The Spirit of Hiroshima

Date:  4-6 May 2011 (Golden Week Holiday)

Places: Hiroshima, Miyajima, Chugoku prefecture, Japan

My Travel Info:

         At 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945, the  world's first atomic bomb used against human beings exploded over Hiroshima. Instantly, an entire city crumbled and burned.  The explosion blazed like a small sun. More than a million degrees Celsius at its center, in one second the fireball reached a maximum diameter of 280m and the surface temperatures in the vicinity of the hypocenter rose to 3,000-400C ! It is approximately 350,000 persons perished. Those who managed to survive suffered grievous mental and physical trauma. 

         Since I'm living in Japan, a long-dream to Hiroshima had finally been granted last week. When I was at Hiroshima, my mind reminded back the old-school moment with Cikgu Rosli Shafie who taught me a  story of disastrous nuclear atom in historical world of study. Seeing the effects of the bomb at the preserved destructed buildings and over 20,000 belongings of the victims, the story was surprisingly beyond my terror. Yes, the Hiroshima aftermath which was a part of influential world's history, was truly sorrow and full of lessons that should be learned among us.  I hope this terrific event would not repeat as our last history.

A-Atomic Dome building: At past, it was Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall since 1921.

 The atomic dome hall (Genbaku Dome) located close to the hypocenter. The building's steel skeleton of the dome became a symbolic landmark.

 The A-Dome had been registered on the World Heritage List on December 7, 1996.

Hypocenter locating Hiroshima map: The point on the ground directly beneath is called the "hypocenter".

 Belongings of three high students

Hiroshima became a burnt plain. Within 5-kilometer radius of the hypocenter, everything combustible was entirely consumed.

 Cenotaph for the A-bomb victims. (Memorial monument for Hiroshima)
Every year on August 6, the Peace Memorial Ceremony will be held in front of this monument. The characters carved in stone on the front of coffin mean: "Let all the souls here rest in peace, for shall not repeat the evil".

Peace Memorial Museum

Street car

Hiroshima Castle. This castle had been reconstructed after explosion

Route to Miyajima.

Shukkein Garden (Japnese Garden)

Miyajima Island: The famous island in Hiroshima. The journey took an hour by street car to Miyajima Guchi Jetty and 15 minutes to the sland by ferry.

Ikutsu shrine.

Kaki Yaki (Grilled Oyster): Dont miss to try the popular dish in Miyajima.

Hiroshima Shinkansen Eki (Bullet Train station)

Street car around Hiroshima City.