by Paul English
For the past decade I've studied Japanese history on a somewhat professional basis. It's what I'd like to teach about when I return to America. It's what I've dedicated my time and travel to learn about while I'm here. The first book I ever read about Japan, though, was for an Advanced Placement Biology class during my senior year in high school - nearly 15 years ago! I had an interest in learning about nuclear bombs and what exactly they did. The final project for this class was a 10 page report on a topic of our choice. The title of my paper was, "The Biological Affects of a Nuclear Explosion." In doing the research for the paper a lot of comparisons were made in terms of how much more damage would be done compared to the explosion over Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki. I went to the school library and checked out Hiroshima, by John Hersey. This was my introduction to Japan.
Once I actually arrived here in Japan, I had made it one of my goals to visit Hiroshima. I also made it a point to go on August 6th, the anniversary of the explosion in 1945. I did some research and found that the city of Hiroshima has a long tradition of marking the August 6th anniversary with a great amount of ceremony and dignity. Not only is it a time to mark this occurrence of mass destruction and the impact it had on the people who survived, they make a point of using it as a means to discuss peace in our time. Hiroshima's mayors seem to have been a focus point of this dedication, and they have traditionally written letters of protest throughout the last half century to those nuclear powers who might forget the actual impact of the weapons they hold.
Upon arriving in Hiroshima on August 6th, I wasn't really prepared for what a truly beautiful city Hiroshima is. My frame of reference, as you've seen so far, was associated with death and destruction. What I found was a thriving city. I arrived at about 7:45 a.m. and took a taxi to Heiwa Koen (Peace Park). I arrived just as the ceremonies were beginning.
There were several thousand people there to commemorate the event at 8:15 a.m. There were speeches by the mayor of Hiroshima, Prime Minister Koizumi, and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. I spent the morning hours in Heiwa Koen, which is quite large and very beautiful. I also went through the Hiroshima Peace Museum that is in the park as well. This was an incredibly moving experience and really brought home the visceral images of the devastation. Through all of this, I never felt unwelcome or out of place. In fact, Japanese people went to lengths to make me feel welcome.
I only had about 10 hours in Hiroshima before I had to catch the Shinkansen back to Osaka, but I did go through the shopping district that is located near the park and walked around the downtown area. There are TONS of shops and restaurants that have a distinctly Hiroshima flavor to them. Many people told me that Hiroshima is famous for its Okonomiyaki, and my friends (who actually like Japanese food) said that it was very tasty. The trolley system in Hiroshima is quite convenient and easily facilitated our way around town. There are plenty of other things to do in Hiroshima, including catching a Carp baseball game, and taking a trip out to the Itsukushima shrine - one of 3 shrines in Japan built in the sea.
Although I went to Hiroshima to learn about a cataclysmic historical event and the impact that that event had on Japan, what I found was a vibrant and thriving city. I found a city that opens its arms to the world to offer lessons about history and how to make changes for the future. I did not find a city of death and destruction (as in my youth I think I might have) but instead found life and hope for the future. It's a city that I would encourage everyone here in Kanagawa to visit before they leave Japan.
Read some haiku from an A-bomb survivor.