Hiroshima had long been a key transportation hub. At the beginning of the Showa Era, the population had reached 200,000, and the city was the political and economic center of the Chugoku Region. This academic city with its numerous institutions of higher learning also became one of Japan's most prominent military cities. Among its residents were military personnel and workers from Korea and Taiwan, which were then Japanese colonies. The hustle and bustle of Hiroshima's streets is depicted in postcards. Photographs and film also reveal a city full of energy, and yet, the war was impacting nearly every aspect of peoples' lives.