Peace Memorial Museum
- Entrance Ticket: 200 JPY (~2 USD)
I have been saying that I am not really a fan of museums so we did not have a plan to get into the Peace Memorial Museum. Nevertheless, before we could even think and decide, my cousin was way faster than the cheetah to buy all of us tickets. Whoa!
And I am thankful that we did visit the museum, in which it has emphasized how we can not really take peace for granted. The main sufferers in the bombing were children. And the effects of this even extended to several years later, especially the radiation emitted during that time. What could be worse than heart-breaking?
In the museum, I learned of a little girl named Sadako Sasaki. I am only familiar with the name Sadako because of the horror movie “The Ring” but that is it. She was 2 when the bomb exploded and showed no signs of injuries. At age 9, she started to show symptoms of Leukemia and research showed that it was due to the radiation exposure.
Sadako heard of the thousand cranes Japanese legend from her hospital roommate which promises that if one can fold one thousand cranes, a wish will be granted. It was written in the museum that she was able to fold 1000 cranes and more although some documentaries say (including her father) that she was only able to complete 644, the point was that she was full of hope and inspiration. Thereby, she became an icon for the children during that time. She was the reason why the Children’s Peace Monument in the Peace Memorial Park was put up. She died at age 12.
The Peace Memorial Museum was our last stop and Ojisan sent us back to the train station. Arigato! On the way to the station, there was a track for trams in the middle of the city and it was sandwiched between the roads. I was just amused by it so I took a photo of it. If this is considered old-fashioned, I am glad it is still alive in Hiroshima.
My flight that day was late in the evening, half hour before midnight, but we had to travel back to Shin-osaka station for another hour to retrieve our luggage and then finally embark on my last one-hour train trip to Kansai-Airport station, just in time for my check-in. We thought we would have the time for dinner but it was already too tight. I quickly went with Mikee to her hotel for the night, Nikko Hotel, which was just beside the Kansai (KIX) airport as her flight would still be on the next day.
I could not still believe the trip was about to end but the whole experience was enriching, entertaining, and it brought about enduring memories. Even if Japan is pricey, whatever we saw and experienced while we were together were worthwhile. I would definitely do it again. Thanks to my friends who completed this amazing race with me: Mikee, Manish, Preity, and Arleen. Til the next crazy trip!
Sayonara Japan for now! Arigato for the awesome encounter.
You can also check some of my tips and notes here.
