HIROSHIMA, Japan – It seems only appropriate that a light rain fell on the Industrial Promotion Hall – a somber atmosphere for a somber reminder of the past. Dozens of tourists snapped pictures and took video, unfazed by the falling rain. Groups of school kids took in the building, no doubt on a field trip to learn about their nation’s past.
During World War II, Hiroshima was an important military town, but it more or less escaped major bombing for much of the war. In fact, once the U.S. selected the city as one of four possible sites to drop an atomic bomb, air raids on the city were prohibited.
Once known more for its role in ending World War II, Hiroshima has now become a major tourist attraction, and each year thousands of visitors from Japan and around the world travel to this western Japanese city.
It was here at 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945, during the closing weeks of World War II, that the first atomic bomb was dropped on a city. The blast produced a mushroom cloud and killed 140,000 people and left thousands more homeless. Three days later, the U.S. dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, which killed an estimated 80,000 people, closing the chapter on the Second World War.
Walking through the city’s streets, it’s a bit eerie to think about what happened here and how the city has rebuilt. But, there’s no need to worry, as everyone in the city is exceptionally friendly.
While atomic weapons no doubt remain a controversial subject, it is possible to take in Hiroshima and understand the historical significance of the city without spending too much time discussing the pros and cons of nuclear warfare, though I will say that understanding this decision requires one to put it into the context of World War II.