Italian
August 6, 1945. At 08:15, the American bomber “Enola Gay” drops “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare.
July 19, 2000, after a long train journey from Osaka, I arrive in Hiroshima. We are guests of a Japanese couple who honeymooned in Venice and are madly in love with Italy.
From my travel diary:
“I don’t even know where to start! When we arrived in Hiroshima, the guide immediately took us to the Genbaku Dome and then to the peace museum and the park… I was left speechless. It’s not like watching a movie or a documentary. It’s facing a terrifying reality; after 55 years, there are still people dying from radiation… An entire city fights every day for peace, to ensure that atomic weapons are never used again. What I saw there cannot be described…”
August 6, 2025. Exactly eighty years have passed. As every year, I think back to that trip. Those feelings. It’s something so strong that it can’t be explained. The moment I got off the train, I could hardly say a single word.
As much as I had read books like “Black Rain” by Ibuse Masuji or seen films like “Rhapsody in August” by Akira Kurosawa and the heartbreaking “Grave of the Fireflies” by Isao Takahata, one is still not remotely prepared for all this pain.
Suddenly, I am reminded of the Origami and Sadako, the shadow on the steps, the pond with the lotus flowers, the flame of peace, the Japanese flag waving in the gentle summer breeze. The 324,000 victims who continue to die because of this human madness.
The Journey
We started our visit with the “Genbaku Dome“ (Atomic Bomb Dome) which has become the symbol of the city. The concrete and steel skeleton of the former Industrial Promotion Hall, also known as “A-Bomb Dome” or “Hiroshima Peace Memorial”.
The bomb exploded right above here, about 600 meters away. Very few buildings remained intact, almost all the houses vanished into thin air. The Japanese government decided four years later not to restore it as a warning for future generations. It was chosen as a target by the Americans because it symbolized the promotion of the city’s thriving industry.
From here you move to the Memorial Park (Heiwa kinen kōen), a stretch of over 120,000 square meters of greenery dedicated to displaying various monuments in memory of the deceased and for peace. An incredible place, full of energy.
I learn the story of little Sadako Sasaki, a girl who lived about 1.7 km from the site of the explosion. She emerged unscathed but 9 years later fell ill with a severe form of leukemia. Her brother, to cheer her up, told her the legend of the 1000 Cranes:
“If you manage to produce 1000 Origami cranes (Orizuru), one of your wishes will come true“.
The little girl immediately began to prepare them, hoping not only to heal and return to running, but also to heal all the children in the world and bring back peace, with the disappearance of nuclear weapons. During the 14 months in the hospital, up until the day of her death, she constantly produced them with every type of material, including the leaflets of medicines.
It is not known whether she actually managed to make them all herself or if the remaining ones were made by her classmates. They were then buried with her, and with the funds raised by her classmates and from all Japanese schools, the “Children’s Peace Monument” (Genbaku no ko no zō) was erected in her memory. Even today, people from all over the world send their 1000 cranes to lay at her feet.
Shortly after, you come across a large stone arch. It is the “Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb“. Inside are the names of all the people who died directly and indirectly from exposure to radiation. From within, a small lake begins with two hands holding a flame. “The Unforgettable Fire”, the successful album by U2, is inspired by this flame of peace. A fire lit by man that will not be extinguished until the last nuclear weapon is destroyed.
From the perspective inside the Cenotaph, you can immediately see behind the dome of the A-Bomb Dome. An arch that protects the souls of the deceased and the flame of peace in a unique path leading to the site of the explosion.
Inside the park, we find the Museum of Peace. It is a structure made up of 2 buildings that retrace the events of the city and their effects on the population and humanity as a whole since the outbreak.
We can listen to the stories of many survivors, see the belongings of the victims distorted. Glasses, hats, bicycles. The photos of the injured and the shadows imprinted on the walls left in place of the people. It is truly a shocking experience and not suitable for overly sensitive individuals.
Hiroshima is a city that has risen from its ashes, yet remains true to its duty to remind us at every moment of what the madness of man can lead to.
It enters you like a punch to the stomach and never leaves.
