I went to Hiroshima yesterday

[Rabrrrrrr]

And I was alone, so was able to spend the trip in diologue with my inner self. The peace park is beautiful, the memorials substantial and moving, and the museum is very well done - no hystrionics, no hyperbole (though a very obvious - and rightful - hatred of nuclear weapons), the museum lets the images and the texts speak for themselves and is the more powerful an experience because of it. I was moved to tears a few times.

It was a highly emotional day for me, and I did not take many pictures because to do seemed somehow to cheapen the park and the museum and the experience. Though I did take pictures of the THOUSANDS of strands of peace cranes strung all over the park, in the official peace crane area there must have been millions, plus on memorials and statues throughout the rest of the park people placed tens of thousands more.

Anyone who thinks war is glorious and right and good should go to Hiroshima.

I am impressed that since the bombing the mayors of Hiroshima have stayed true to the tradition of writing a letter of protest every time a nuclear bomb has been tested.

I left the museum and my experience there yesterday hoping that humanity will figure out that violence as answer is a pretty piss poor and unhelpful answer and that we will destroy all our nukes and promise never to build them again.

[MichaelHarris]

1. did

ya get me a souvenir? Actually that would be a dream visit. I got to dive on a WWII plane wreck once. Its like seeing a grave your not supposed to see.

[oregonjen]

2. I've been there too. Quite an emotional and humbling experience

I felt ashamed to be an American. Even though it was way before my time on this earth. I couldn't believe humans were capable of this. I went there 16 years ago. Present day America, I'm still ashamed of our country.

[oneighty]

3. I went through

Hiroshima on a steam train in 1952. It seemed an incomplete city as did Nagasaki. Of course one cannot tell much from a train.

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[Rabrrrrrr]

4. It is, of course, considerably built up now

much more than the original Hiroshima. It was a strange experience to see the pictures of the total devestation, then leaving the museum and seeing the area filled with 4, 5, 10 and more story buildings, all new high-tech roads, trolleys, etc.

I:m sure in '52 it was still a mess, like most of Japan.

[oneighty]

5. After all these years

the mental image has faded to grey. But I do not recall any tall buildings at all. I did meet a young girl in Sasebo, her name was 'Atomi'-named for the bomb. She was from Nagasaki. So long ago. Sigh.

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