Hiroshima reborn - Japan

I remember when I was a few centimetres shorter and much younger about the possiblity our young family may be settled in Woomera much further northwest of my home city Adelaide in South Australia. Woomera is a militarily sesnsitive zone and at the time known as the Woomera Rocket Range.

I was too young to understand the science or effect of nuclear bombs but I knew that Woomera itself was very far from anywhere. What we all know now is the British government conducted several nuclear tests from the mid 1950’s through to the early 1960’s at Maralinga within the Woomera area. Maralinga was also sacred ground for the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara aboriginal tribes. There was also a major coverup of the long-term contamination effects on land and water as a result of these nuclear tests. I was shocked to learn that a Federal Government Minister who supported partnership plans with the British Government had gloated about the fact this alliance would produce a device to protect the 'free world' by harnessing the forces of nature. So Hiroshima and Nagasaki where just trivial events were they? The US government deliberately kept the ssouthern industrial cities off the carpet bombing list to see how they would be affected by the atomic bomb. Kokura was the target for the second bomb three days after Hiroshima but due to poor visibilty the bomber continued further south to Nagasaki the last major city on the mainland.

My hotel at Ground Zero

The Dome

The location for my four-day hotel stay in Hiroshima was a deliberate choice to be about 200 metres from ground zero where the atomic bomb exploded 600 metres above. On that fateful day of 6 August 1945 at 8:15am the Japanese nation experienced something more sinister than anything they could ever imagine and the world we knew changed forever. Early that morning 5000 young Hiroshima school girls were busy preparing fire breaks in the timber villages of the city centre districts. Firestorms had occurred in other cities where carpet bombing from US planes had devastated large urban areas.
The young girls had no idea would was coming as they dutifully laboured on for their country and that many of these young lives would end in an instant - simply vaporised with no trace.

The suffering for many Hiroshima citizens continued after that day from the horrible injuries. It's very sobering to visit the Peace Memorial Park, the infamous 'dome' and the Hiroshima Memorial Hall all within the park grounds. I spent over two hours in the Peace Memorial Hall which is free and focuses entirely on the 80000 victims that died that day and another 60000 within a year from injuries suffered that day. By the way here's the irony - a number of US prisoners of war in Hiroshima were also killed that day.

A must visit

Shrine for the school children that died

The Hiroshima of today is an incredibly important and vibrant new city on the beautiful bay only few hours train travel Southwest of Tokyo which reminded me of other bay cities like Melbourne, Wellington and Seattle.

Travelling north to Hiroshima

Pasta with chilli prawns

”Can anyone spare me some money for a train fare?”

As well as exploring Japanese cuisine I travelled by ferry to the large island of Itsukushima south of Hiroshima. Here you will find the magnificent 1400 year old Itsukushima Shintu Shrine complex after walking through the stunning little village of Miyajima. I also came for a quiet easy trek to the top of Mt Misen. The local deer were not shy in attempting to steal my lunch.

Spent a quiet reflective time for the people of Hiroshima, Nagisaki and all lives lost in wars