Hiroshima, Japan

It’s pronounced hee roh SHEE mah and it literally means “broad (hiro) island (shima)”

Our guide was a mature Japanese woman who began our tour (I knew it would be a tough day) by
saying, “The deeper we bond, the more respect we pay.” Then she used the 15-minute commute to our
first site, a peaceful garden, by diving into her story of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
from her own personal account and her family’s.
Her name is Takato Shimita and her two characters of her first name literally mean “pure water” and last name meaning “deep thinker.” She is dedicated to informing people of the truth so that such an event will NEVER again happen.

She was born 40 miles from Hiroshima four days after the blast. She married a man whose family lived
1300 ft. away from Ground Zero and whose family had evacuated, yet a short time later (he was 10
months old) they returned to Hiroshima to look for relatives. Years later, they lied about their proximity
because there was so much prejudice against nuclear survivors that nobody would think about marrying
them. Nobody knew what the after effects would be nor what the next generations would spawn. (“We
still don’t know,” she admitted.”) She is 78, has two children and two grandchildren.
I could hardly breathe as she seamlessly wove between her deep and tragic story while talking to the
driver about where to turn, while paying attention to silly stuff from us tourists. My tears began flowing
in the bus and generously flowed at other times all morning.

But first, let’s go in order for the day. She paused her story as we reached our first stop. Ironically, it
was a garden built by a feudal lord long ago in the north part of modern, rebuilt Hiroshima called
Shukkeien Garden, literally translated as “miniature of every scenery.” This was more like the gardens
we’ve seen in other countries, built in a very small area with the requisite rock formations, trees, and
water features like fountains and ponds with bridges over and koi under. The islands here are shaped
like turtles because they represent long life. The trees have a strange straw wrapping on their trunks.
These attract insects who lay their eggs in the straw. The wraps are taken off and exposed to the
freezing cold destroying the eggs. Pretty ingenious. The few pictures from shortly after the bomb are
sobering as there is essentially nothing left. A visitor is supposed to quietly and meditatively wander,
pause, pray, and find peace.
Yeah right.

We had already begun to hear about unspeakable horror and we were dreading our visit to the Peace
Memorial Museum, next. Perhaps you’ve visited Dachau. Perhaps you’ve seen the Ann Frank house.
Perhaps you’ve visited the Holocaust Memorial in either Jerusalem or in Washington, DC. Perhaps
you’ve seen the 9/11 Memorial. Then you know the silence and the reverence and the shame and the
rage and the muffled sobs.
Why was Hiroshima targeted? From the late 1800s it had one of the largest military bases in the East.
Because of the topography it made the likely result its most devastating. At 8:15 on that morning of
August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb detonated 2000 ft. above ground with the blast measuring 5400-7200
degrees Fahrenheit. The three devastating effects were the blast pressure, the heat, and the radiation.
Hiroshima’s six rivers were filled with people flinging themselves into the water in order to escape the
conflagration. For seven months there was no media coverage nor information sharing. Most of the
photos that remain were taken by American military.
The Children’s Monument was a rough one. A ten-year-old girl, a survivor, decided that if she could
encourage others to make 1000 origami cranes, then her wish for peace would be granted. Even now,
well over TEN MILLION origami cranes are sent to or delivered to the Children’s Memorial each year.
Each is lovingly displayed and then recycled into postcards, certificates, etc. Ten years later, she died of
leukemia. Her name was Sadako Sasaki. Perhaps you’ve heard of her story.

How did survivors first greet one another? “How many of your family members were lost?”

Barack Obama is the only sitting president who has so far visited this city. Find the YouTube. He
changed many, many hearts.

If you’re a reader, find the book, Listening to Stone. See the photo.

In the years since 1945?
 On August 6, 1947, Hiroshima’s mayor hosted the first Peace Festival to persuade the world that
a nuclear war could destroy humankind and were inhumane. Since, Mayors For Peace have
formed an association that is worldwide.

 In March 1957, A-bomb Survivor Certificates were issued in the hopes of assigning certain
medical issues to be covered by the Japanese government. Of course there were inadequacies.

 The Flame of Peace was lit in 1964 and will remain lighted until the last atomic weapon is
demolished. The Olympic flame in the 1984 LA Olympics came from this Flame of Peace.

 By 1980, nuclear tests had exceeded 500, exposing countless numbers of people to radiation.