Reflections of War and Peace

3/29/10

I arrived in Hiroshima at about 6:00 this morning by midnight bus. I got to my hostel by 8:00 and dropped off my backpack before heading to the Peace Garden and 原爆ドーム (The Atomic Bomb Dome). The Dome was actually the Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Hall and was known for its bright green dome. The bomb exploded right above it, and amazingly, the framework of the building survived. For years, there was a debate as to whether it should stay erected or be torn down, and it was eventually decided that it would remain a monument for peace in Hiroshima. There is something hauntingly beautiful about the building remains where it stands beside the river and the island where the memorial park is.

The garden is really beautiful. There are trees and sakura blossoms, and various statues covered in colorful paper cranes, a sign of peace in Japan. My favorite was the children’s monument, which memorializes the children who died because of the bomb.


The figure at the top holds a crane above her head, and all of those cases surrounding the statue are filled with colorful paper cranes, some arranged to deliver messages of peace.


I took a walk through the Peace Museum as well, which retells the history of Hiroshima, from how it was built, through the war, the rebuilding of the city, and efforts for peace today. I know a few people who have been through the museum before, and they said they felt as though the museum victimized the Japanese when they were the ones who made the US enter the Pacific War.

I actually thought the museum was very well done. I read through each excerpt, and there were confessions of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Rape of Nanking. There was even a section devoted to understanding other countries’ views of Japan because of what they had done during the war. As for victimizing themselves, let’s face it: Thousands of people died. That’s a terrible tragedy, regardless of the fact that they were at war with us at the time. This is their memorial, the way that they honor their people who died so tragically. There’s no memorial for the Hiroshima victims in the US, so I think it makes perfect sense for them to focus on their own people and only touch on Pearl Harbor and Nanking. At least they admitted that they were in the wrong.

There was even a section of the museum describing Hiroshima’s efforts to bring an end to nuclear arms worldwide. Is that a future we will be seeing anytime soon? I don’t think so. With the US at war with Iraq and other countries watching each other with their fingers over the button, it’s hard to completely trust anyone. Regardless, I admire the people here for their attempts to seek world peace.



To be honest, I was a little worried about coming to Hiroshima at first. Sure, the bomb had been dropped sixty-five years ago, but sometimes people hold grudges. I wondered if people would treat me differently knowing that I am American (even though the bomb was dropped WAY before I was born). But the people I’ve come across so far have been very friendly, and the messages of peace delivered by the Memorial Park ring strongly with the people of Hiroshima, I feel.


As an example, it was raining on and off today as it did in Kyoto. I was wandering the park grounds when it began to really pour down. I had stupidly left my umbrella at the hostel, so I took shelter under a tree near a memorial mound where the ashes of many bomb victims are buried. As I ducked under the tree, I was joined by a group of elementary school students on a field trip, similarly seeking shelter from the rain. They greeted me with smiling faces and cheerful shoutings of “Hello!” I gave them smiles and little waves as the teachers got the kids together and they all slipped prayer beads around their hands. They faced the memorial mound and began to sing a prayer together; a song wishing for peace for the souls of those who had tragically passed. Once they finished singing, the rain began to let up, so they scurried off to their next location, but not before giving smiles and waves in my direction. I can’t say for certain if this message for peace has spread through the rest of Japan, but I hope it has. If the whole country can rise up and try to spread peace, maybe it will be passed on to the rest of the world until everyone feels safe and secure in their own homes.