11 May 2024

A walk-through history – visiting Hiroshima Peace Park

It was poignant that we arrived at the Hiroshima Peace Museum at 8:15 am on this lovely summer morning, because it was at 8:15 am on a similar summer morning that the Atomic Bomb exploded, killing hundreds of thousands and changing lives forever. The Peace Park has been set aside to commemorate the bombing and the result. The people of Hiroshima have made it their mission to ensure that the world does not forget the horrors of nuclear war and to quest for world peace. The surrounding park contains the cenotaph, the eternal flame, the A-bomb Dome, and the monument to Sadako Sasaki – the young girl whose death started the tradition of delivering origami paper cranes to the city as a peace offering. Despite the sombre subject, the park and city’s message of peace shines through.

Back on board Heritage Adventurer, we enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch on the Aft Deck, enjoying expansive city views. Afterwards, we enjoyed a Zodiac cruise to Miyajima Island – known as Shrine Island. Our first destination was the iconic ‘floating’ Torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine. There was much to see on this beautiful island, and we walked up the hill to the many pavilions of the Daisho-in Temple. It was a special moment hearing the bell ring regularly over the hillside walk, filled with 500 small Buddhas with red caps - who look after small children who die too young to know the way to the afterlife.

As we explored this charming town, we indulged in the local cuisine, with oysters proving quite popular. An added experience was roaming the streets with the visitors were the resident deer population!

It turned out that the hotel team had done a bit of shopping at Miyajima, and shortly after re-boarding we headed to the pool deck for oysters and sake. The oysters were fresh off the oyster boat and hand-shucked by Head Chef Gunther. If you enjoy raw oysters, then you know these are absolutely delicious!

Images © C. Finch, Heritage Expeditions