Hiroshima is, well, complicated for this sansei. My Japanese relatives survived Hiroshima, hiding in the hills until the black rain stopped. My Hawaii relatives were questioned by the FBI agents and witnesses to Pearl Harbor, and some of my more distant relatives were sent to internment camps. Nobody won. Everybody lost.
It was fitting that Hiroshima was the first city we visited in Japan. While everyone makes the intellectual and historical association with Hiroshima, current and past Hiroshima hits you in the gut.
It was fitting that Hiroshima was the first city we visited in Japan. While everyone makes the intellectual and historical association with Hiroshima, current and past Hiroshima hits you in the gut.
Hiroshima Ground Zero. Then and now, a hospital. At 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima.
I learned that the atomic bomb itself exploded 600m above the city. This was done to cause maximum damage with three forces: concussive, heat and radiation.
Hiroshima doesn't hide its past and the sadness is bottomless. Words really do fail to describe the enormity and severity of devastation of that day.
We walked around the Atomic Dome, the Children's Peace Monument and the various markers for elementary, middle and high schools and the hypocenter (see left), places that were simply obliterated in seconds.
But the ordinary human reminders are what connects your soul to the sheer destruction and very personal grief. At the Hiroshima Peace Museum, we saw pocket watches, burnt school uniforms, charred lunchboxes, glass bottles that melded together from the heat, and dribbles of black rain on concrete. You feel lost and loss.
I learned that the atomic bomb itself exploded 600m above the city. This was done to cause maximum damage with three forces: concussive, heat and radiation.
Hiroshima doesn't hide its past and the sadness is bottomless. Words really do fail to describe the enormity and severity of devastation of that day.
We walked around the Atomic Dome, the Children's Peace Monument and the various markers for elementary, middle and high schools and the hypocenter (see left), places that were simply obliterated in seconds.
But the ordinary human reminders are what connects your soul to the sheer destruction and very personal grief. At the Hiroshima Peace Museum, we saw pocket watches, burnt school uniforms, charred lunchboxes, glass bottles that melded together from the heat, and dribbles of black rain on concrete. You feel lost and loss.
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Yet instead of wallowing in bitterness or seeking revenge, modern Hiroshima is a vibrant city. Of the entire trip, we had the best ramen in a little shop across from our hotel, and the people were friendliest.
The retail-therapy-oriented female segment of our little tour discovered Shu Uemura availability, Uniqlo and that sizes in Japan are *perfect* if you are a small form-factor Japanese American girl. And we all realized the ubiquity of Hello Kitty and Anpan Man.
The retail-therapy-oriented female segment of our little tour discovered Shu Uemura availability, Uniqlo and that sizes in Japan are *perfect* if you are a small form-factor Japanese American girl. And we all realized the ubiquity of Hello Kitty and Anpan Man.
Multi-story department store
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Anpan Man with Child
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Tanabata
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On this day, we honor Hiroshima. We celebrate its resilience and grace. And do our small part to ensure that this is never, ever repeated.
