the paper cranes that are still collected each year. On the right, an up close image of the tiny paper origami  cranes. These are about the size of an American dime. They are combined with other cranes to make incredible pictures. 

Her older brother Masahiro Sasaki, who speaks on his sister's life at events, says Sadako died having folded approximately 1,300 paper cranes. Mr. Sasaki and the family have donated some of Sadako's cranes at places of importance around the world at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and in NYC at the 9-11 memorial. I know because years ago when I was working with wounded warriors I walked under 1,000 paper cranes at that same 9-11 memorial. Being in Hiroshima now is like making a full circle to me. What an blessing to see these pieces of art on two continents. 

Paper cranes from all the world still pour into Hiroshima. They can be seen throughout the country at shrines and temples everywhere. The simple paper crane is seen as a wish for peace and a prayer for longevity. 

On the peaceful grounds of the Museum complex burns an eternal flame. The flame will burn "until the last atomic weapon has been destroyed and the threat of atomic warfare no longer exists." Above the flame, there is an arc that hold the ashes of survivors who died in the years following the bombing. When you look from the museum, through the arc, you see the flame and then the A-Bomb Dome. It is striking. 

We walked away from the museum with heavy hearts and tons of questions. 

Some of the questions we can answer. 

"Why was Hiroshima chosen?"

Hiroshima was selected for a bomb site for many reasons. It was was a city of considerable military importance. It contained the 2nd Army Headquarters, which commanded the defense of all of southern Japan. Also, Hiroshima was a communications center, a storage point, and an assembly area for troops. It held a military manufacturing center that was considered key to the success of the Japanese. 


"Could it happen again?"

 Yes, it could happen again. This graph was updated in the museum, but my picture did not turn out. These were the figures in 2011. 

"Why do people want to remember such horrible things?" 

There are over 1.5 million visitors to the Hiroshima Peace Museum every year. Only 200,000 visitors are foreigners. The vast majority of visitors are Japanese. We visit to remember. We visit so we never forget, and our children's children never forget. For we know,  'those who forget history and are doomed to repeat it'.

"Will we offend the Japanese by visiting the site of so much death and destruction?"

They visit Pearl Harbor. The Japanese did that to Americans. They brought the war to our country and we still let them visit Pearl Harbor. We are not offended when they visit Pearl Harbor. 

"Does that mean we still don't like each other?"

Well, everyone has a right to think what they want to think. We "like" the Japanese and they "like" us-- officially. We, as a family, adore Japan and it's amazing people. We honor the fallen by repairing our differences daily as we make new friends with the local Japanese. 

Some of the questions we could simply not answer. 

"Mom, why did it happen?"

War is brutal. It doesn't care the age of it's victim, or discriminate based on race. War is living hell.

I don't think our older children will ever forget the images, sights and sounds they saw in Hiroshima. I know I won't forget. Ever.

I combined this museum with our lighter visit to Miyajima on purpose. 

You see, life has moved on. 

Friendships have been forged. 

The Japanese are not only our allies, they are looking to the future with us as their partners. 

They want peace more than anyone else I have ever met. 

Now my children understand the "silly" hand gesture every Japanese make when they have their pictures made. We see this gesture all over Japan, by all ages of Japanese.

Peace. 

How fitting. 

Peace be with you my Friends,

~Aggie Amy