Hiroshima, Twice

Though I've only been in Japan for a little over 3 weeks, I have had the chance to visit Hiroshima twice (once with Sean and then again with my brother, Danny).  In a place that was once leveled by the first atomic bomb dropped in Japan, a beautiful city has grown once again and has come to be an ardent advocate for international peace and nuclear disarmament.  Just a short distance from the hypocenter of the atomic blast there now stands a museum devoted to memorializing the events of August 1945.  Besides explanations of the politics and history surrounding the dropping of the a-bomb, significant attention is devoted to the artifacts left behind after the bomb exploded.  From shredded school uniforms to melted skin and fingernails to a picture timeline of the life of Sadako (of paper crane fame), the exhibits are haunting but nonetheless wonderful to experience in person.

  

Here are a few pictures from the trips.  Also, if you would like a more insightful account of the Hiroshima museum and a more witty account of basically my entire experience in Japan, check out David Sedaris' new book (and audiobook), When You are Engulfed in Flames.  In "The Smoking Section" chapter, Sedaris recounts his experiences during a three-month stay in Japan during which he tried to quit smoking.  With the exception of the details about quitting smoking, the experiences and thoughts he writes of in his essays are eerily similar to my own--definitely worth reading (or listening to) if you have the time.

Cheers,

Maureen  

PS:  On a slightly less "important for all humanity" note, while Danny and I were in Hiroshima we had the chance to go to a Japan league baseball game.  Let me tell you, the Hiroshima Carp are about as ferocious their name sounds, though they have a devout fan base whose enthusiasm was truly impressive.  Other than the fact that the Japanese spectators were eating hot noodle soup on a 90 degree day, it was pretty much like going to a game in the US.  Other activities during Danny's weekend visit included seeing the Lion King musical in Japanese, eating two meals served entirely on skewers, and rocking the taiko drum game at the arcade--in other words, it was a typical Danny-and-Maureen adventure!