I’ve just gotten back from Hiroshima and Miyajima. Itsukushima-jinja is a beautiful temple located in the water (!) off the coast of Miyajima. The tide was out when I went, but that was okay, because it made the huge torii (red gate) look even more impressive seeing it actual size. I had some anago, which is a kind of eel, and it was delicious, and didn’t taste fishy at all. After that, I went to Hiroshima.

I have to admit I felt some trepidation about going there, being American, and I did take off my NY Mets hat. As it turns out, I really didn’t have anything to worry about, as there were many foreigners, Americans included, who were there for the same reason I was; to see firsthand why war is a Bad Thing.

The day was beautiful and sunny, with birds chirping, a light breeze to cool off with, and children laughing and playing. Yet, here was this place which had been utterly destroyed by the first atomic bomb known to mankind exactly 58 years ago. It was impossible to reconcile the horrific images shown in (a bit too) gruesome detail in the museum with the city I was standing in the middle of. Yet, like a beacon to remind us all of the horror of war and nuclear weapons, the Dome of the Hiroshima Prefectural Building stood, twisted and scarred.

I left Hiroshima with many conflicting feelings. I was horrified and sickened by the aftermath of war, and at the same time amazed at the complete recovery, and the city’s strong wish for peace and abolition of nuclear weapons throughout the world. I recommend everyone who has the chance to visit me go there and see what human beings can accomplish, both negative and positive.