JET Programme Series: Hiroshima Visit - Ariel Matthews

Imagine walking the grounds where the first atomic bomb used on mankind was deployed.
 

A few weeks ago, my friends and I decided to drive to the famous city of Hiroshima. (Christal is also from Trinidad and Emma is American). Our goals were exploration (this was Emma’s and my first visit), a little shopping and some ‘girl time’ in a big (ger) city for a few days as the prefecture we live in is less busy.
 

After driving (thanks Christal!) for about 3 hours, we arrived in the sprawling city of Hiroshima. Tall buildings were interrupted by sparkling lakes and tall bridges on either side of the road. One of our first stops was, of course, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park which honours the memory of the lives lost when the atomic bomb was dropped on the city in 1945.
 

Before the bomb, the 120,000 square metres which the Peace Park now covers was the political and commercial heart of the city. When the bomb was dropped on 8:15am on August 6th, 1945 almost everything and everyone was obliterated.
 

As we walked through the Park, a universal yet unspoken pain thundered through the reverent silence. Through the yellows and reds of the autumn leaves, I saw signs which pointed the many visitors from different parts of the world to the places of interest in the large Park. There is the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound, Peace Bell, Peace Clock Tower, Children’s Peace Monument and Peace Museum among others.
 

One of the most moving parts of the Park for me was the Eternal Flame for Peace. People from all different races and walks of life stood facing it in silence or offered a silent prayer. The Eternal Flame sits between a large sculpture of two hands outstretched to the heavens. The Flame will continue to burn until our world is free of nuclear weapons.
 

Sitting stately opposite the park is the Hiroshima Castle which was destroyed with the bomb but rebuilt 13 years after the attack. While most castles are on some elevated piece of land, the Hiroshima Castle is built on a plain in the centre of the city right among the people.
 

The Castle is 5 stories tall with a surrounding moat. You can also visit the shrine and other connected buildings on the premises.
 

Anyone who is interested in architecture, history and people would find Hiroshima invigorating.


JET Series: Hiroshima Visit (Japanese Embassy Facebook)


JET Programme Series Archives