Spring 2024 - In Search of Cherry Blossoms: Hiroshima

The A-Bomb Dome

 

Hiroshima

Japan's Inland Sea lies in between three of the four main islands of Japan. On March 26, 2024, after leaving Korea and crossing the choppy waters of the Sea of Japan, the cruise ship entered the calm Inland Sea. Mrs. G slept more soundly as the ship's motion smoothed out and the Riviera glided up towards Hiroshima. As dawn broke, the ship approached the port and passed numerous orderly oyster rafts in neat rows between the smaller islands. These small islands, covered with coniferous forests, reminded Gym of the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. 

Hiroshima is today, a much bigger city than Nagasaki. After being almost completely destroyed on August 6, 1945, it has been rebuilt and become home to over 1.2 million inhabitants. It boasts the head office for both Mazda and Mrs. G's favourite company, Ryobi. It also has important branch offices for many other heavy industry companies, banks and textile manufacturers. There are some large niche industries there too, including woodworking and writing brush manufacturing. Maybe being linked to Tokyo by rail gave it a leg up. 

The tour Gym had chosen, began at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, smack dab in the centre of the city. The tour group was let off near the ruined hulk of the only building that wasn't flattened by the nuclear explosion, the A-Bomb Dome. Most other buildings in the surrounding 13 square kilometers were tightly packed and made of wood and either they disintegrated immediately or burned shortly after the explosion. The stone and steel A-Bomb Dome stood only 150 meters from being directly under the blast and was not flattened. However,  everyone inside it, died instantly. After the war the city decided to leave the ruins as a reminder of the devastation.

Because the city sits on a flat river delta, the loss of life here was much greater than in Nagasaki. As many as 180,000 people died here on or shortly after August 6, 1945. Nagasaki is not as flat and the steeper walls of valleys it sits on kept the fatalities from being on the same scale as those experienced in Hiroshima.

Gym et all proceeded on foot past the A-Bomb Dome and across the Motoyasu Bridge to the Fountain of Peace and the Children's Peace Monument. Then they viewed the Pond of Peace and Memorial Cenotaph. Finally, they visited the museum but there were so many people there that day, they couldn't spend the time needed to see all the exhibits. 

The group then got back on the bus and drove about 30 minutes south on the highway to the ferry that crosses to Itsukushima Island. They had come to visit the famed Itsukushima Shinto Shrine. The Shrine was built just offshore of the island, on pilings below the intertidal zone. The ferry ride took about 15 minutes and it landed at a terminal near a number of shops, restaurants  and hotels. The island was full of tourists that day and many of them may have been more interested in the shops. Gym et al needed to get through all the tourist traps to check out this famous Shinto holy place. Eventually, Gym and his dear companion made it to the shrine and expertly offered prayers to the shrine's kamis. On the way back to the ferry terminal, Gym succumbed to the siren song of the tourist traps and found some must-have trinkets. The yen were burning a hole in his pocket.

That night the Riviera would steam south to make one final visit to Kyushu Island.

Cherry Blossom Report:

There was nothing to write home about in Hiroshima

Looking back from the Motoyasu Bridge,
you see the A-Bomb Dome on the right and 
you also see the bridge that was the target 
of the bomber crew that dropped the A-Bomb.

This is the Children's Peace Monument
and it depicts a child holding up an origami
crane. One little girl was told if she made
1000 cranes she would get one wish. 
Although she was dying of leukaemia,
she wished for a world with no nuclear
weapons. The statue is dedicated to her..

After the little girl died, her classmates
and many other young Japanese girls made
1000 cranes each and they are displayed in cases.

The Epitaph

Looking south down the park, with the museum in 
the background.

The fountain in the front of the museum

On the ferry ride over to  Itsukushima
Island you see the massive Shinto Gate to
the shrine. 

The island is covered with protected deer 
about the size of a Great Dane. Thet are
very tame and you have to watch they don't 
eat your ferry ticket.

As always, there are saki barrels for the Kamis of
the shrine

Here you can see the whole shrine is built on
pilings and that it is low tide. At high tide, the
whole thing is surrounded by water.

The Shinto Shrine in the foreground and a
Buddhist Pagoda on a hill in the background

Another pic of the pilings. By the way, nothing here
 was damaged by the a-bomb that exploded
30 kilometres away.