Hiroshima: Ground Zero, Before and After

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[Sacto]

What really saved Hiroshima was that typhoon that hit in September 1945. Reason: the rains from that typhoon washed away a lot of the radioactive topsoil from the the city, and that made it a lot easier to attempt rebuilding in the years afterwards

[ladygrndr]

My mother was an early exchange student to Japan in 1967. The country was so eager to put their best foot forward that she was hosted by one of the wealthiest families, and that gave her the opportunity to see a lot of Japan as her host family easily could afford the travel and accommodations. One of the places they took her was the memorial at Hiroshima. AS she was standing, sobered and close to tears in front of the wall that still bore the shadows of the slain, an older man came up and started yelling at her. Her Japanese was still shaky so she didn't understand much beyond his rage, but her host father said some very sharp words to the man and he stopped yelling, glared at her one last time and left. Mom asked her host father what the man had said, and he said "There are some people who can't let go of the past." Then she asked what her host father had said, and he replied, "I told him you hadn't even been born yet."

[BaronTomR]

My father was stationed in japan in 1954 and had to occasionally go to Hiroshima. When he passed ground zero, he noted that the young families would take their kids to the park that had already been built, but the older Japanese would only pass the site on the opposite side of the street.

[rixxroxxk]

Simon, no one else can deliver such a “documentary” with the respect, honor of the dead and honesty as you do. As trivial as this event has been in the history books, you’ve brought in such a way that showed hope and a future for Hiroshima if one didn’t know what happened there.

Always enjoy all of your channels.

[TheGryfonclaw]

I visited Hiroshima a few years ago. We visited the peace museum, but it took us a little while to find the actual point over the city where the bomb was dropped. It was marked with a little plaque in some alleyway near a book shop, very out of the way. Probably the most vivid memory of my trip really.

[KariHaruka]

I went to Hiroshima in 2015 and the experience of visiting this city, and seeing its scars and the peace park & museum, was very harrowing and thought provoking.... What hit me the most, were the tales of the children who survived and returned to what remained of their homes and the charred corpes of their parents, siblings and other family members....

And this video couldn't come at a better time. Back in 2015, I hoped that no other cities would join Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And now, I am hoping again that current events in Europe won't lead to any further cities being devastated and lives horrifically ended in a nuclear attack...

[MastinoNapoletano]

A good account of what happened is captured in the anime "Barefoot Gen". About a boy in Hiroshima who lived through the explosion and radiation poisoning. It's rather graphic but honestly it is a good watch. I would put it up there with Schindler's List.

[TheProtagonistDies]

Thank you for this video. Everyone knows about the nuclear explosions but not much about the people/area affected and how they were affected

[tyeng]

As Stalin once said “One death is a tragedy, one million deaths is a Statistic”

Too often the stories are forgotten by the shear weight of numbers. How can anyone fathom the death of millions of people. Millions of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons.

It’s sad that we still live in a world where this is possible

[ignitionfrn]

2:30 - Chapter 1 - Before the bomb
6:45 - Chapter 2 - Apocalypse ville
10:45 - Chapter 3 - From the ashes
14:40 - Chapter 4 - Cherished memories
17:35 - Chapter 5 - A memorial for the future

[MidnightArticuno]

I was able to visit Hiroshima a few days before the 69th anniversary, while the city was preparing for the memorial services. It's such a lovely city, and so many of the locals were friendly and welcoming. The museum is almost overwhelming, but has an excellent exhibit on the state of nuclear warfare today (with a globe that you can see where missile stocks were removed, to show continuing weapons dismantling) and there's one section that just has copies of every letter the mayor of the city has ever sent in protest to continuing atomic tests around the world. There are dozens, if not hundreds, and they cover the whole wall going all the way up. It's a sobering experience, but one of the most meaningful trips I ever took.

[Eckister]

If you ever have the opportunity, go to the memorial museum in Hiroshima. It is a relatively small exposition with not THAT much of interest, but everything in that museum is precision-crafted to hammer in the horror of the nuking (with a mallet) - a constant, low and tense music, lowered lights and quotes of peoples' suffering all make it into an experience, which WILL stay with you.

[sabrekai]

I suggest that anyone interested in the aftermath, get hold of a book called Hiroshima Diary by Michihiko Hachiya. I read it the first time when I was about 12. The story is by a Doctor who survived and the next few weeks. This video added a lot to my understanding of how the people got back on their feet and built the city again. That isn't really covered in any of the books I've read.

[cruiser]

I went to Hiroshima in 2015 and I cannot put it to words. The current city centre is bustling with activity but the site itself was just quiet. Just quiet.

Just the occasional shuffling of the feet and the birds. Other than that... Just silence...

I clearly remember the museum... Everyone who went in went out sobbing.

Oddly enough... I'm starting to tear up writing this comment while remembering the visit.

[kaned]

As an American, the way we learn about the atomic bombs is complicated. A lot of students don't really learn how horrifying it was - I had a science teacher explain about the "shadows" and got in trouble for teaching "disturbing material not appropriate for children" - a tad ironic, I know. Even today, most Americans are conflicted about it, and don't know what happened there, not really. We certainly don't learn the stories of rebuilding, of the cultural strength of the Japanese people. Thanks for sharing this story.

[meganrmt]

My grandad served in the Korean War. At some point he was in Japan and caught a train to Hiroshima. He stepped off the train, looked around, dropped to his knees and sobbed. Even years after the bomb hit, the damage was so obvious. Such a horrible situation. Man’s inhumanity to man.

[inannanightingale]

I spent some time in Hiroshima as an exchange student from Australia. The peace memorial and museum was such a profound experience, but one thing I'll never forget is that there was a group of young primary school students visiting on a school excursion. Every one of the children approached my fellow travellers and me to sign their worksheets. I didn't really know why but we guessed that maybe part of their assignment was to get a westerner to sign their paper. It was a surreal experience seeing the photos and reading the stories about American forces being the enemy but then having these children asking us for our names on their papers.

[sarahaladim]

The way you present your content is just out of this world ! Inspiring, emotional and informative! I’ve been a loyal subscriber for two years now and you always managed to deliver above and beyond my expectations! Thank you Simon ❤️

[zukazealanee]

As an American, this video brought tears to my eyes. Everyone knows about the bombings, but so few know about the rebirth of this once, and now again beautiful city. Humans have many awful traits, but one of the better ones is definitely resilience.

Thank you for making this video.

[norecipenecessary]

Thank you, Simon and team. This was remarkably well done.