A-Bomb Dome (Genbaku Domu)

Japan 2011 Hiroshima

A-Bomb Dome

This is a story about my visit to Hiroshima in August of 2011, and meeting a lady, I won't name, many years later, who has a connection to Hiroshima, but ultimately ended up in Honolulu. Eight years have passed, and I still have vivid memories of a burned finger on display, in a container filled with liquid; which I assume is a preservative.

I realize Hiroshima and Nagasaki are significant, but a generation or more removed from what occurred, the displays, and even the remnants of the A-Bomb Dome; can still have an impact on on your life. Each of us have our own point of view. My intent is not to sway your viewpoint. For me after visiting and photographing the museum, and the A-Bomb Dome, I came away with a different perspective. When photographing scenes such as Hiroshima, you are interacting with history, and you are telling a story through your photography.

Hiroshima Before The A-Bomb

Hiroshima After The A-Bomb

Not long ago while eating with some friends at a local food court, with various small Japanese restaurants, my wife noticed a frail older lady, she occasionally sees walking around our neighborhood. The tables and seats are lined up and designed for what I call community seating. Basically, you can be seated next to someone you don't know. The place was full but there were two empty seats, one next to me, and the other across the table . I nodded and motioned to the lady and her son to have a seat. After some small talk I learned she was first generation Japanese (Issei).  My wife was listening and when she heard the lady was Issei, she began to speak with her in Japanese. After talking for a while, my wife learned she is from Hiroshima and claimed to be a survivor of the A-Bomb (referred to as Hibakusha).  One day I hope to have a conversation with her about her experience. On August 6th it will be 74 years since the United States dropped the A-Bomb on Hiroshima. We can only hope something as devastating as this will never occur again. Although this deviates from my regular "I Learned From That" series, photography was a part of my visit, there are lessons to be learned. What you take away from this short blog depends on you. I hope this evokes thoughts and reflection on what occurred 74 years ago.  Thanks for stopping by, and as always please comment, or stop by my twitter feed @DannyBaker0