March 26, 2008
hotel hiroshima
So it is with the Hotel Hiroshima. We checked in to a metaphoric Hotel Hiroshima—"we" as a culture—on Aug. 6, 1945, when the 16-kiloton atomic weapon detonated about 800 meters over a hospital here. (The hospital wasn't the ostensible target; a nearby bridge was, but needless to say, the hospital and all those in it were vaporized.) Nearly 100,000 people died instantly or within hours from the original blast and the firestorms that followed (by the end of 1945, 140,000 were dead). Estimates of those who died over a longer period from radiation sicknesses, from radiation-induced cancers, and other disease sequela range far upward.We checked in to the First Nuclear Age that day in 1945, and yes, sometimes we check out, in the sense of repressed memory, willed or unconscious denial, cultural amnesia. It's happened for prolonged periods after the end of the Cold War. That all-too-brief "holiday from history" some called it.
more from Slate here.
Posted by Morgan Meis at 09:29 AM | Permalink
Comments
This piece evoked kaleidoscopic memories of Hiroshima, of nuclear wars and hotels.
For some reason, I have visited Hiroshima several times - more than I have any other Japanese city. The very first time on a beautiful fall day, the visit to the Peace Memorial left me shaken. During subsequent visits I did note the clutter of memorials and tourist memorabilia that have sprouted. I see nothing wrong with that. The Peace Memorials in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Nagasaki got bombed under plan B because the skies over Fukuoka the original target, on August 9, 1945 were clouded) are beautiful, excruciatingly chronicled and amazingly rancor free. If these two cities choose to continue amidst their "normalcy," to remind the rest of the world what a nuclear powered war (with just two bombs lightheartedly named the "Little Boy" and the "Fat Man") can do to people's lives and possessions, it is a heroic endeavor.
Hiroshima is a busy but strangely peaceful and yes, "normal" industrial city. It does have some unusual hotels. I remember one well appointed business hotel which was as soulless as the "All Night Kinkos of Hiroshima." Another hotel, enigmatically named "The Hiroshima Intelligent Hotel" is designed with maximum ergonomics in mind but has the atmosphere of a cozy Mediterranean outfit in the south of France. The Hiroshima pancakes (Okonomi-yaki) are indeed delicious and the best ones are to be found in a cramped, smoky cafeteria at the city's main railway station.
Coincidentally, we too were pondering over hotels at our blog recently. Ron Rosenbaum says:
Sure, you hate the Eagles. It's practically a cultural requirement that you do (sometimes I think everybody but me does, but then again, the Eagles seem to sell a lot of music). Still—admit it—there are some lines that will last. Like the one from "Hotel California": "You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave."
So, everyone hates the Eagles? Well, everyone except Rosenbaum and Abbas.
Posted by: Ruchira | Mar 26, 2008 3:37:36 PM
My most vivid memory of the Hiroshima Peace Museum was that the simple objects displayed, like students' backpacks, remnants of clothing of victims, and the permanent shadow of a person burned into stone, brought the bombing so vividly alive for me. Here were actual traces of that unimaginable event, right before my eyes.
Posted by: JonJ | Mar 26, 2008 8:20:17 PM
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