With the number of atomic bomb survivors dwindling, a younger generation is using technology to ensure their stories are not forgotten. In Hiroshima, a city devastated by a US atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, Tabimachi-Gate Hiroshima offers a unique tour using virtual reality (VR) headsets. This 80-minute tour, available in both English and Japanese, takes visitors through key areas of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, near the bomb’s ground zero.
The VR experience starts with images of Hiroshima before the bomb was dropped, showing its immediate impact and the decades-long recovery leading to its present state. Momoka Masushige, responsible for the VR tour, emphasizes the importance of this immersive experience in understanding the bombings’ reality. “Experiencing” the moment the bomb was dropped provides a vastly different perspective from just viewing pictures and documents.
Nearly 80 years after the bombings, Japan is approaching an era without the voices of the survivors, known as hibakusha. The population of hibakusha, which peaked at over 372,000, had decreased to 106,825 by March 2024, with their average age exceeding 85. The number of those who speak publicly about their experiences is even smaller, with only 32 in Hiroshima as of April, making the preservation of their stories increasingly urgent.
Tabimachi-Gate Hiroshima started its peace tours in the summer of 2020 and introduced VR headsets the following year. The images used in the tour are based on the experiences of Eizo Nomura, the only survivor inside a building just 170 meters from ground zero. Nomura, who was 47 at the time, died in 1982. Feedback from survivors has led to updates in the images to better reflect the harsh realities of the blast.
The VR tour depicts the burned-out remnants of the city, a blood-red sky, specks of ash, survivors with blast injuries, and the deceased. However, the company emphasizes that the tour is not “dark tourism,” as it also highlights the city’s steady rebuilding over the years and promotes a message of peace. A version without people in the landscape is available for students and those who prefer less visceral imagery.
After the tour, participants gather at the Rest House, a former kimono store where Nomura survived, to reflect on their experience. A wall covered with Post-it notes in multiple languages expresses wishes for peace, some written by hibakusha who have taken the tour.
Masushige hopes the tour provides an opportunity to think deeply about peace. The tours cost 3,500 yen (US$24) per adult and 1,000 yen for children aged 6 to 11. The agency has about 100 headsets and 20 guides.
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