hiroshima

The city of peace, as it is known throughout Japan and the world. Its name literally means "broad island". And it is well known for its "Heiwa Kouen" (Peace Park). I am in a library typing this just outside of the "Gembaku Shiryoukan" (Atom Bomb Museum), which houses tattered clothing, damaged belongings, heat-scorched ceramic roof tiles, and iron doors with shards of glass lodged deep within them, as well as numerous photographs of presidents and world leaders, including the supposedly apolitical Einstein, who I just learned pressed Roosevelt to research atomic weaponry, legal documents concerning choices for Japanese cities to bomb, and aminiature replica of the city of Hiroshima in its grand splendor just before the bomb exploded, and another of a desolate field of ruins and rubble seconds after. I rented an audio guide in English to follow along with the exhibits, and the saddest were the accounts of the families of victims: you can listen to them describe their frantic attempts to find their loved ones amidst the fiery and bloody chaos, rummaging through piles of bodies and lifting slabs of fallen stone, finding their sons or daughters with the skin peeling off of their arms and faces, carrying them home on their backs, and nursing them until they died while only being able to recognize them by their voices and clothes because of the unidentifiable state their melted faces were in. There were many disturbing things in the museum and it felt a bit awkward to be an American in there, though there was no anger or hostility in any of the exhibits towards the U.S., and no one inside displayed anything resembling animosity.
I visited Hiroshima castle today and walked around the Peace Park a bit more. Yesterday I traveled to Miyajima, which is an island off of Hiroshima that is well-known for its torii (shinto-style spirit gate) that emerges from the water. During the afternoon, the tide recedes and people can walk straight up to the torii upon a carpet of bright green seaweed and multitudes of small mollusks. Many old women gather for the low tide to dig up clams to sell. The island itself is gorgeous, with mountains shouldering the back coast and temples and shrines dotting the interior. There are many shops on the island selling the famous food of Miyajima - "Momiji Manjuu", which are little maple leaf-shaped cakes with filling inside. The island also is home to a good number of deer, many of them so tame i could pet their heads. It reminded me of Nara, except this time i was smart enough to avoid buying deer crackers and subjecting myself to a regular mauling by ravenous deer.
I will be returning today to Tokushima.