I got to Hiroshima and returned to Kyoto on the overnight bus. However, to get from my home to the bus stop I took a local Kyoto bus. Within Hiroshima, I traveled by tram. A tram is like a one-car train, except it is connected to a wire on top, which is how it gets energy. While in Hiroshima, I also rode a ferry to get to Miyajima island.
The most interesting place I visited this week was the Peace Memorial Park. The Peace Memorial Park is in the center of the city, directly under where the atomic bomb was dropped. It contains numerous objects to remember the bombing and wish for peace in the world. For example, it has a bell that people ring to wish for world unity. It also has a museum, which tells the story of World War II, the bomb, and how Hiroshima has been trying to establish world peace ever since. Finally, the Memorial Park has a collection of paper-crane art. In Japan, it is believed that anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes is granted one wish. In 1955, 12-year old Sadako Sasaki was diagnosed with cancer due to exposure to the bomb as a child. She began folding cranes, hoping that she would be able to survive. Unfortunately, Sadako passed away later that year, but her story spread. Every year, schoolchildren from all over the world fold and send paper cranes to the Peace Memorial Park, to represent their desire for a world without war. You can send some also!
