Hiroshima

Visiting Hiroshima brings a lot of heavy emotions, but ultimately the city is a very thriving, vibrant, and active place. There are endless restaurants, shops, karaoke stores, themed cafes, bars, malls, events, and baseball. For our first trip to the city, we especially wanted to see the historical sites that serve as a beacon of light for world peace.

Childrens' Peace Monument stands tall as a reminder for the thousands of young victims that lost their lives.

Paper cranes are the symbol of peace after a young girl, Sadako, a bomb survivor, began folding them when she was diagnosed with leukemia. It was her wish to have world peace and she folded over 1,000 cranes before the illness took her life.

Walking up to the Genbaku Dome, also known as the A-Bomb Dome, I was overcome with a haunting feeling. This building is the only one that was left standing near the epicenter after the dreadful morning of August 6th, 1945. Around the site there were binders in multiple languages that described the events of that day as well as answers to questions about the war. It is truly an indescribable feeling to walk around the exact same area that once was the scene of utter destruction.

Next we walked over to the Hiroshima Castle, which served as a military facility during the war. Originally built between 1589-1599, it collapsed as a result of the bomb and was rebuilt in 1958.

Within the walls of the castle grounds, three trees that survived the blast stand tall today. It is an absolute wonder and a symbol of life that they are still growing.