Hiroshima Peace park |
Hiroshima peace park |
By Tong, Kathryn and Maria
tong here. last night we arrived in Hiroshima at about eight. we had to wait about 50 minutes for our bus to come. It was sooo hot in the bus. when we arrived at the bottom of the hill to our youth hostel, i didn't expect the climb to be hard. yes, it was a hard climb with all our big packs on our backs. finally we reached the top of the hill and we were covered in sweat. we took showers, enjoyed Hiroshima's night lights for a while then slipped into our beds. this morning i woke up late for breakfast.
kathryn: well we started out at the hiroshima peace park and the museum. it took my breath away. after leaving the museum i was sad. i hadn't understood how terrible it had been until i saw that. i was a little bit ashamed. my host dad in kyoto came to be our tour guide. he is very kind. i can not thank him enough for all he has done. he even paid for all of us to ride the train. for lunch we had okonomiyaki. they cook it right in front of you and it is huge. it starts with like a pancake batter and then they add a lot of vegetables and bacon and eggs and noodles. it was good but i am really full. now we are on our way to miyajima. it should be beautiful. i miss you julia, emily, mom, and dad. i hope eau claire is treating you well.
Hi. Being to Pearl Harbor was in no way like being to the Hiroshima Peace Park. This was much more powerful. The main problem I have with the bombing is that this was no military target. It didn't hit me until I saw the pictures in the museum. They aimed for a bridge right next to an elementary school. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way justifying Pearl Harbor or any other war act, I am saying that this was almost as emotionally draining as the Holocaust Museum in D.C. I honestly could not look a Japanese person in the eye for over an hour, I felt so bad for just being American. Anyway, we ate okonomiyaki (a Hiroshima specialty pancake with cabbage) for lunch, which is officially my favorite Japanese food. We're now on our way to an island. Should be fun! Maria