Hiroshima - Atomic museum

Today we left the monks of Koyasan and travelled half the day to Hiroshima. 

Hiroshima is all modern buildings (obviously, post 1945), well-designed streets, and it’s coolly sophisticated.  We dropped our bags at the hotel and set out for the Atomic museum.

This building is a marvel because it’s so close to ground zero for “Little Boy” - the code name for the Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on Aug 6, 1945. 

When the bomb dropped, there was a guy in the basement.  Miraculously, he survived because he was underground.

Unfortunately for 70,000 other people, they died.  By the end of that year, another 70,000 people died of their wounds or radiation exposure. 

Picture of a little boy’s bicycle after the bomb:

Exhumed bodies 

Illustration of the firestorm that followed the bomb. 

Shadow of a man who was vaporized upon explosion:

Inside the atomic museum, there is a clock that shows the time; number of days since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima; and the number of days since the last nuclear test. 

This area is a peace monument where children post drawings, origami cranes and artwork to encourage peace on earth and no more Hiroshimas. 

This monument is in alignment with the building at ground zero. There is an eternal flame burning that will not be extinguished until there are no more nuclear weapons. 

It was a very sobering visit. 

- Ruth