This is the day of the Zen of Spirit trip for which many of us came to Japan — Hiroshima. How to describe the beauty of a place which was once so devastated? Observation is the key — and being in touch with our hearts as we witness an example of true forgiveness and the phoenix rising from the flames.
We need 45 seats on the bullet train to get to Hiroshima. We miss our reservation, and in an experience of the loaves and fishes, there are exactly 45 seats available during business travel hours on a work day! Another miracle. We zoom along on the bullet train, which moves at speeds up to 150 miles per hour.
We switch to a cable car as John Morton prepares us for our visit to Ground Zero — Hiroshima, the site of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. John makes it very clear that this is a spiritual undertaking, and that Hiroshima is also a place of peace. John shares a blessing as we ride along in the cable car, Phil films with the video camera, and the Japanese passengers watch us and smile.
We arrive at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and immediately see the A bomb dome, the only remnant from the destruction of the atomic bomb. The A bomb dome was close to the center of impact. It is a striking skeleton against a clear blue sky, surrounded by lush trees. It was presumed that nothing would grow in Hiroshima for 75 years after the bomb was dropped, and yet, within a year new buds sprouted giving living hope and courage to the Japanese people.
The Children’s Peace Monument is very moving — 3000 schools contributed 5.4 million yen to this monument.
Many strings of multicolored thousand paper cranes adorn the monument. The crane is a symbol of good fortune and a thousand paper cranes strung together is an offering of great prayer for those who died at Hiroshima, and their families. Children are here today offering their thousand paper cranes.
A sign tells us that the city of Hiroshima is grateful to and interested in the many people who bring their paper cranes to this site. John Morton fills out a form from the 45 of us, telling them that we are offering peace and Light. They are creating a database of the names of all who make offerings and will present the information to the public. If you’d like to participate, here is the contact information:
Hiroshima International Peace
Promotion Department
City of Hiroshima
Tel: 082 242 7831
As we continue on we see the flame of peace which will be extinguished only when all nuclear weapons are eliminated from the Earth.
And next is the Cenotaph, which is a memorial that contains the names of all those who died in the bombing. You can see the A bomb dome when looking through the arch of the Cenotaph.
The inscription on this monument at the Hiroshima Peace Museum says:
“Let all Souls here rest in peace for we shall not repeat the evil”
and that is the bottom line of the Peace Museum. It is a record of what occurred so that we learn from the experience, we forgive, and we make sure that it does not happen again.
The “Haiku of the Day” series by Liz Bixby Graver:
Atomic fireball
fifteen hundred feet above
forever changed.
Joy, grief, gratitude
living testament to life
Hiroshima tears.
One thousand cranes, all
the colors of the rainbow
praying for peace now.
We offer our Light, our blessings, our prayers as we stroll through the museum, taking it all in. And, for a joyful and refreshing conclusion to a very moving experience — a group photo at Hiroshima Peace Memorial. What is present for you right now?
On to Hagi and the Tomeo Ryokan hotel — ahhhh, magnificent. Incredibly beautiful and nurturing to the senses, the traditional Japanese style rooms are immaculate and so pleasing to the eye. A refreshing end to the day, dinner in Kimono, everyone looks elegant, and a sharing with John Morton. What more could you ask for?
And the journey continues….
