This is part of the memorial in Hiroshima.  This building was the only thing still partially standing after the atomic bomb exploded in the air over this place.   

This was the before picture of the area. 

It is definitely a somber place,  but the good part is that there were lots of school children going to visit the museum to learn about history.
Lavena was interviewed by a couple of students as to what this place meant to her. 

There was a reflective pool around this monument, which was dedicated to the people who lost their lives.  

As you walk down a spiral pathway it opens up into a circular room about 30ft in diameter.  There is a 3-D picture in shades of gray going all the way around the room made up of  1 1/2 inch squares depicting the carnage.  Each square represents a person who died during that tragic event.  It is a sad way to represent the lives lost.  The next room had names and pictures of people who they knew were lost.
  I was very interested in how the Japanese  represented the scenario to their people.  On the first information board it started with "because of Japanese aggression....."
 After all that we saw the message was one of hope.  Hope that the world would learn a powerful lesson and not repeat this event.
Jack and Maggie were with us, but shielded from some of the gruesome pictures.   Jack could not stop talking about the bomb.  I think that it made a huge impression on him.