About Japan
Hiroshima
At 8:15am on August 6, 1945 the American B-29 Bomber "Enola Gay" dropped an Atomic bomb 600m above the city of Hiroshima.
The building (shown below) known as the 'A-bomb Dome' was directly under the epicentre of the blast and was the only building left standing in the entire city - everybody inside the building was killed. The 'A-bomb Dome' has been preserved as a reminder to all of the horrors of nuclear war.
As a result of the explosion and subsequent radiation poisoning, 200,000 civilians lost their lives and Hiroshima became a city vehemently opposed to nuclear weapons.
After World War 2 ended Hiroshima was completely rebuilt and is now the cultural and economic heart of western Honshuu.
Mijajima Island is just 25 minutes from Hiroshima by train and 10 minutes by boat.
With its Itsukushima Shrine and amazing red, painted Torii (Shinto gateway) rising out of the sea Mijajima is one of the top ‘sights’ of Japan.
The Mijajima Torii is the 12th built since being first placed in this location in 1875. Previous Torii were destroyed by fire or typhoons (cyclones).
There are plenty of deer roaming freely on the island. Deer are said to be the messengers of the Gods in Japan.
