Wow… this is where the Atomic Bomb was dropped

*Hiroshima. We left Tokyo for a nice, long bullet train to the South. That basically translates into a nap catching up for lost sleep. After we got off the five hour train or so, we caught a local train car to the dome, where the bomb was dropped. Under FDR, the Manhattan Project was a 2 billion dollar project with 600,000 working on the bomb. In 1944, it was decided it would be dropped on Japan. A target committee was created to choose the ideal location. Kyoto, Tokyo, and other various places were immediately discarded because there was ‘nothing left to bomb’. It was already torn apart from daily bombings. Hiroshima was chosen because there were no known POW’s or American soldiers nearby. In fact, there was no military at all. It was only comprised of unsuspecting citizens going about their daily business. On August 6th, the 12.5 kiloton ‘Thin Man’ was dropped. 240,000 died immediately, 120,000 died from radiation. When the bomb was dropped, it literally wiped out everything. Everything. Only 5 or so buildings stood in the rumble. One of them happens to be the City Center, which used to be an ornate building, on the waterfront. The bomb was aimed towards the T bridge, directly above the City Center. The blast somehow left the building standing, preserving the location of where the bomb was dropped. You knew as soon as you stepped in the park. You just knew. There was something about this place that had a story to tell. It was in the air. An eerie silence and peacefulness. As you head toward the bridge, you hear soft, sweet music. Women in lei’s and flowered dresses hula to ukuleles. The bridge itself is suspended above a calm waterway, with rows of young cherry blossoms heading off into the distance. A man at the end of the bridge held a piece of paper. Free Hugs.

*At the end of the bridge stood a statue. Do you know what I am talking about? I remember hearing the story when I was in grammar school. She was a little girl when the bomb was dropped, but suffered from leukemia as a little girl. She was 12 years old. The belief is if you fold 1,000 cranes, you will be saved. Well, she may have died, but thousands upon thousands of cranes are left in several glass cases nearby. An entire school of children were standing in front of the memorial, holding umbrellas and bringing chains of cranes.

*Afterwards we went throughout the museum. A whole row of children’s clothing and items were displayed in boxes, all with statements such as ‘Vanessa was 14. She went to school in this outfit, which she sewed herself. When she didn’t return, her family searched for her and found this as her last memory in the rumble.’ Unlike Vietnam, it was from a very unbiased perspective, and, if anything, left a lasting impression of peace. They want you to remember their stories, so that no one will have to suffer through them again. Understandably so. After the bomb was dropped, those who survived were left with lasting impressions. If they survived, they were left with cancer, and other problems from radiation. Little children were throwing up their organs, dying painfully.