August 6, 1945 at 8:15 a.m.

The US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 a.m.  The bomb detonated 600 meters above the city center.

 The entire city was leveled. and thousands of people died.  Many who survived had physical and psychological damage.  At the instant the bomb denoted the temperature at the center exceeded one million degrees celsius generating an enormous fireball. Within 1 second of detonation, it had extended to its maximum diameter of 280 meters.  The blast pressure was 500  meters from the center.  Buildings were crushed, people were blown through the air. The heat rays and blast burned and crushed nearly all buildings within a 2 km of the hypocenter. Many junior high school boys and girls had been helping to demolish buildings to make room for new fire lanes.  Most of those children were never identified except for their belongings left behind at worksites. The Motoyasu River was full of  dead people. The nuclear radiation caused severe injuries to the human body.  It affected all those within 1 km of the hypocenter.  Many people died within a few days. The Atomic Bomb Dome was built in 1915 by a czech architect and was formerly the Industrial Promotion Hall. The bomb exploded directly above the Atomic Bomb Dome and everyone inside was killed.  It is one of a few buildings that were left standing near the epicentre.  After the war there a was a discussion to preserve the shell as a memorial

At the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, you can see a collection of belongings left by victims, photos and other things that convey the horror of this event. Most of the belongings on display were found by family members who went searching for their missing family.
One thing that hit me was a tricycle.  It belonged to Shinichi Tetsutani who was 3 years old.  He was riding in front of his home on the morning of August 6.  He was badly burned and died later that night.  His father buried the tricycle and his son in the backyard because he thought his son was too young to be buried in a grave far from home.  In 1985 the father dug up Shinichi's remains and the tricycle.  He transferred the remains to a family grave and donated the tricycle to the museum.

You can also see Hiroshima before the bomb. The atomic bomb was 3 meters long and weighed 4 tons.  It carried about 50 kg of uranium.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima was an amazing place.  So full of history, sadness, devastation but yet so full of peace. Here are the highlights.

Hiroshima Castle-
The castle is representative of a flatland castle.  It was once a military facility, the Imperial General's headquarters during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.  The atomic bomb destroyed the castle but the present tower was rebuilt in 1958 and is used to exhibit historic artifacts.  The original tower was built sometime between 1592-1599 and made mostly of pine.  The new tower is made of reinforced concrete.  During the Edo period the castle occupied a huge area with 3 moats in addition to the river which formed a natural moat.  It is sometimes called Carp Castle because the area around the castle used to be called Koi-no-ura, which means koi sea shore.  Koi is Japanese for carp.

Hiroshima Peace Park-
The Childrens Memorial was created in memory of all the children who died as a result of the atomic bomb.  It was inspired by the death of Sadako Sasaki who was exposed when she was 2 years old. Ten years later she developed leukemia.  When she was admitted to the Red Cross Hospital, she began folding paper cranes in hope of a cure.  The belief is that if you fold 1000 cranes your wish will come true. The crane is the symbol of longevity and happiness Unfortunately Sadako died after 8 months and was unable to complete the 1000 cranes.  Her classmates folded the rest and called for a monument and collected contributions from schools in Japan and 9 countries.  It was built in 1958.  The bronze statue is of a girl lifting a golden crane with a boy on one side of the monument and a girl on the other side.  Surrounding the monument are strings of 1000's of colorful cranes sent from all over the world.

Cenotaph for Victims-
At the pond of peace the names of all known victims are listed.  The flame of peace is set to burn until all the world's nuclear weapons are destroyed.  As you look through the Cenotaph in a straight line, you see the pond of peace, the flame and the dome, with the museum behind you.

I am going to devout a new post to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.  Keep reading!

Miyajima Island

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine has been designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site  by UNESCO.  It is dedicated to three goddesses:  Ichikishima-hime, Tagitsu-hime, and Tagori-hime.  They are the deities of traffic safety, sea, fortune and accomplishment.  The shrine was built in 593 and remodeled in 1168. (I didn't know that remodeling was even a thing back then!)  The vermillion color of the shrine and the o-torii gates is considered to keep evil spirits away.

The o-torii gate is  an historical cultural property.  It is one of the largest wooden torii gates in Japan. It stands about 16.6 meters high and weighs about 60 tons. The roof is made of thatched Japanese cypress bark and is about 24.2 meters long. The main pillars are about 9.9 meters in circumference and made of natural camphor trees.  The 4 supporting pillars are made of natural cedar.  The top rail has hollow spaces where stones the size of your fist are put inside as a weight.  They use about 7 tones of stones.  It is standing of its own weight. This o-torii gate is the 8th gate built since the Heian period and was built in 1875.

In the background behind trees we could see a 5 storied pagoda.  It was built in 1407 and is about 28 meters tall.

After visiting the shrine and the o-torii gate, we wandered through Omotesando Shopping Arcade taking in all the sights, sounds and smells.

There are also wild deer on the island.

Shinto vs Buddhism 101: As Understood By Yours Truly

I've seen so many Shrines and Temples and I was having difficulty understanding the difference so I sought out a bit of information.  Remember:  a little information can be a dangerous thing....is that how the saying goes?  Well, this is my current understandings of the difference between Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples.

Shinto is Japan's ancient original religion.  It is deeply rooted in Japanese life.  There is no founder or holy book.  It's a set of values based on nature.  It's spiritual.  Kami is the word for divine spirit.  The Japanese feel awe and gratitude towards Kami and have dedicated shrines to these deities.  Almost every shrine is dedicated to a different spirit or deity.  It is the largest religion in Japan, about 80 percent of the people identify themselves as practicing Shinto.  The public shrine acts as a conduit to Kami so prayers are offered there.  Shinto shrines are recognizable by the torii gates that lead to the main shrine.

Any one can pray at a shinto shrine.  Upon arriving you must start at the hand washing basin. First rinse your right hand, then pour water into your left hand and rinse your mouth.  Then rinse your left hand and the dipper.  Throw a few coins into the offertory box.  Bow twice.  Clap twice to summon the spirits.  Or sometimes there is a bell to ring.  Offer your pray or request.  Bow once again.

(I'll be posting information and pictures of some of the Shrines I have visited in another post.)

Buddhism has been practiced since about 550 when it arrived in Japan by the Chinese. About 90 million people practice Buddhism.  But it does not directly affect everyday life, other than many people have a small house altar to pay respects to their ancestors. My tour guide told us that there are 5 Buddhist rules for the monks:  Don't kill.  Don't steal.  Don't lie.  Don't commit adultery.  Don't drink too much sake that you forget about your work.  Probably good rules for all of us to adhere to.

Our tour guide also said that the Japanese are very flexible when it comes to religion.  Most believe they are born as Shinto, baptized at a Shinto Shrine.  But die as Buddhist, funerals follow Buddhist beliefs.  She also said that there are about 1% of the population that are Christian but that it is becoming more popular for the Japanese to be Christian for 1 day....when they get married.  Western style weddings are very popular.

(Pictures of some Buddhist Temples to follow shortly.)

It appears that the Japanese people are very tolerant of religious beliefs.  Maybe the rest of the world could learn a few things from the Japanese.

Facts I've Learned While Visiting Japan

Japan is an archipelago and has 4 main islands and about 6000 smaller islands.  It is 3500 km from north to south.  Seventy percent of Japan is covered in forest or mountain.  Thirty percent is floodland and half of that is used for agriculture. The population of Japan is over 127 million, with Tokyo's population is at 13 million.  The rainy season is from June-July and typhoon season is from September-November.  As I sit here right now it is cherry blossom season.  On 3/22 the meteorological society announced it was officially cherry blossom season.  The meteorological society bases this on a cherry tree somewhere that has to have more than 5 blossoms to begin the official season.  They expect full bloom by 3/29.  Everything everywhere is cherry blossoms...ice cream flavors, signs, designs on socks, etc,  I have included a few pictures of the cherry blossoms I've seen.  The school year in Japan starts in April so I have seen lots of kids in graduation gowns.

Emperor Akihito is 82 years old, as is Empress Michiko.  Emperor Akihito is the 125th Emperor of Japan and from the same blood line. He has no political power.  He is the ceremonial head of state and according to the 1947 Constitution, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is also the highest authority of the Shinto religion (explained int he next post).  The Empress was the first commoner to join the Imperial family.  They have 2 sons and a daughter.  Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako have one daughter, Princess Aiko.  Prince Fumihito of Akishino and Princess Kiko have three children:  Princess Mako, Princess Kako, and Prince Hisahito.  Prince Hisahito is third in line for the throne.  He is currently about 10 years old. The Emperor's daughter, Princess Sayako, lost her royal status and had to leave the Imperial family when she married a commoner.  She was the first princess to marry a commoner and is now also considered a commoner. That sucks, right?

Tokyo is divided into 23 wards, developed around the Imperial Palace grounds.  400 years ago it was a swamp.  At the end of the 16th century a great Samurai built a castle where the Imperial Palace sits now. During this time, there was a Shogun form of government.  This was a military form of government.  More about that later.

Kyoto has 1.5 million people and is the 8th largest city in Japan.  It was the capitol of Japan from 794-1869.  At that time the last Shogun turned over power to the Imperial Emperor.

Next up:  a short lesson on Shinto vs Buddhism.

Konnichiwa Japan

On Thursday, I begin my travels to see a good friend living and teaching in Tokyo, Japan.  Once I arrive, I will spend about 7 days in Japan (Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto).  This will be followed by 8 days in Bali, Indonesia for her spring break.  Then we will return to Tokyo, where I will have about a day and a half before leaving for home.  I will be back here in Austin on April 6. If you are interested, sign up to follow along on my trip so you will be notified of my blog posts.  I will also post links on Facebook.  Sharing my adventures soon...