After visiting Hiroshima Peace Park it was time for our Japan tour group to make the most of the shops in Hiroshima City to partake in a spot of retail therapy.
At the Peace Park the students visited Miyajima Island to see the shrines, temples and wonderful flower gardens. The Museum at the park was a reminder of what happened when the atom bomb was dropped on the city and the indiscriminate brutality of war.
The highlight was the presenting of 1000 paper cranes and peace messages from Sancta Maria College students to Hiroshima Peace Park. They were placed at the Children’s Peace Monument. The monument was originally erected to commemorate the spirits of child victims of the atomic bomb and now it is extended to all the child victims of world conflicts. A bronze girl who holds a gold crane is standing on the top of the tripodal domed statue, and located next to the domed statue there are the statues of boys and girls symbolizing the hope for a bright future.
Such an eventful day required a trip to the Hiroshima City shopping centre. As you can see from the number of shopping bags, resistance was futile.
