After Kyoto, our next stop will be Hiroshima. In the picture above, you can see the building now known as the A-bomb Dome. The first atomic bomb was detonated almost directly above this building and the ruins have been preserved as a reminder of the terrible destruction. The monument in the foreground is a memorial in Peace Park and the associated museum. You may have heard the true story or seen the children's book, Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes, in which a young girl develops cancer as a result of the bomb's radiation. She believes that if she folds 1000 paper cranes then she will be cured. She died before she reached her goal, but millions of children have continued to send origami cranes to Hiroshima as a gesture of peace. We will visit the dome, the museum and the children's peace park, perhaps adding some cranes of our own. It will be a difficult day, but I expect we will all remember it forever. We will be staying at a B & B called the World Friendship Center, a traditional Japanese house staffed by American Quaker volunteers who are devoted to sharing the lessons of Hiroshima and promoting world peace. A nearby day trip from Hiroshima is Miyajima, an island with a picturesque shrine built out over the water and tame deer who wander the streets. It should be an interesting few days.
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