How I Learned to Stop Worrying...

Hiroshima – September 23rd-25th

Our hostal was only a few blocks away from the Peace Park, Memorial Museum, and A-Bomb Dome. The Peace Park, once a bustling and prosperous entertainment district before the war, was leveled completely and it was thought unlikely that any plant life could grow in its ashes.

The Memorial Museum houses hundreds of artifacts – fused bottles, twisted metals, clothes burnt and soiled by the black dust that filled the air. The stories of the survivors were so powerful、although I have to say that the story of Sadako and the thousand paper cranes was the most heartbreaking.

At the south end of the Peace Park is the A-Bomb Dome, which was once Hiroshima`s Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall. The dilapidated structure was one of the only that remained after the bombing, and has since been declared a World Heritage Site. Believe me when I say that the photo does not do it justice.

On a lighter note, the restaurants and nightlife in Hiroshima are fantastic. We had dinner at this famous 3-floor okonomiyake place, then headed to a gaigin bar to meet up with some friends, then drank some Ichiban Number 1 Asahi Super Dry in the alley around 1 am, then hit the karaoke bar from some late night David Bowie baby, yeah!