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As mentioned in the previous article, I had considered Hiroshima as a place I wanted to visit before studying abroad, and I finally planned a whirlwind trip of 2 days and 0 nights in Hiroshima.
After a 12-hour overnight bus ride, I arrived in Hiroshima a little after 9:20 in the morning.
From Hiroshima Station to Peace Park
Hiroden Streetcar
Since the overnight bus arrived near a Seven-Eleven convenience store close to Hiroshima Station, I headed to Hiroshima Station, which is about a 5-minute walk away. I had already eaten some bread that I purchased at a service area during the bus ride, so I didn't need to eat anything there. I passed through the newly opened souvenir shops and headed straight to the streetcar station.
To go from Hiroshima Station to the Atomic Bomb Dome area, I had the option of taking the Hiroden streetcar, a local bus, or the tourist-oriented loop bus called "Meipuru-pu."
The streetcar and Meipuru-pu had the same fare, and if I didn't have any time constraints, I thought it would be better to buy a one-day bus pass so I could get on and off at various places. However, I had a mission to return home on a bullet train in the evening, so I decided to take the streetcar only for the round trip between Hiroshima Station and the Atomic Bomb Dome, paying the regular fare.
The train got crowded with a group of elementary school students who seemed to be on a school trip from the Kansai region and a group of kindergarten children on an excursion. Since it was a weekday, there were hardly any Japanese tourists, mostly international tourists.
Most of the trains go to the Atomic Bomb Dome, so there wasn't much to worry about, but there were a few that didn't. Even though I could understand Japanese, I was still unsure which train to take. Instead of struggling to listen to the somewhat difficult-to-understand announcements with a certain atmosphere, I thought it would be better to ask at the ticket counter or check the train number on the guide map.
Visiting Peace Memorial Park
I took the streetcar and after 8 stops, I reached the Atomic Bomb Dome-mae Station. As soon as I got off, I could already see it. Since the overnight bus ride was long, I had been reading the peace education materials provided by the Hiroshima City before and on the morning of this day.
I walked around the Atomic Bomb Dome, checking the names of places, bridges, and the appearance of buildings. The Atomic Bomb Dome is also a World Heritage site. The buildings with their skeletal structures standing out, contrasting with the ordinary cityscape around, told the story of the magnitude of the atomic bomb's impact.
I joined the sokoiko! cycling tour around Peace Memorial Park and its surroundings, so I would like to write a detailed review about that experience separately.
Exploring Peace Memorial Park
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
After the tour, I entered the Peace Memorial Museum. It had been renovated, and the exhibits were reorganized for better preservation of the materials.
Upon careful observation, it took about 2 hours, give or take, to explore the museum. I happened to coincide with a group of school trip students, and they were really nice, giving up their spots for me in the crowded area, saying, "Let her see since she's taller than us" (I could see over their heads). They were told to spend about 45 minutes due to the schedule with the volunteer tour. I felt that it was definitely not enough time.
As I had seen in a documentary on NHK before, on that day, elementary school students in Hiroshima were gathered to the center of Hiroshima city.
The young men were probably conscripted as soldiers.
Additionally, during that time, it was common for people to get married and have children once they turned 20. There were many exhibits with photos of people who lived in the city, searched for their children in the city, and later died or suffered from the effects of radiation exposure. The diaries and medical records portrayed vividly the aftermath of the atomic bombing.
Saying "war is bad" or "the atomic bomb should never be dropped again" may sound brief, but coming to this place and learning about that day instinctively evoked those emotions within me.
I hope that the leaders of the G7 countries who visited this place also felt the same way.
Hiroshima's sky revealed many faces.
While participating in sokoiko's cycling tour, the cloudy weather turned into clear skies, and I was delighted. However, by the time I left the museum, it started pouring rain with thunder.
I used my folding umbrella to move to the National Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. Although I had heard about the unstable weather in the forecast, I was surprised by the sudden change.
Even on a day trip, it is essential to carry rain gear just in case.
The National Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall
The National Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims had a different atmosphere from the museum; it felt like a place for prayer. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, it seems.
After visiting the museum, surrounded by elementary and junior high school students, and considering that most people couldn't make it here due to the rain, I descended down a spiral ramp into an extremely quiet space. It is said to symbolize going back in time, counterclockwise like the hands of a clock.
Beyond that, there is a "Peace Prayer and Memorial Space." A panoramic photo depicted the cityscape after the bombing as seen from the hypocenter, and in the center, there was a monument resembling a fountain overflowing with water, dedicated to the people who sought water after the atomic bomb was dropped.
The tiles on the wall represent the number of casualties known at the time this place was established.
At the end of the visit to the Peace Memorial Park, I was able to offer a quiet prayer.
Impressions of the Peace Memorial Park
I had thought of visiting other tourist spots if I had time afterward, but the timing was tight, and it started raining. So, I returned to Hiroshima Station and changed my Shinkansen reservation from the 19:00 to the 17:00 train, heading back towards Tokyo.
At the Peace Memorial Park, I had the opportunity to contemplate peace and find inspiration through the museum and other monuments. It was a positive experience for me.
Furthermore, it was impressive that not only foreign tourists on the train but also people from various generations and nationalities had come to this place with the intention of visiting.
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