I admit it; my North American mindset has coloured my
perspective on Hiroshima. Thankfully,
“history” as it is presented in Canada (at least for the last couple of
decades) doesn’t rely on a brutally biased interpretation of WWII, and so it’s
not as though I considered the Hiroshima victims to be just recipients of the
horrors of Little Boy. However, it wasn’t until I was standing in
the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima – part of the area that was wiped off the
map in 1945 – that the magnitude of the devastation was made clear. Everything within a two kilometre radius of
the detonation was reduced to rubble.
Over two hundred thousand mostly civilian lives lost in an instant.
Thousands more would die in the coming weeks, months, and years due to
radiation poisoning, and the rebuilding of the entire city would take an
unfathomable investment. I know that two
bombs effectively ended a war that might have raged on with many more hundreds
of thousands of lives lost, but the balance of a lesser terror is difficult to
contemplate.
What I just wrote was a little bit misleading. Not
everything was reduced to rubble.
Atom bombs don’t detonate upon impact. In order to maximize the breadth of destruction, the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima detonated 600m above the ground. A single building, positioned almost directly underneath the detonation, largely survived the explosion. Well, “largely survived” as compared to anything else in the area. And the people inside were not so lucky. As the city began rebuilding, debate waged on around what to do with it. Ultimately, it was decided that it should be kept as a memorial and reminder of the cost of war. The “Atom Bomb Dome”, as it has come to be known, has been left as it was since 1945.
Fortunately, in a country where earthquakes are common and
where erosion persists, efforts are underway to assess the structural integrity
of the building, and ensure its continued safety as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately for us, this work requires
scaffolding around the building. No matter – the steel dome structure at the
top, stripped bare of the building’s exoskeleton by the bomb, and the mixed
rubble lying near the foundations tells enough of a story.
Like the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan, the actual Peace
Memorial Park is peaceful, quiet, and beautiful. Statues and artwork
commemorate the Hiroshima victims, and provide a testament to Japan’s staunch
support for global peace. A distant cousin to the flame at Ottawa’s parliament
buildings, Hiroshima’s Flame of Peace burns eternally.
Randomly, Mindy and I opted for an Italian dinner tonight,
looking out on the illuminated Gates of Peace. The familiarity of the bread and
pasta was appealing, even if the “vegetarian” spaghetti was topped with
prosciutto. I learned tonight Japanese red wine is worth drinking! Suntory wine complemented the meal nicely.
Like so many of our days lately, this day was a day of
contrasts. We awoke this morning in
Nara, land of the sacred deer, and after a brief run (Japanese style – very
slow), we explored a little further what Nara had to offer. This evening, we stood on hallowed ground in
Hiroshima. In a way, the day was well balanced: natural fun in a setting
steeped in rich culture, followed by contemplation of unnatural forces that
obliterated all cultural artefacts.
In Nara Machi – the old town – we happened upon a fruit shop
with friendly owners and a working well!
Then we were off to what Nara is known for!
Don't be fooled by the cute photo of them grooming one another, those deer are aggressive!
Several bit me when I wasn’t feeding them quickly enough; one even made
a little hole in my new Lake Biwa jacket! (The other bites never made it
through my jeans or jacket, so they felt more like hard pinches than anything
else.) The photos I wanted more than anything else captured – to my mind – the
essence of Nara: ancient Japanese buildings and sacred deer.
We came across this so much in Tokyo – “ancient” structures
that were rebuilt in the 1960s after WWII’s wreckage. While the cause of destruction was different
in Nara – fires in wood buildings instead of bombs – the outcome was the same. The pagoda above was originally built in 730,
and Nandaimon Gate in 962. The structures that exist now are newer
replicas. This pagoda was built a measly
600 years ago in 1426, and Nandaimon Gate in 1199. I suppose that’s better than nothing…
Those were my “hero shots” in Nara. Mindy’s were unplanned, and a little bit
different:
I don’t know what these children enjoyed more – feeding the
deer, or interacting with Mindy and “practicing” their English (“hello” and
“bye”). Either way, this may compare
with the monkeys as far as Mindy’s high points to this trip!
Notwithstanding the warnings before we came to Japan, we
haven’t felt any earthquakes yet. At
least, not natural ones. Looking for a washroom, Mindy and I stopped at a
tourism centre in Nara. This building
turned out to be a privately funded tourism centre hosted by Okumura corporation, which was founded in Nara in 1907. A testament to
the Japanese culture of responsibility to the community, this extremely
well-appointed welcome centre was free to the public, providing friendly staff,
free tea, beautiful views from their rooftop terrace, and an earthquake
simulation machine.
The trees in Mount Kasuga-yama Primeval Forest – the dark
green area to the right in the landscape photo, above – have been protected for
over 1000 years! That speaks to my environmentalist side!
The funny looking chair into which I am strapped is an
earthquake simulation. Admittedly a marketing opportunity for their seismic
reduction devices, the chair first reproduces the feeling of earthquakes that
have hit Japan in recent times (re-living the 2011 earthquake that caused the
nuclear disasters was an unusual feeling), and then demonstrates how they would
feel in a seismically protected building.
Very cool!
Departing Nara, I could see myself coming back one day. Not
because of the deer; they are entertaining, but not worth another visit. I would, however, want to explore the ancient
forest, the temples and museums, and the old town.
Our trip to Hiroshima would have been remarkable anywhere
else, but was simply the norm in Japan.
A kind young man passed his station so that he could walk us to the
right track to catch the Shinkansen. A
police officer walked us through the concourse in Hiroshima so that we would
get properly oriented toward out hotel, and any time we faced stairs, a
Japanese man was ready to lug Mindy’s suitcase while I carried mine. What wonderful people!
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