Hiroshima: A burden of memories

Revisiting a modern city with a tragic past on Hiroshima Day

The Itsukushima floating shrine near Hiroshima. Credit: Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay

A sombre feeling takes over as one walks into the Peace Memorial park in Hiroshima. Amidst bustling tourists, peace workers and excited children on school trips, the peace flame keeps burning bright at the central cenotaph.

On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb on the city, killing 80000 people instantly. Many people succumbed to death in the following days to radiation exposure and injuries sustained in the bombing.

The event that brought an inevitable end to WWII is remembered even after 77 years as a reminder of the destruction brought to the beautiful port city in Japan.

A modern city with a dark history

Hiroshima is one of the most modern cities in Japan today, with buzzing nightlife and seafood restaurants lining the streets in the city centre. Famous for its oysters and Okonomiyaki (a layered pancake made with cabbage and seafood), the modern-day image of the city is starkly opposite to the heart-wrenching imagery one sees in museums.

Squeaky clean concrete walkways, speedy trams crisscrossing the busy roads, and cyclists riding away to work are what one wakes up to in the mornings.

As a tourist, the best way to understand the underlying emotions behind a swanky facade is by spending a day at the Peace Memorial Park area.

Visit the Peace Museum if you have the stomach to look at horrible accounts of the devastation caused by the bombing; else, walk around the Flame of Peace that was lit in hopes of a nuclear-free world. The flame, cupped between two concrete hands, has been burning continuously since August 1, 1964. Visiting the Children’s Peace Monument on the other end of the park reveals thousands of origami birds stacked inside glass cabinets, made by visitors in remembrance, wishing for world peace. Before leaving, sit on a bench opposite the Atomic Bomb Dome beside the Motoyasu river. The dome has been untouched since the bombing and starkly contrasts the surrounding landscape, lined with concrete and glass buildings.

Live another day

There is much more to see and do when in Hiroshima. A replica of the original 16th-century castle houses a museum of history today. A quiet path called the Futabanosato Trail leads to 14 historical sites where traditional Japanese red torii gates open up to a stunning view of the Peace Pagoda atop Mt. Futaba.

An hour from Hiroshima is the famous Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima island, which is worth a visit for its massive floating torii gate submerged in the Sea of Japan.

The city of Hiroshima was deemed uninhabitable for almost 75 years after the bombing. Still, the resilience of humanity and collective demand for world peace has made the destination a truly unique choice for travellers exploring Japan today. The city is officially radiation-free, which has been verified by radiation experts and scientists worldwide.

(Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay is an avid traveller, writer and an independent marketing professional living in Goa)