I
developed a genuine dislike for History subject when I was in 8th
grade. It made me fall asleep. Then it made me feel horrible about myself for not
having any interest about those great warriors who sacrificed too much for building
our nation. I had nothing against my subject teacher because the subject itself
was boring. But now I understand that look on his face, “ahh such a pity child.
Might be dealing with a tough home situation or possibly poor nutrition.” It
might have been painful for him to deal with someone who sleeps the entire
class and scores terrible grades. You could probably fathom out the feeling if
you’re a teacher.
I
might be exaggerating a little but this was what happened. History was taught
by school Principal, who was always buried in a blanket of responsibility. He would
be gone most of the time with official works and couldn’t keep up with the
scheduled syllabus. Then it would lead
to countless weekend classes just before the exam. He would merge 3
classes together out on basketball court on a chilly Sunday mornings and would
read out the History textbook. There was no charm in freezing your butt off
from the concrete floor underneath while listening to some boring lecture. Since
then I lost track of my passion for history and I couldn’t recover from it. My
relationship with History almost came to nonexistence by the time I finished
Junior High. It became a subject that I memorized just for exam and not enjoy at
all.
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| A-Bomb Dome then and now |
I
just hate the history, you know, study, exam that kind of stuff. Visiting
historical monuments and museums, I enjoy. I am so glad I had the opportunity
to visit Hiroshima last spring. Hiroshima is not too far from the place I
reside. But what’s far in Japan anyways? Japan has an efficient and convenient
public transportation network that cut short your traveling time. Heard about
Bullet Train? Known as Shinkansen in Japan, it can travel around 300KM/Hour.
According to report in 2012, the average delay of this train from schedule was
36 seconds. Real badass!
In
particular, I visited Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. The Park is situated in
the heart of Hiroshima city. The area around is kept so well that would put you
to wonder if something too horrible, too evil had happened here. But the truth
is it did. Some 7 decades ago, the whole city was completely ruined. Enjoying
the beautiful landscape, watching the street performer by the river side making
audiences go “Wooow!” The place is just surreal. As you enter the park, there’s
an inscription on the stone block that reads “LET ALL THE SOULS HERE REST IN PEACE FOR WE SHALL NOT REPEAT THE EVIL.”
Walking through the park then a sadness does set in, a feeling that is hard to
describe. The park contains many prominent monuments dedicated to all the victims
affected by nuclear attack (directly or indirectly).
Coming
back to my History class again, remembering the dates was a real nightmare. I
have absolutely hated this part. So as I know now dates are absolutely vital
for any understanding of history. In marking the anniversary of the atomic
bombing of Hiroshima, every year Peace Memorial Ceremony is held at the park at
8:15 AM on August 6, to mourn the souls killed by the atomic bomb and to pray
for lasting peace in the world. It was the day the city of Hiroshima felt
victim to the world’s first atomic bombing back in 1945. That day, as I’ve read
it was a bright, beautiful morning and the residents of Hiroshima were getting ready
for a new day when suddenly a huge thunderclap and a flash of lightning blew up
everything. The entire city was devastated by the magnitude of heat produced. Approximately
140,000 people were estimated to have died by the end of 1945. However, the
exact number of deaths remain unknown. Many victims were never identified and
many fell victims to the aftereffects decades after the explosion. As a legacy
of this horrific tragedy and in memories of those victims, the Peace Memorial
Park is built at the exact location where bomb exploded.
The
most prominent figure seen there is A-Bomb Dome, the remaining structure of
which was previously Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. It is one
of the surviving structures left behind by the nuclear attack. It was the
commercial heart of the Hiroshima city before the bomb blast. Today, it stand
as a symbol of survival and peace.
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| Children's Peace Monument |
Across
the river, on the other side of the park is Children’s Peace Monument. This
monument was inspired by a true story of Sasaki Sadako, who lost her life to
leukemia at the age of 12 as a result of radiation. This monument of a bronze
girl standing holding a gold crane is built in memory of Sadako and all other
children who lost their lives in the bombing. The inscription underneath the monument
reads, “This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in this world.”
The
Hall of Remembrance- oh! I really can’t describe the feeling evoked being in
the hall. As the name suggests, it’s the hall where one can remember and mourn
the lives lost in the atomic bombing. As you enter the hall, you go back in
time to that moment with every detail buildup of war, the bombing and its
aftereffects on the walls. Photos of the victims are displayed. The visitors
can also search for the information of individual victims by their names. To
keep the survivors’ tales alive the videos of the personal accounts of the
atomic bombing are also available. Man, it was a lot to take in.
There
was one thing that really caught my attention and touched me in there. To
certain extent Japanese take responsibility for the bombing due to their
“mistaken national policy.” Following the WWII, Japan became an advocator for
the world peace. Japan now only maintains self-defense forces, not the armed
forces with war potential. It means Japan cannot attack other countries but can
defend in case they are attacked. It is mandated in their constitution.
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| The Hall of Rememberance |
According
to the pamphlet of the sight-seeing guide map, the park contains around 59
cenotaphs in memory of the tragedy of 1945. Well, I’m definitely not going to
go down the whole of history here. Everything you want to know is just a
mouse-click away. However, it gives you a deeper understanding and stronger feeling
of appreciation for peace when you see it in real than reading about it on internet.
The
damages done on the city and its people is beyond imagination. Even reading
about it I can’t help feeling helpless. To the people visiting the park is a
reminder of the great tragedy and at the same time gives lesson to the future
generations to never repeat the mistake again. Many inscriptions underneath
those monuments reemphasize and demand the abolition of nuclear weapons. All
they seek is peace, never a war again. Do you know who got the Nobel Peace
Prize this year? Me neither! So I googled it. Simple, right? It was awarded to International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) in their effort to abolish the use
of nuclear weapons. So bright future ahead, huh!This reconnization is a proof that people continue to seek the realization of a woeld free of nuclear weapons.
The
Hiroshima city, like a phoenix, has emerged from the ashes of disaster. It has
made an impressive recovery, however, there is definitely something in there that
makes you feel sad all over again. There is this
gloomy reminder of what happened in 1945 that cuts you deep. The city has
transformed into a peaceful city now. Without question the Peace Memorial Park
in Hiroshima is one of the must visit places in Japan.
Did
you make it through the end?? Hope I didn’t make you fall asleep the half way
through. Haha!
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