HIROSHIMA CASTLE

It was a lovely time to go out and finally see the castle in Hiroshima. It's nicknamed the Carp castle. I really dont know why. The leaves are beautiful right now, reds and golds, and the area around the castle is an isolated island. You have to cross a bridge and enter a courtyard. There were an amzing amount of koi in the water, even some bright yellows (which I wasnt aware carp came in that color) as well as those splotchy reds and whites you see in all those paintings. It's very quiet and peaceful, like Oak Openings with no bikers or runners. It would be a great place for a picnic for all it's a bit too cold. The Castle was destroyed 55 years ago by the bomb, so all that has been rebuilt is the main tower. The inside is now a museum, holding some things from the original tower, some information about it and the area's history, and different special exhibits that change periodically. I had not taken the abomb into account and so was a bit disappointed that there was no old things, you know, art and tapestries and stuff. Lack of common sense really. But the upswing was, the exhibit at the time was a sword exhibit. Would have been better if I could have read all the info for each sword. Either way, was darn cool. No photography allowed though. Somehow, I was not surprised.

PEACE PARK and MUSEUM

Later that same day I went to the peace park and museum. Was very effective. I'm not sure what else to say about it. It is different to hear about the effects of radiation and the backlash of heat from the atomic bomb, but to actually see people who look like nothing more than burnt husks except you can see they are still alive... made you feela bit of the real horror that other people talk about, but most people shrug at. Also there were drawings done by the survivors, who experienced the bomb as children. Pictures of the heaping mounds of bodies that were burning constantly as more and more people died, a boy who ran away from a woman trapped beneath her burning house, a drawing of a mother crouching over her child in vain, and the burnt-out blackened appearance of them after the blast. Also they had artifacts, like a tricycle, it's shape was intact but it was melted and deformed. Lots of articles to make you think and realize that the people who died had lives. Something I didnt know was that there was a group called the "mobilized students" who worked after school for the government in factories and demolishing buildings and generally doing things in case of air raids. Many of them worked near the epicenter, so they were never even found. The park was quiet indeed. Many foreigners, etc. walking about. The message of the museum/park was simple: never again. The successive mayors of Hiroshima have written letters of protest, pleading with countries that test nuclear weapons to put an end to them, and the letters were enough that, shrunken in size, they papered large pillars in the museum. I was rather pressed for time that day, and one of the wings was already closed (was kind of late) so I will have to return.

3-5-7 WEEKEND/TEMPLE

that day, I also happened to stumble upon a temple, where, quite to my surprise, the 3-5-7 festival was being celebrated. Little kiddies (boys of five and girls of three and seven) all aglow in their kimonos were dragged to the temple and made to pose for pictures. The purpose of this by the way is to mark the growth of child and pray for health and safety. Was a nice surprise.

Sunday I woke up bright and early. Actually this is untrue. I woke up before dawn, much to my dismay, and possibly for the first time in my life, was unable to get back to sleep. So at 615 I crawled out of bed. This is sad because I had nothing to do but get ready until 9ish, when we left. I went to Kayoko(host mother's) elementary school class. Many things were just the kids, singing head-shoulders-knees-and-toes, and the ABC song. But my job was speaking so that they could hear native english. I quizzed them on picture cards, and embarrasingly enough some of them quizzed me. I just could not remember what Scissors and Ant were in Japanese. Was a bit embarrassing, but will never see them again so dont really care.