Hiroshima & Miyajima: May 18

We left Kyoto Wednesday morning for Hiroshima. Alisha was in charge of planning our itinerary for the day and we started by taking a ferry to Miyajima. The island is known for its shrine whose Torii gate sits out in the water and during high tide it appears as though it is floating. We got there when it was low tide though which meant we could walk out to the gate and get a closer look. Alisha, Katrina and I also spent a couple hours exploring the island by bicycle. It was so relaxing riding around the small village, stopping at the shops, eating fried Oysters (delicious) and wandering along the sea shore.




After Miyajima we went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The museum and its surrounding park are located within a few hundred meters from where the atomic bomb struck the city. All of the buildings and individuals within the property were immediately vaporized. Walking through the museum we learned about the effects of the bomb, the lifestyle of those living in the city, saw old clothing and photographs, and gained a greated understanding and appreciation for the world we live in now - particularly as my grandmother recountered her personal experiences during the war.

The building shown in the picture below is called the Hiroshima Dome and when the bomb hit, the dome and the remaining metal/structural portions of the building survived while everything else was destroyed. The peace memorial stands as a reminder to the world about the destructions of nuclear weapons and the grounds also includes an eternal flame that will always stay lit until there are no more nuclear weapons in the world.