PEACE FROM RUINS

Eight decades after an atomic bomb devastated Hiroshima, Tamara Davison explores its legacy and tries to understand what can be learned from a moment that changed history

- Tamara Davison

Toshiaki Nakagawa echoes a belief shared by many older people in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

As the son of a Hibakusha, those who survived the two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan, he knows the urgency all too well. that continuously burns until nuclear weapons are one day abolished.

At 74 years old, Toshiaki has dedicated his own retirement to sharing his knowledge of Hiroshima with people from around the world. Armed with a flip book of images taken in 1945, he blends his own personal stories with historical facts as he guides groups around Hiroshima under the sweltering summer sun.

The work he does as a tour guide today is tied to a single, pivotal moment that happened 80 years ago this summer here. On 6 August 1945, a US bomber plane named Enola Gay dropped a single bomb called “Little Boy” on the thriving city centre in a defining moment at the start of the nuclear age.

Reaching temperatures of more than 4,000C at the epicentre, the uranium bomb instantly killed an estimated 70,000 people, leaving just shadows behind in some cases. Tens of thousands more would later succumb to injuries or radiation exposure, with the brutal fallout of the nuclear bomb impacting families for decades to come. These days, Hiroshima is thriving once again, yet it's also a place forever entwined with its dark nuclear legacy. Most travel guides recommend visiting Hiroshima to explore the Peace Memorial Museum and witness a lively city that has risen from the ashes. What they won't reveal is how the experience will change the way you see the world - especially at a time when things feel increasingly urgent.