Hiroshima and Kurashiki

Wednesday morning had us leaving Iwakuni and heading back up north toward home.  Albeit at a slow pace.  Hiroshima is only 45 minutes from Iwakuni but we opted to do it on the way out of town.

I could not help but think of my father the entire day.  He passed his love of history on to me and I was so excited to visit this city with such a dark history.  It was very surreal to actually be there where it happened.  Thinking about what it used to look like and what it is now, the mountains, rivers...it was a very sobering thing to realize 200 000 Japanese lost their lives in this place in August of 1945.  I never intended on stopping in Hiroshima as I want to take my father there if he comes to Japan.  But how could we not?  I was driving right through!  And dad I will take you here!

Memorial Cenotaph with A bomb dome in the background

Peace flame

Children's Peace Monument

Based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who died from the radiation from the bomb.

She believed if she folded 1000 paper cranes she would be cured.

To this day people around the world fold cranes and send them here

Origami cranes sent from all over the world

A bomb dome.  The skeletal ruins of the former Industrial Promotion Hall.  It is the building closest to the hypocenter of the nuclear bomb that remained at least partially standing.  Everyone in it that day died.

It was left standing after the bombing as a memorial to the victims.

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 Eerie revolving doors

There were tons of Japanese field trips from all over Japan here that day.  And these girls wanted their picture taken with Molly.  (this happens often,and frankly got rather tiresome on this trip)

watch that stopped at 8:15, the 

moment the bomb exploded

Making peanut butter sandwiches

After Hiroshima we were headed to Takamatsu on another island.  We had some time to kill and decided to stop in a little town called Kurashiki.  I was not prepared for what we found here.  A beautiful old town with a canal running through the middle that had been used to ship rice through to the Seto Islands.  

Classic in every way

our driver

This little town is truly a hidden gem in Japan.  If I hadn't had children with me, I could have shopped in the little antique stores for hours.  Perfect end to our day.