Welcome to my blog! This is my first post. This July I will be flying to Hiroshima to intern with the World Friendship Center. I think it will be a great opportunity for me to learn more about Japanese culture and attitudes toward the atomic bomb. I have already met several of the people I will be working with online. They all had great things to say about the center, which makes me even more excited to intern. I would like to utilize this blog as a way to show how my knowledge of Hiroshima develops over the next couple of months. I will be able to compare what I know before I go and what I learn while I am there.
So far, I know that the United States dropped a bomb on Hiroshima during World War 2. It was the first and only example (besides Nagasaki) of nuclear weapons being used in history. This was a massive human rights violation on behalf of the United States. It killed and impacted a lot of people. Due to its impact, I believe that there is probably a great amount of intergenerational trauma apparent in Hiroshima today. I have read that some places are still inhabitable due to the radiation still left from the bomb. This is what I know about the bombing now, but I am interested in seeing how my knowledge changes over the next couple of months after I have finished my readings and have been to Hiroshima.
Besides the atomic bomb, I am curious to learn more about the geography of the city. For the most part, I only know that Japan is an island in Asia and Hiroshima is in the southern part. I was told by my site supervisor that the city is nice for hikes and walks along the water. I am excited to be able to do that in my free time as well as explore the city. Besides geography, I am curious about food as well.
I know that Japanese diets are meat and fish-heavy. I have been to several Japanese festivals in my hometown and, at these festivals, there were a lot of foods with red bean paste, mochi, and sushi. I am vegan so I am hoping it will not be too challenging to be able to try authentic Japanese foods.
I recently picked up two books to read before my internship, so I am hoping to learn much more about Hiroshima and Japan from those.
Thanks for reading my blog,
Zoe