Hiroshima

The final destination of our stunning trip to Japan was Hiroshima. The city is home to more than 1 million people and is worldwide known for the terrible tragedy that has occurred in 1945.
We reached the city in the afternoon. The bus stop was close to our beautiful hostel. On our first day we did not do much, except buying groceries at the supermarket and cooking.

The next day we started early in the morning with a full breakfast and then we set off for a walk to the city center. Origami Hostel was a bit outside the center area, but after a 30-minute walk we already reached Hiroshima Castle. The original castle witnessed the terrible event on August 6th, 1945. It is not like we have not seen enough temples and Japanese castles and palaces yet, but this particular area caught our attention because of the Japanese style boats that float near the castle and the beautiful cherry blossom in this area.

The cherry blossom is especially important in Japan. Sakura, as it is called in Japan, stands for beauty, departure and transience in Japanese culture and heralds spring.

Our walk took us further to the center, to the remains of the sad event that happened in the city. The Peace Memorial was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. The remains of the atomic bomb dome, as it is known today, are only about 140 meters from ground zero in August 1945.

But what exactly happened on August 6th, 1945?

The first atomic bomb was dropped by the Americans over Hiroshima and claimed a hundred of thousands of lives. The bomb exploded at 08:16 am at an altitude of about 600 m and triggered a gigantic pressure wave. Around the monument, there is a lot of information from survivors describing the events of that day. Right next to the Peace Memorial are the Peace Park, with the monument for the children that died during the explosion, the Peace Museum and the Cenotaph, whose arch overlooks the Peace fire and the dome. The Peace Park is not only intended to commemorate this national tragedy, but also to look to a peaceful future.

Those who have more time in Hiroshima can take the ferry to Miyajima, leaving from near the park. The island is not far from the city center. It is known for its beauty and the particular Torii in the water.
We didn’t find the time to visit the Shukkei-en Garden, which we think is also very special in Hiroshima, because we spent the afternoon preparing for the flight on the following day, that would be the start of our next adventure in Hong Kong.

More pictures of Hiroshima you can find here.