Hiroshima, easily my most favorite place I visited on this trip.
Took a ferry to Itsukushima Island, also known commonly as Miyajima Island or Shrine Island.
View of Itsukushima Pagoda from the ferry.
The Sika deer on the island have quite a nice life. In a distant past, they were worshiped as messengers of the gods.
Gates leading towards the shrine.
The floating torii gate is one of the most distinct landmarks of the shrine.
At low tide, you can nearly walk to the gate.
Itsukushima Shrine complex. This part is "floating" over the bay.
The shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage site and considered a National Treasure of Japan.
The shrine was build in 593 AD.
I cannot read kanji, but I think those are barrels of sake.
More prayers.
That is a steep bridge.
Sika deer hanging out in a park. The park is higher than the town.
More fire trucks.
Five-storied padoga. Also part of the Itsukushima site.
I left the island and made it towards the epicenter of one of Japan's most visited sites.
I knew that visiting Hiroshima would be personally difficult, knowing what happened there. I was lucky to have caught a crane - local symbol of peace after World War II - flying over.
The bridge on the right is an oddity. It is a T-shaped "Aioi" bridge, easily identified from the air. Unfortunately, that also makes it a distinct target.
The Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy" above the dome of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, on the 6th of August 1945.
The city was effectively destroyed, but the "A-bomb dome" survived. The dome has been preserved as it originally stood to serve as a reminder. The stories and accounts from the people that suffered were chilling.
Sasaki Sadako was a two-year old when the atomic bomb blast blew her out a window. She was found by her mother and they were both caught in the "black rain" after the detonation. The colorful boxes contains thousands of paper cranes and come from all over the world.
She was severely irradiated but lived for 10 more years before succumbing to leukemia. Before her death, she was told the stories of getting a wish if you fold 1000 paper cranes. She exceeded her goal.
Sasaki's friends and schoolmates raised the funds to build her and all the children that suffered from the effects of the bomb a monument. A plaque at the bottom reads. "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world."
Eternal flame memorial
Dedicated to the victims.
The memorial does not appear to blame a nation or people. It simply says "For we shall not repeat the evil."
Final goodbye to Hiroshima.
