Hiroshima Peace Memorial

It's impossible to describe just how haunting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Museum is. It's an eye opener that puts a very human face on what happened in WWII (and brought me to tears more than once), without casting any blame or adding political undertones. It clearly shows just how inhumane and horrific war is on everyday citizens, and why nuclear weapons should never even be considered for use ever again. If you are ever in Japan, make time to visit Hiroshima and the memorial, it is a must see.

The "A-bomb Dome"

 

A clock that chimes at 8:15 every morning (the time Little Boy was dropped)

Paper Cranes donated to the memorial in remembrance of Sadako Sasaki, who created thousands of paper cranes to try and cure her leukemia (and died soon after).

Scale Model of part of Hiroshima before the bomb.

Scale Model of part of Hiroshima after the bomb struck.

About 200,000 people died from the bombing, and survivors have dealt with radiation poisoning symptoms even up until present day. The museum had many memoirs from survivors of the attack (both in written and video form) and the vivid memories these survivors had provided were a very clear picture of just how grizzly the aftermath was.