Day 7 - Himeji, Hiroshima

HIMEJI

Manhole Cover

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Himeji Castle

"Himeji Castle (姫路城, Himeji-jō?) is a hilltop (as opposed to a flatland or mountaintop) Japanese castle complex located in Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture and comprising 83 wooden buildings. It was registered as one of the first Japanese World Heritage Sites by UNESCO World Heritage Site and five structures of the castle have been designated as National Treasure in December, 1993."

It is one of the most beautiful castles in Japan

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Interior

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I love the white-washed wall and the blue tiles

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Beautiful

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Reflection

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Beautiful Clean Design

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Beautiful Statue on the Street

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Another Manhole Cover

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HIROSHIMA

"Hiroshima (広島市, Hiroshima-shi) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It became the first city in history destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States of America dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15am on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II."

Atomic Bomb Dome

A Stark reminder of the destruction happened on 1945

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Nuclear Destruction

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Below is a comparison of the effects of Nuclear Bomb:

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CHILDREN'S PEACE MONUMENT

"The Children's Peace Monument (原爆の子の像, Genbaku no Ko no Zō) is a monument for peace to commemorate Sadako Sasaki and the thousands of child victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and is located in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, itself in the city of Hiroshima.

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Sadako is immortalized at the top of the statue, where she holds a crane. Thousands of origami cranes from all over the world are offered around the monument on a daily basis, with ancient Japanese tradition holding that one who folds a thousand cranes can have one wish granted. They serve as a sign that the children who make them and those who visit the statue desire a world without nuclear war, having been tied to the statue by the fact that Sadako died from radiation-induced leukemia after folding just under a thousand cranes, wishing for world peace."

"This is our cry, this is our prayer: for building peace in the world."

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This kid reminded me of the innocence of a child in everyone of us. When we were young, there was no malice in our mind. But as we grew up slowly and achieved some success, we became greedy and wanted more power and fame to satisfy our Ego. When the Ego took over our lives, we forgot to about alot of lessons we learnt when we were young. And when we are older, it seemed that being rich and powerful is all that we need.

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Every war leader (even Hilter) used to be an innocent kid. It is sad that people resort to violence and war to gain power and wealth. It caused so much unnecessary sufferings in the world. That's sad.

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A Buddhist Nun praying for World Peace

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Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

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"LET ALL THE SOULS HERE REST IN PEACE

FOR WE SHALL NOT REPEAT THE EVIL" 

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An aerial view of the destruction of Atomic Bomb:

The structure left standing on the left is the Atomic Bomb Dome

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Remanants of the destruction

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While I was really sad that innocent school children and housewives were killed or badly affected by the Atomic Bomb, I could not agree on how the Japanese presented the history. The main reason the US chose to bomb Hiroshima because of its military training ground, however, in the museum, the emphasis is on the innocent lives being killed.

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"Internationalization must begin with speaking the truth about the role each country played in the war. We must find a way to make our mutual pain a positive gift for the future."

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I was sadden by the tragedy - thinking about the innocent kids being killed and had to endure the horrific sufferings. At the same time, I could not agree with Japanese way of treating history. I was disappointed with the museum - it portrayed that the Japanese were the only victims, and US was the demon to use Hiroshima as a test-bed for Atomic bomb. There was never an acknowledgement of wrong-doing of the Japanese military. What about the pain inflicted on the millions of Chinese? The Nanking Massacre?

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Without a clear view of history, Would the future generation really understand the Truth and the pain?

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May there be Peace in the world.

May All Beings be Free from Suffering!

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JAPANESE BUS

I am impressed by the Japanese efficiency.

You can insert a 1,000 Yen note to change for coins to pay the bus fare. That's cool!!

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MIYAJIMA

"Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mōri Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine."

Street View

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The famous "Floating" Torii @ Itsukushima Shrine

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Huge Torii

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Enjoying the Sunset