Neil Island, Andaman

Sunday 25 June 2017

Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima

  • If you have a JR Pass, traveling in Hiroshima is not a problem. The hop-on-hop-off is part of the pass.
  • Most visited place is of course Atomic Bomb Dome but you can start walking from station and cover some other attractions in the same direction.
  • The city of Hiroshima buzzes as if to defy the existence of bomb attack. Malls and high streets are a treat to visit and restaurants are abundant.
A grim reminder of human ineptitude to be the dominant species on this planet, the Atomic Bomb Dome of Hiroshima was nothing but graceful in its presence. We were in Hiroshima on a sunny Sunday afternoon without much fuss or spend. A distance of more than 200 miles was covered in a bullet train in less than two hours and then a loop bus took us to the Imperial Palace for free thanks to our JR Pass.

Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima

The Imperial Palace was occupying a small portion of the palace ground. Surrounded by a mote, the first step of ground is a temple which the palace is on higher grounds. Overlooking half of the Hiroshima, the palace is majestic and beautiful although not as elaborate as HImeji. On our way out, we watched a local group performing on a warlike music. Even the moves were close to what we know as Ninja fight. The same road lead us to A-Bomb Dome 15 minutes later.

Me, dome & river

Before I had any idea of what the dome looked like, the feeling was that of shame and curiosity. Will it be in a large dark pit or at the centre of a large barren spot? As a matter of fact, the A-Bomb Dome is in the middle of a plush green lawn beside a flowing river. Except for the dome, everything is peaceful and serene. The dome looks lost in the past, brooding over the question so many have asked before - could it have been avoided?

Dome and the river

The dome is adjacent to a massive park called Peace Memorial Park. Its an expansive green area with a memorial building at the periphery. One thing that surprised us was the gamut of foreigners that we saw in Hiroshima. You will not find such are crowd in Japan except possibly in Kyoto. Our next destination was Miyajima which is an hour from Hiroshima. We hurried as we had to reach back to Osaka ultimately.

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