AUTHOR: SalsaCrazy TITLE: Hiroshima, A City of Peace and Hope DATE: Friday, March 18, 2005 ----- BODY:

After all this dancing, and all this travelling, I arrived for the absoulte most gut wrenching portion of my adventure, to view the A Bomb memorial and museum in Hiroshima. Throughout this 3-4 hour ordeal, I ran the entire gamut of emotion, and afterwards, I was exhausted. The museum is excellent, and presents a very fair and balanced view of the war, Japan's history, and the history of Hiroshima itself. I learned an enormous amount! However, as a guy who sheds a tear or two at most Disney movies (come on now, who doesn't?), this memorial was an enormously moving and powerful experience. An entire city, completely destroyed in a second, with the effects of the blast felt for years and years. It's hard to shake it afterwards, and you feel enormously saddened, yet enriched, by the experience.

What you see in Hiroshima is a thriving city, born and rebuilt out of ashes, with some of the friendliest most down-to-earth people in all of Japan! The city itself is great, and the people even more so. Fun and very friendly. I can say, I did not see any other Americans here, strangely enough. Actually, I haven't really seen that many Americans anywhere in Japan (except briefly for Roppongi in Tokyo). Was it difficult being an American, and seeing this exhibit? Absolutely yes, for me, it was. Shame definitely rules the day. But my feelings of shame and guilt were really just my own manifestation - everyone here treated me very, very, well.

Hiroshima ia a must for anyone visiting Japan! Add it to your itinierary, and plan to spend a day. Did I salsa dance afterwards? Yes, emotionally exhausted, I still managed to drag myself out for a fun night of dance. Definitely add a night to your Hiroshima trip at El Barco, and Barco Latino, two clubs (one dancing, one bar), in the same building. Lots of fun salsa dancers, beginning lessons, and a really freindly and enthusiastic crowd.

It's part of human nature to forget, or outright close ourselves off, from painful experience. How many times a week do we think about nuclear weapons, war, or the atrocities that are committed around the globe. Hiroshima is so far away, and most of us were not alive when these events occurred, but they are so real, and so poignant, I hope everyone gets a chance to visit this city which conveys such a fantastic message of peace, hope, and unity.

--------