{"id":1057,"date":"2018-08-05T22:15:45","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T05:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.palomar.edu\/mcastillo\/?page_id=1057"},"modified":"2025-08-14T01:03:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T08:03:00","slug":"japan-the-hiroshima-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.palomar.edu\/mcastillo\/japan-the-hiroshima-story\/","title":{"rendered":"H – Japan – the Hiroshima story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The story of Hiroshima<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

(Lesson – Adjective clause + relative pronouns – H Level)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For AI assistance – click on Artificial Intelligence (AI)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have no memories of Hiroshima because it happened before I was born.  Yet those Japanese people who lived in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing on August 6, 1945<\/span> and those few people who survived the bombing<\/span> will always have horrific memories of the atomic blast and will never forget the devastation, suffering and long lasting effects of the atomic bomb, the first ever weapon of mass destruction using nuclear power, dropped in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 a.m.  Ostensibly, this A-bomb in Hiroshima created the first nuclear holocaust that has ever happened on Earth<\/span>.  Yet here my wife, daughter, and I were on our way Kyoto to learn and understand about this destruction that happened 73 years ago<\/span>.  Going to Hiroshima was my idea because I had read so many stories, books and articles about this devastation, and I personally wanted to truly understand how and why it happened.  We already know who developed and used the bomb \u2013 the U.S. We also know who was the enemy at that time \u2013 Japan.  But other than that I wanted to know the story from people who had survived the bombing<\/span> and how they had endured the hardships from and suffering caused by the bombing. I wanted to see for myself what Hiroshima looked like now and to see the Peace Museum dedicated to the many people who perished that dreadful day<\/span>.  The people on this planet all know about the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima, but I often wonder how many people really know about the victims that witnessed and survived this nuclear explosion<\/span>, what they saw that day, and how they suffered from the effects of the atomic blast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going there by bullet train from Kyoto to Hiroshima was exciting yet emotional for me.  After we checked into our hotel and started on our way to the Peace Museum to meet our guides and to have the privilege and honor to meet one of the few remaining survivors of the bombing, I was becoming aware of the sadness I was feeling in my heart thinking of all those who died here<\/span> \u2013 66,000 in one second and another 90,000 to 166,000 who died from the effects of the nuclear explosion three months later.  This number is so horrific that it is hard to comprehend and accept it as a fact. Mathematically, if you divide this number by the population of the world (6.974 billion), it would only take one hour or less to annihilate the population of the world if all the nuclear weapons were used today by the nine nations (the U.S., Russia, the UK, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea) that possess them<\/span>. Understanding these numbers will open anyone’s eyes why a nuclear war would be the deadliest and ultimate threat to humanity.  Thinking about it sends chills down my spine, but what is even more mind boggling to understand is that there are over 15,000 nuclear warheads in the world (U.S. has 9400 and Russia 13,000 \u2013 these two countries have the most among 9 countries, and fearfully Iran is on the verge of developing a nuclear bomb).  This is why I wanted to come here to Hiroshima – to understand why and how this happened and what can be done to prevent the annihilation of the human race.   I wanted to know why humanity had not learned from the Hiroshima holocaust.  What must the global community do to eliminate all nuclear warheads?  Coming to Hiroshima was, for me, the only way to understand why and how this happened, and perhaps, to relate my story to others so that they can understand why we must never have a \u201cHiroshima\u201d again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we got closer to the Peace Museum the first visual sighting of the area was one building, a factory building, that was left standing<\/span> after the atomic bomb exploded directly overhead. As I was standing there I felt weak, speechless, and numb, but I felt no fear of being here.  My immediate thoughts were for those Japanese people who had perished, disappeared, been incinerated, vaporized, and burned beyond recognition<\/span> when they had encountered the ultimate doomsday weapon of mass destruction \u2013 the first atomic bomb ever to have exploded on the face of the Earth.  The people of Hiroshima were the first global citizens to have ever experienced the first ever nuclear explosion on Earth.  These thoughts made me shake my head in disbelief.  Just to think that my whole body was now located at the exact spot where the first atomic exploded made me even more aware of the horrible history made here. I took a deep breath and made a solemn prayer.  My thoughts were now on all the horrible deaths that took place around the area where I was standing \u2013 deaths that occurred in just a split second from the tremendous heat generated from a nuclear explosion.  These people just vanished and disappeared from the face of the Earth.  I thought to myself , \u201cThis is the exact spot where the atom bomb exploded.\u201d   Thinking about it made me feel nauseated, numb and sick to my stomach.  Standing there looking at the only building standing, I had to ask myself again, \u201cAm I really here?  Is this where the atom bomb was dropped? Is this the spot where the lives of 66,000 people ended in a split second from one single burst of light?\u201d   Absolutely. 66,000 people here died instantly around the 1.6 km perimeter where I was standing.  Horrifically, 66,000 people here were vaporized or incinerated from temperatures much hotter than the sun (10,830 \u00b0F).  Maliciously and egregiously, 66,000 people here lost their lives senselessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hopefully, one man, one of very few survivors left on the planet Earth who survived the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima<\/span>, will tell me what happened that day of August 6, 1945.  I came to Hiroshima to meet him personally.  His name is Mr. Hirai Shouzou.  This was the moment I had been waiting for – to learn and understand what happened from a survivor of the atomic bomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubric for self-grading your work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

0 – 1 mistakes A. – Student has little or no problems understanding the concepts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 mistakes. B- Student has a couple of problems understanding the concepts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3-4. mistakes. C – Student shows problems understanding the concepts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. mistakes. D – Student shows significant problems understanding the concept<\/p>\n\n\n