Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima-Shi

Hello Hiroshimaian. I took my sons here. He's only 3 years old. There's a place where the museum showed how the city was like before and after. Even at three, he looked at me and asked how can it become like this all of sudden. The visual aid was able to stimnulate questions for a 3 years old. If you have kids and want them to understand the meaning of peace, this would be a great place to start.

I dutifully made my pilgrimage to Hiroshima, the Peace Memorial Park and the Museum as everyone recommended. And I was really fascinated with the remnants of the A-bomb destruction (the Dome), genuinely moved by the elaborate Peace Park with multiple monuments, and impressed with the seemingly comprehensive and thoughtful displays in the Museum. Many people around me were clearly moved to tears and there is a solemn respectful air about the place, like being in a sacred place. I too must recommend this Museum as a not-to-be-missed site when visiting Hiroshima and Japan, my highest marks. However, at the risk of sounding like the troglodyte here or the one Philistine in the crowd that "didn't get it", I must in the interests of fairness mention the one thing that bothered me. When I looked at the (sometimes gruesome) display of the incinerated, irradiated civilians and school children, you couldn't help but to feel compassion for those unfortunate people that were there at the wrong place and time on that August day in 1945. The recorded testimonials of survivors are heart-wrenching. However, much of the second half of the museum is focused on these innocent victims (rather than the valid military targets that were extant in Hiroshima) and in casting blame for the "evil" use of atomic weapons against these non-combatants, and the horrible inhumane "crime" it was. IMO, there seemed to be a glaring omission. I was searching through the very detailed displays specifically for some acknowledgement of Imperial Japan's role in the event. Though the museum was very comprehensive, with detailed, methodical displays on "why the bomb was built", "how the A-bomb works", "why Hirsoshima was targeted", etc, etc., I was somewhat annoyed to find exactly one sentence in the whole museum that even hinted at any Japanese culpability in the incidents which led to the use of an atomic bomb, "on December, 7th, 1941, Japanese forces attacked the US Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which began the Pacific Phase of Second World War against the United States". My point is, I think there is a logical cause and effect here that is being glossed over. The US just didn't decide to attack Japan out of the blue, and in fact it's more like, Japan started the war and the US finished it. The morality of it could be debated endlessly (and this is not the forum for it), but it did bring about the conclusion of the war in just 2 days.

For any American in Japan, you must see the Peace Museum and the Dome. This was very upsetting for me to walk through but very much worth it. To really understand the destruction and death that happened here.

The museum was the most touching thing i have ever experienced, full of answers that were kept in the dark for many years. It explains the lead up and after the bombing and helps you get a better undestanding of the event. It was hard to believe the destruction of the bomb but above all the devistation it was exhibited very well!!! Thumbs up!!!