Hiroshima

I visited Hiroshima for a day in May.  The city is beautiful, and it doesn't have the feeling of a crowded city like Tokyo.  After visiting there, Hiroshima is by far my favorite city.

The first place I visited was the Hiroshima Peace Park.  The next 3 pictures were taken from that area. 

This building, once called the Promotion Hall, is the only building that the city left standing after the a-bomb was dropped.  Above the building was the a-bomb's exploding point, or hypocenter.  In the 1960's the local residents wanted it to be torn down, partly because its structure had weakened severely.  Money from around the world was raised in order to restore and repair this landmark.

Everyday children from schools all across Japan come here to visit the museum and Peace Park.  Many classes place origami cranes around this monument.  Paper cranes became the symbol of peace around the world after the bombing of Hiroshima.  This custom comes from the story of an elementary child who was hospitalized due to the effects of the bomb.  The child made these cranes everyday in her hospital bed.  This practice spread to her classmates, and it later swept through many schools in Japan.  It later gained acceptance as a peace symbol throughout the world.

This is a shot from the museum about the bombing and all of its effects.  The museum is very well done, making every single detail clear that lead up to the bombing, what happened at the time of the bombing and the events that followed.  A large section of the museum was created in order to convey the horrors associated with nuclear weapons across the world.  People such as Mother Theresa, Jimmy Carter, the Pope, and many other well-known personalities have visited this park.

Miyajima Island, located south of Hiroshima, is home to Itsukushima shrine.  This shrine is located just off the coast in the water.  This picture was take from the ferry boat that I rode to get to the island.  At other times, the low tide recedes past the gate you see in the middle.

Here is another picture of the gate that is located the farthest from the shore.  If you stood next to it, I'm fairly sure that the water level would easily be above your head.

A long corridor located within the shrine.  I still get surprised every time I see shrines that use this bright orange color.

This picture and the next are from a garden called Shukkeien Garden.  Japan has some the most beautiful garden areas that I've ever seen.  In my opinion, this one is second only to Daisen Garden in Osaka.