The Root Family

Yesterday Jodi and I went to Hiroshima, an hour long trip by train. The train ride itself was quite the experience since NOTHING was in English. The language barrier was not our problem. Our problem was the Japanese man that took an interest in us. Before I go on, let me just express that Japanese people are very polite and courteous. But the men especially keep to themselves. so this experience that Jodi and I went through is NOT the norm. Two train stops before Hiroshima station, this man gets aboard and stands in front of us. When he noticed that we were American, he wanted to shake our hands. No big deal. Then he wanted high-fives. Okay. Then he wanted peace signs. Sure. Then he wanted pictures with Jodi's phone. Fine. Then he wanted kisses on the cheek. Nope. We just go along with it (minus kisses) since he is being amusing. But he doesn't quit. For the next two stops, he wants us to do all the little American hand gestures and pleasantries he can think of. Over and over and over. At first, we laugh about it. But soon, we are a little freaked. When our stop comes, we hold back a minute before getting off so there is some distance between us and this man. We get off the train and try to figure out where to go next. Before we figure out which direction will get us out of the station, the man spots us and waves. We kind of wave, but decide to start walking even though we don't know where we need to go. He starts walking the opposite direction, but turns around and follows us. We hurry to the nearest cluster of people walking through the station tunnels. Once we are at the ticket counter, he is somehow in front of us. Waving. We wave and hurry past him, trying to figure out what our next move is in a city we are not familiar with, in a country where they speak a completely foreign language. He stops in front of a station store, but peers after us waving. We rush down the nearest flight of stairs and hide behind a corner for a few minutes. We are in a wide open parking garage-type structure where there is no where to hide. There are few people passing by, so not many people to turn to for help. Luckily, the man does not pursue us further. We realized that we needed to go through the same shop that the man had stopped at, so we cautiously make our way back up. The coast is clear. We rush through the store, out the station, and into the first available taxi. It was one of the most terrifying moments in my life. The one thing to note is that he appeared to have special needs. Regardless, it was still one of those moments where you think "I am not going to make it through this". But clearly I did. We continued on to Hiroshima's Peace Park. What an intense experience. One that will stop you in your tracks no matter who you are or where you are from. I cried. I cried for all of the babies that perished. For the innocent people that died. For the lives that were destroyed. It is heartbreaking that such atrocities happen.

WARNING: There is graphic content below.

Thousands of paper cranes adorn a commemorative statue at the park.

Me in front of the A-bomb Dome. One of the only buildings that survived the bomb.

A commemorative statue that honors the fallen victims.

Photos of the mushroom cloud that the atomic bomb produced.

A watch that was stopped the moment th bomb went off.

A tricycle belonging to a 3 year old boy. The father buried the boy with his trike and helmet so he wasn't alone.

Photos of the burned victims and articles of clothing that were peeled off from the skin.

Artifacts that were warped because of the intensity of the bomb. We could touch these; they are safe, of course.

The memorial that honors all the victims that perished in the attack.

Photos and names of the thousands of people who died. We were given little paper cranes in their honor.

Hiroshima. Reminded me of a Japanese version of Chicago. Though I have never been to Chicago.

Trains are one of the primary means of transportation in Japan. So glad I got to ride one!

On the train. We lucked out and our ride was not as crazy as the videos on YouTube. Jodi says her last trip on the train was exactly like what you see online.