Cranes in Hiroshima

Today we traveled by bullet train to Hiroshima, picking up a bento box and some sushi to eat on the train along the way.

In Hiroshima we visited the Peace Park which has many memorials to the people who lost their lives when the bomb was dropped. One of the most strikingly visual memorials is the Atomic Bomb Dome. The dome is the remaining shell of a building which stands only metres away from the main target of the attack, a road bridge. Another memorial in the park is constructed entirely from colourful origami cranes folded by individuals and groups with a desire for peace from all over the world. In Japan cranes are symbols of hope and longevity. While we were in the park school children approached us to carry out a survey in their best English, at the end of their questioning they presented us with paper cranes which they had made for us to take home.

The Peace Memorial Museum was a sobering experience, it is an important place which tells the story of Hiroshima's history and its people. Seeing evidence of the effects of the bomb is really unbelievable. Emerging from the museum and walking around the city seeing people go about their everyday lives really makes you think.