Hiroshima

I took some time off for a long weekend with the folks. A super-packed weekend. Friday we took the Shinkansen [Bullet Train] to Hiroshima.

Obviously, we went to the Peace Dome and the Peace Museum. There were tons of school trips there, so hundreds of students were swarming around. Several came up to Mom and Aaron, asking them to write a reflection on the bombing for their required scavenger-report.



I was impressed with the museum. Japan often prefers to gloss over negative aspects of Japan's history. So I've often heard that many Japanese feel that the bombing had no build-ups- nothing to explain it. But the museum was very detailed and even-handed-- pointing out that Hiroshima was a major military and industrial area. The museum didn't pull any punches. There were displays of a preserved tongue, pieces of skin, and plenty of melted objects.



The juxtaposition of being an American at the museum with all the smiling and excited schoolchildren wanting to talk to us was really heartening.

After the museum we encountered a Buddhist woman who offered to pray for us. She told us she could feel the sadness from the experience, and that she hoped she could lighten our burdens. We agreed and stood quietly for five minutes while she passed in front of each of us. I'm unsure if it was her prayers or her simple kindness, but I felt some relief after.

And after all the grisliness, it was lunchtime. Yep, our iron-clad stomachs stop for nothing. And Hiroshima is famous for their okonimiyaki, which is much more pizza-like than our pancake-like Osaka style. Wonderful!

To top off our day we went to a traditional Japanese garden. In the middle of a busy area, we felt wonderfully isolated within the greenery. There was a small lake with many bridges to walk over. In a few more weeks, the maples would be turning red, but at the moment, everything was brilliantly green and refreshing.