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What a funny city Hiroshima is! Although most of it is just like anyother city: bustling, busy and big, I have never encountered a place so enveloped in the concept of peace. The slippers awaiting us by the shoe lockers of our hostel ("J-Hoppers btw, as in Japan-Hoppers. I like this - Johnny and I are now officially E-Hoppers) have the words Peace & Travel printed on them, we walk along the Promenade of Peace, to reach the Peace Memorial Park, where the statures and museums and monuments all, after lamenting the loss of all those lives in the bombings, preace PEACE PEACE PEACE as our only way forward - and I could not agree with anything more wholeheartedly! It is so peculiar that I find this city, which is supposed to symbolise the terrible effects of man's inhumanity, so wonderfully uplifting. Of course, there is such a darker side, and I cannot help but be hit with the enormity of the devastation at the fateful moment on 8:15 of August 6th, 1945 when we round a corner and suddenly face the Atomic Bomb Dome. This wreck of a building, preserved to reveal to the worldf, to remind the world, just how horrific nthis city was at that time. I am ashamed to admit that it could be easy to forget as we walk through this ordinary city, complete with parks where trees do grow (contrary to the belief that nothing would thrive for 75 years). BUt although this city has grown incredibly since the bomb, literally rising up from the ashes, the Peace Memorial Park is such a poignant...memorial. Particularly beautiful, I thought, was the Children's Peace Monument, thousands of bright origami cranes symbolising not only for longevity and happiness (as they did when that famous little girl, Sadako Sasaki began her quest to fold 1000) but also the worldwide symbol of a siren of love, hope, peace and happiness. It was so uplifting and emotional - the tradegy of so many needless deaths counteracting with the beauty of such peace.
It seems ridiculous that after Hiroshima and Nagasaki that anyone could still contemplate nuclear warfare, and that so many countries (U.S.A, France, Russia, U.K.....) still insist on flexing their muscles and retaining nuclear weapons is simply pathetic. It was so inspiring to read the countless, tireless letters from the mayors of Hiroshima over these last 60 years, written every single time a government runs a nuclear test. The remind me of a wise, patient parent reminding a s***ty 8-year old for the 100th time to stop throwing food on the walls. The parent is determined not to ghet angry or violent, determined that eventually the message will get through - or at least the kid will grow up. other parents might yellow or just give up, but HIroshima keeps reminding our world's s***ty 8-year old governments that, really, it is time to grow up!
Although most of the park is focused on peace, it was simply when I was flicking through a book containing artwork by the "hibushka" - survivors - that the terrible, gruesome hell of August 6th, 1945 really, really, struck me. I wanted to turn away, shut the book and return to the fluffy ideas of doves, and love, and peace on earth. But still I forced myself to look on at truth, stomach-flipping, heart-wrenching paintings of charred corpses, melting skin, dark, red, fiery images of torture and death. I truly can not begin to imagine what it must have been like, it seems to me like some widly exaggerated gothic interpretation of hell - it could not, should not have possibly every actually occured!
Our journey through Japan has taken us to magnificent examples of beauty, shown us the great depths of kindness and tranquility and respect. Hiroshima points out that not everyone is lovey-dovey and, for all the monks and temples in the world, unfortunately these is still a much more evil side to humanity...
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