I fall into travel slumps, and snap out of them when I find something that I want to do. It isn’t like ‘I want ice cream’ but ‘I have always wanted to _____.” Then I jump on it and am out of the slump.
I was in Tokyo and had a strong urge to go to Hiroshima. Lucky for me, a 300kpr train does so every ten minutes. $220 later I was in one of the most famous places on earth, the first use of the Atomic Bomb in war.
What horribly violent people humans are. Thought one.
What amazingly forgiving, people we are. Thought two.
How quickly we forget how hard peace is. Thought three.
I’m moved by what Hiroshima is today. Very proud that this, the place of mass destruction beyond imagination, has bounced back and is an advocate for peace.
Everyone I met was warm. Every feeling I had was full of peace. A reminder to be kind.
Someone just emailed me a research paper they did on post war Japanese photography. It had this gem in it “The literal translation of shashin, the Japanese word for photography, is ‘truth copy.’” Thanks Jo!
Full photos of Hiroshima here.
Video of my Tokyo to Hiroshima journey is here:
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