Hiroshima, Day 2

Before leaving Hiroshima for Miyajima, I felt I had to visit the A-Bomb Dome and the Peace Park. The A-Bomb Dome is a memorial of the destruction caused by the world's first atomic bomb launched in 1945. Even under the bright blue sky, I could feel the heaviness of the memories as I approached the ruins of what used to be Hiroshima's Exhibition Hall. It's painful to look at, but as it stands there the A-Bomb dome serves two important purposes: remind everyone of the destruction and call for peace.

The Peace Park is right across from the A-Bomb Dome. Below is the Bell of Peace.

We dedicate this Bell as a symbol of Hiroshima's Aspiration:

Let all nuclear arms and wars be gone,

and the nations live in true peace!

May it ring to all corners of the Earth

to meet the ear of every man,

for in it throb and palpitate

the hearts of its peace-loving donors.

So may you, too, friends

step forward and toll this bell for peace!