Japan with Baaba and Grandpa: Hiroshima

It is hard to know where to start with this post. All of the emotions and reflections on man's past and on our future. Both the devastating reality of what we are capable, and at the same time the hope of what might be.

A four hour Shinkansen (bullet train) ride might as well have been a transport machine from the strange modern chaos of Tokyo to the beautiful and haunting landscape of Hiroshima. Hiroshima is gorgeous, reminding me of my time in Kyoto with its criss-crossing rivers and green, volcanic hills. Oysters are the delicacy of choice, with floating beds stretching across the inland sea. And in the middle of everything sits a stark reminder of the incredible destructive power of mankind.

Boarding the Shinkansen to Hiroshima

Enjoying a bento box on the Shinkansen. Getting good with the chopsticks.

We arrived around four o'clock and checked into the Hotel Granvia, located conveniently adjacent to the train station. We took advantage of the afternoon sun and caught a bus down to the Peace Memorial Park. Powerful, beautiful, haunting. I am not sure I can name another place that brings out so many conflicting emotions. The terror of the individual experiences; the fascination of the incredible science at work; the physics of the heat, force, and radiation all working together in fearsome and unpredictable ways; the realities of the politics of World War II; the ultimate question of how this could ever be justified. And at the end the incredible beauty and simplicity of a people that in the end have dedicated themselves to making sure something similar never happens again. That feels like the only thing we all can agree on.

The A-bomb dome (under scaffolding for routine maintenance). Located directly under the bomb blast, it stands as a powerful reminder. The bridge behind Sam was the specific target - easy for the pilots to spot as it marks the confluence of two rivers. The bomb missed by 300m; not important when everything within a 2km radius was essentially vaporized. 140,000 people killed instantly; at least that many again of after effects. All from about 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of uranium that actually reacted. Within one second a small sun was created with a radius of 200 feet and temperatures as hot as 2,000 degrees Celsius. The weight of all this history is immense. The boys asked if they should smile for this picture - I wasn't sure what to say. Their forced expressions speak volumes.

After a fitful night of sleep it was on to Miyajima, one of the truly beautiful and reflective spots in Japan. A shrine originally built in the twelfth century, rising up out of the water. The peace and tranquility was a welcome salve to the images from the day before. A reminder of the beauty and reflection that we are capable of.