Hiroshima, the Land of Silence
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
It took less than an hour and a half for Shinkansen to get us from Osaka to Hiroshima. Beyond Kobe, the views became more rural, and by the time we reached our destination it became clear that we are far away from the central densely populated Japan. The view from our room in Granvia Hiroshima, the only five-start hotel we were inclined to book during this trip, confirmed our impression: there were almost no tall towers in sight.
Well after 3 pm we left our room and started our exploration of Hiroshima. We found out that the central station neighbourhood in Hiroshima is actually not too tourist-friendly. Long and empty underground passages, brutal architecture and aging city infrastructure left a rather depressing impression. We quickly decided to walk to Hiroshima Castle, passing by Shukkeien garden on our way. Unfortunately, the garden gates were about to close when we reached them so we had to hurry to the castle, which was open for visits until 5 pm only.
The vicinity of Hiroshima Castle was crowded with tourists. However, soon enough we figured out that there are almost no locals on the streets – just the tourists abounded. We were just about to join the line to the castle entrance, when we found a stand with a brief history of the place. The original castle was fully destroyed by the nuke which was dropped just 800 meters south. What we looked at was a modern replica. We immediately lost any interest in looking at the interior and enjoyed the views of the surrounding gardens and the moat.
Next to the castle we found some remaining foundations of military offices and barracks, also fully demolished on August 6th, 1945. Surprisingly, there are a few terribly mangled but green and alive trees that somehow managed to survived the explosion.
Walking by one of the central Hiroshima streets we finally figured out what’s wrong with this place – it is quiet. Deadly quiet, you can’t compare it with even the most remote part of Tokyo or Osaka at that time of day. Almost no people in sight and dismal silence piercing the space surrounding you made it almost claustrophobic to walk the central streets of Hiroshima.
The symbol of A-bomb, the memorial, the only remaining ruin in Hiroshima — the Atomic dome — was once a prominent Chamber of Commerce. It’s hard to explain how exactly this building survived the explosion that levelled the rest of the city in a few kilometre radius. However, it’s more shocking to learn that the L-shaped metal bridge that was actually the target of bombing survived the explosion as well and it was in service for the next 35 years.
The radiation levels went down to normal in the first few years, so the city grew around the covered the wound, remaining at the same place. We couldn’t understand the motivation for survivors to return back to the place of the tragedy, but the city around us was a living proof of dedication of the people of Hiroshima. By 1966, the entire city was rebuilt.
Even though the views were impressive, we couldn’t call this walk pleasant. The silence and the evidence of the tragedy that happened here just 70 years ago were too tough to stomach. We walked through the memorial park to an impressive Institute of Technology building. Even the usually lively and noisy student companies were quiet, we thought.
To get distracted from the overall depression of the city, we went on a hunt for the famous Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. We tried our luck at Okomiyanomura, a four-storey building filled with over 25 onokomiyaki and teppaniyaki restaurants. Originally, these were neighbourhood restaurants scattered central Hiroshima after the World War II, but densification forced them to move to one building.
Most of the restaurants were empty, a few were packed with locals. We avoided the former ones and couldn’t get into the latter ones. Finally, we found a place called Hirochan that was quickly filling with visitors, and sat next to the griddle. We placed our order and enjoyed the show from the first row, as we had an excellent opportunity to witness the entire process of okonomiyaki making. Alas, the ramen-filled, egg-covered savoury pancakes failed to impress us as much as okonomiyaki at Sometaro in Tokyo.
Our final stop of the day was at a laundromat which we found surprisingly easy to use, even though there were no instructions in English whatsoever, beyond the signboard.
We planned a trip to Fukuoka the next day hoping to visit Ainoshima, one of the famous cat islands, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
