Japan 2012: Hiroshima (Peace Park)
Atomic Bomb Dome. Near the hypocenter.
I had stopped at the wrong station. You can't miss it, but I forgot to change lines on the hiroden. But no matter. It was only a few minutes walk away. And strangely, walking is something that I quite enjoy in Japan. And boy do you walk here. The weather is lovely and allows for it. I walked half an hour from my Ryokan into the centre of Hiroshima without breaking a sweat or feeling tired!
But I digress. As I walked towards the peace park.. the dome peaked out from the modern buildings that obscured it. And then you see it. In all it's naked glory. It is very stark indeed. Quiet and solemn, it stands in the face of immense destruction and pain.
The children's monument.
If you fold a 1000 cranes, you will have your wish granted. Or so the tradition says. Sadako Sasaki, the child immortalised on the monument, then suffering from leukemia caused by radiation exposure from the atomic bomb, wished to be cured. So she set out to fold the cranes. She died before reaching her goal. The story touched many hearts and children all over Japan started folding cranes for her. It is now known that Sadako did in fact fold more than a 1000 cranes. But I'll like to believe the original story. Wouldn't you?
8:15am. The time of the explosion.
Cenotaph of peace. May this evil never be repeated again.
