Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japan's islands. It is known throughout the world as the first city in history subjected to nuclear warfare when it was bombed by the United States of America during World War II.
The head offices of the ramen noodle manufacturer that Louise Ferguson worked for were located in Hiroshima. One day, several months after the Yellowstone Supervolcano had erupted, Mr. Nobashi spoke with HQ and then told Ferguson that the weather was very bad back in Japan. In Hiroshima there had been 30 centimeters or about one foot of snow. Normally the weather would be hot and sticky but not this year.[2]
The following year, the weather in Hiroshima was no better, being unusually cold and wet. It affected the harvest leading to wheat shortages which forced the ramen head office to raise prices in all its markets.[3] The U.S. economy continued to decline and in the spring, two and a half years after the eruption, the Hiroshima home office decided to close its U.S. operations.[4]