Hiroshima and Miyajima

Back in Tokyo after four glorious days in Hiroshima - one of which was spent on the nearby island of Miyajima.
Hiroshima is, of course, the site of the world's first atomic bomb, which killed about 140,000 by the end of 1945 - that figure has risen to more than 200,000 due to radiation-related diseases. More than a thousand people continue to die every year.
Hiroshima, remarkably, soon rose from the ashes to become one of Japan's most attractive and tranquil cities. It has also positioned itself at the forefront of the campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons, writing letters of opposition to every country that tests warheads.
The main tourist attraction is a museum dedicated to the dropping of the bomb and the death and devastation it caused. It very successfully enables you to picture what it would have been like to have been in the city, going about your business, that morning. One exhibit was a young child's tricycle and helmet, the metal of both scorched, melted and disfigured. A lot of people I spoke to said they were in tears leaving. It is certainly a depressing experience. If you are interested, according to the museum, the US and Russia still have far and away the most nuclear warheads - just over 5000 each, with Russia about 40 ahead of the US. The UK has about 130, the same as China, while surprisingly the French have more than twice as much. It puts fears that Iran might soon have one, into some kind of perspective.
There is also a memorial hall with the testimonies of survivors. Apparently, immediately after the bomb had gone off, thousands of victims were lying almost dead on the streets begging for drinking water. The people who gave testimonies said they refused them because they had been told they would die if they drank water. However, these bomb victims were so badly injured they were dead by morning anyway, and it was a huge regret for many people that they chose not to ease the suffering of their final hours. Because of this many of the countless statues and memorials in Hiroshima Peace Park are water features.

On a brighter note, Miyajima is stunning. It is a mountainous island, full of temples and deer, with an iconic floating shrine just of the coast. Deer are sacred animals in Japan, and Nara and Miyajima is full of them. However, they are generally bigger and more aggressive in Miyajima than Nara, and I saw several people being aggressively pursued and occassionally chased down the street. I was almost ambushed by the critters at one point, but managed to sidestep the trap and lived to tell the tale. The hostel I stayed at in Hiroshima was also one of the best of the trip, with lots of really fun people from all over the world.