Two Days in Hiroshima: A City Transformed

Two Days in Hiroshima: A City Transformed

[Music] Hiroshima is a city forever marked as the place where the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped, bringing unimaginable death and destruction. [Music] But out of that devastation, Hiroshima has rebuilt itself with an incredible spirit of resilience, carrying a powerful message of peace and hope for the future. [Music] In this video, I visit the sites that tell this story and explore modern Hiroshima. [Music] I also visit nearby Miaima, considered one of the most beautiful parts of Japan. [Music] The atomic bomb dome is at the center of Hiroshima’s World War II story. This building was originally the Hiroshima Industrial Promotion Hall. It somehow survived because the A bomb exploded directly above it 600 m up. I’ve seen images of this building and footage of this building many times over the years, but to be actually here and see it with your own eyes is very sobering. On August 6 in 1945 at 8:15 in the morning, the first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It unleashed a devastation the world had never previously seen. It completely destroyed the city of Hiroshima. And around 140,000 people were gone in just moments. And the vast majority of those were just ordinary people, teachers, office workers, storekeepers, children. And this place of complete devastation has now become a place for peace and reflection. This is Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park which pays tribute to those who lost their lives in that devastating event. This is the Aoy Bridge. It was the target for the American bombers. They lined up the river and lined up the bridge. And as they approached the bridge, they knew that’s when to release the bomb. After the bombing here in Hiroshima, 3 days later, the Americans dropped another A bomb on Nagasaki, completely destroying that city. And within a week or so, the Japanese surrendered. So, as devastating as the A- bomb was, in a way, it hastened the end of the war with Japan. Exact numbers of the deaths of this event are not really known. Uh official figures say about 140,000 people. Some estimates are up to 240,000 people as the bomb exploded. Many of them would have been vaporized immediately. But then a lot of people died in the fires that ensued afterwards and then also a lot of people died over the ensuing months of radiation poisoning. Memorial Peace Park is both a place of mourning and a place of hope. After the A-bombs, Japan decided not to seek retribution, nor to build its own atomic bombs, but to pursue peace and the elimination of atomic weapons. That stance continues today, 80 years later. [Music] [Music] [Music] This is the children’s peace monument dedicated to the many thousands of children who died in that event. In particular, this memorial remembers Saddako Sazaki, a young child who was two years old when the bomb dropped. She developed leukemia and passed away at the age of 12. But in that time she made more than a thousand paper cranes for peace. And still today people all over the world make origami cranes which are displayed here promoting peace. The Abomb senotar burns forever to memorialize the victims of this bombing. And it’s said that that will continue to burn until one day the world is rid of nuclear weapons. The peace park is is very peaceful. It’s uh somber and people talk in hush times out of respect for those who passed away in this awful event. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum documents life in this city before the event of August 1945. [Music] It documents the aftermath and its destruction with images some too graphic to show. [Music] Here is an atomic shadow where a person was instantly vaporized by the explosion, leaving behind only their shadow burned into the stone. [Music] The museum tells the story of Hiroshima and the bombing and the aftermath. It’s very harrowing. It’s very confronting. Um, there are very graphic images in there. [Music] It’s really upsetting. [Music] But while Hiroshima suffered complete devastation, it’s also become a symbol of resilience. Within 10 years, they’d rebuilt a lot of this city. And today, 80 years after the A bomb, it’s a vibrant, colorful city of 1.2 million people. Once um Hiroshima began to rebuild, it was the late 1940s and early 1950s. And so they had an opportunity to rebuild the city as a modern city. Um, so the main streets in the city are wide and um it’s it kind of reminds me a little bit of Melbourne or an Australian city where you’ve got lovely wide boulevards and tall buildings on either side [Music] in the evening. You’ll be calling [Music] in the evening. You’ll be calling. [Music] One of the busy streets in Hiroshima is Honduri Shopping Street. It’s um got plenty of shops. Obviously, we’ve come here because I’ve heard there’s an amazing petissery, and you don’t find a lot of them in Japan. It’s like honey glaze or something. Really good. Um, we just happened to see Anderson’s, which is a petissery. Oh my god, it looks beautiful. M flaky, delicious, like a croissant but with chocolatey bits inside. Beautiful. I found it hard to resist a good pastry. And this is a really good pastry. [Music] As delicious as it was, pastries are not this city’s specialty. Hiroshima is on the sea and so seafood is a big part of the food culture of this city. One of the things it’s really well known for is oysters. So we’ve got an oyster set which involves some raw oysters, some fried oysters, um some pickles, oyster rice. Can’t wait to try this. I think they grew it actually a bit bigger and fat. [Music] Mhm. That’s really tasty. [Music] This is a fried oyster. I’ve had these before in Japan. They’re pretty tasty. They can often be scoldingly hot on the inside. Wa. And it is. Ouch. Jasper went for the oyster and miso soup. It’s like the miso soup we used to make back at home, but a lot better. I really like in um Japanese food, you get a selection of pickles and pickled vegetables. It just kind of it’s like a a palette cleanser before you move on to the next dish. And um pickled ginger I think is my favorite. This one here is oyster rice. So, we got a little bit of rice and some oysters. M. Wow, that’s delicious. So, if you come to Hiroshima, yes, definitely explore its past, but don’t forget to explore the food culture of this city, too. As you may notice, there are no old buildings here. Um, because Japanese buildings and homes generally are made out of timber. And when the A bomb dropped, that just destroyed everything. So, everything had to be totally rebuilt. So, you’re not going to see old buildings in Hiroshima. If you want to see maybe what Hiroshima looked like before the Aball, you need to go somewhere else. [Music] A short train ride, then a ferry ride will take you to the beautiful island of Miaima. That’s where you’ll find these cute critters, old Edeto period buildings and a beautiful temple. It’s a world heritage listed site and it’s said to be among the three top most scenic sites in Japan, but it’s best known for its tour gate. This beautiful shrine was built in the 18 late 1800s. It’s built on the water, so when the tide’s in, it’s really lovely. It looks like it’s actually just floating on the water. The shrine is dedicated to deities who protect against maritime disasters and war. And the Buddhist temple contains a sacred flame that was lit more than 12,200 years ago. The island has a huge population of deer. These are sacred animals and they’re very used to being around people. I’m guessing he’s pretty hungry hanging out the front of a restaurant. The deer add a lot of charm to what is an incredibly beautiful island. [Music] Oh, [Music] love. [Music] [Music] Oh, heat. [Music] I’ve enjoyed my time in Hiroshima. It’s a fascinating city. It’s a modern city these days. It’s a city with a very sad tale. And uh it’s quite sobering going there and seeing the destruction that the A- bomb caused. But it’s also a city filled with resilience. How it rebuilt after 10 years after that disaster. And it’s a city filled with hope because peace is at the heart of everything that’s in Hiroshima and they promote peace. Thanks so much for watching. I’ll catch you in the next video. I’ll be back in O next video. So I’ll see you then. So if you come to Hiroshima, yes, definitely take in the past, but don’t forget about the food culture of this city. [Music] Do that again. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]

In 1945 the Japanese city of Hiroshima suffered such devastation when the Americans dropped the first A-bomb. But Hiroshima has since become a symbol of great resilience and hope for a future of peace. I explore the Atomic bomb site then set out to Miyajima, one of Japan’s most scenic locations.

Thanks to Furkan Seyrek, Hoi Wai & Cheng for the additional footage.