Nov 15 Hiroshima

Had to get up and catch a 8:02 am train to Hiroshima. It was a 2 hr ride so we got to take naps. From the station we took the bus system to the Peace Memorial Museum. The muesm was at the atom bomb site where one of the 5 buildings that survived the bombing stood. They preserved this one building in memory of all those that died.  We walked through the park and saw a bunch of memorial statues. One was for this one girl that made 1000 paper cranes in hopes that she would get better but she end up dying. The site has these glass boxes filled with paper cranes of all different colors. It was very beautiful. Next we headed through the museum. I got the kind of feelings I had going through the Vietnam Museum. I felt confused, shocked, and ashamed but they way the Japanese set up the museum was not bashing on America. It was truly a peace museum and just showing that they never wanted anything like this to happen ever again. They recognized the fact that dropping the bomb was the only way to end the war because the Emperor was going to send every Japanese into the war to die until there was no one left to fight. We took our time and read almost everything in the museum. They had before and after pictures of Hiroshima being bombed. They had layouts and models of where the bomb was dropped and where it exploded. They had so many pictures and remnants of the city and the effects of radiation. There were melted bottles, roof tiles, bodies, clothes, pictures of bombed victims and fetuses affects by radiation. It is just so sad. I cant believe we had to go this far in a war. I guess there were many reason but still I couldn’t imagine being on the other side of that bomb. Walked around some more and decided to try and get to this island Ali wanted to go to and see the famous gate and deer island. We got on the wrong bus line to a different port and running low on time we couldn’t go. But the waterfront was beautiful. Made our way back to the train station to catch out train to Tokyo. It was a 4+ hr ride so we got some sleep and work done. Had great directions to our hostel so it didn’t take long to find. Ran into these New Zealand boys who were staying at our hostel too and helped them find it. Met up with Kassie and Nina at the hostel. They took us to dinner and sushi! Then we walked back to the hostel to rest up for DISNEY! We could barely sleep we were all so excited. Me Sara Nina and Kassie were all in one room and kept reminiscing about our times going to Disney and our favorite rides.