I recently spent almost a week in Hiroshima, delivering a corporate leadership training program. The city is highly developed, comfortable to live in, and boasts an excellent transportation system. Not to mention, the food, particularly okonomiyaki, and oysters, is fantastic!
However, the city's past is ever-present, and it's impossible to ignore. Hiroshima was the first place where humans deployed a weapon of mass destruction upon fellow human beings. The hypocenter of the bomb was not an industrial area; there were no factories. Instead, it detonated above a hospital called "Shima Hospital."
I recalled the overwhelming feeling of nausea after visiting the museum years ago.
The weight of that history still lingers.
During a nighttime visit to the Peace Park, Atomic Dome, and Hiroshima Peace Museum, I couldn't help but feel saddened. The park's design, created by Kenzō Tange, is truly impressive, as I discovered while exploring the area from various perspectives.
As I strolled among the monuments and paper cranes, I found myself reflecting on some questions:
Are we doing enough to prevent another Hiroshima in our time and in the future?
Did all these people, particularly the children, die in vain?
I sincerely hope not.
There should be things we can and need to do for peace.
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