Making use of the fantastic value of my Japan rail pass, I have today travelled further afield from Kyoto to see more of Japan. First stop (a couple of hours away by bullet train) was Hiroshima. Now, obviously the events of 1945 are the first and possibly only things that you will think of in relation to Hiroshima. Their reaction to them has been the creation of a "peace park" in the city centre, near the point at which the bomb was dropped. There are several moving elements to this area. Firstly, you see the "atomic dome" - a local landmark building which remained standing (with the structure of its dome) whilst almost all the city was flattened (the pictures are remarkable). Then, alongside the cenotaph and the national memorial hall to the victims is the Peace Memorial Museum, which tells the story of Hiroshima before, during and after the bombing, including the campaign it continues to wage against nuclear weapons. All very moving - I am glad I went to see it.
On my way out of the peace garden I was stopped by a group of Japanese schoolchildren (I am hopeless at estimating ages but maybe they were 10?) asking me in broken English my name and why I was there for a school project. It is very difficult to think of a good answer to "what do you think about the atomic bomb" that was in sufficiently easy English that they could understand! Then, being Japanese, they naturally wanted a photo with me! Following this I had a walk around some of the rest of the city (including a thriving shopping area) before getting a tram back to the station.
Next stop was the shrine island of Miyajima, which necessitated another short train journey and a ferry crossing (also included in the rail pass) to get there. The main attraction on Miyajina is the Itsukushima Shrine which consists of a gate standing out in the ocean and buildings which also would start "floating" at high tide. It paints quite a serine picture. However, it is also a beautiful island, with many other temples and things to see, along with some mountains to be walked. I set off along one path, fairly steep in places (although with steps) and had been going for about half an hour, when I met some (English) people coming the other way. They warned me that (1) it was half an hour to the next junction, (2) the pathway down the mountain was closed at that point anyway (3) to get to the cable car down from there was another hour plus in walking and (4) the cable car shut at 5! Therefore, I decided to turn back and walk back down the hill instead! Had a bit more of a look around before having a beer and watching the sun set over the island.
Then time to head back, a longish journey as all parts were put together, not helped by the fact that I found an even slower class of bullet train which stopped at a vast number of stations. After a while I got out at an appropriate station and changed to a quicker one!
On my way out of the peace garden I was stopped by a group of Japanese schoolchildren (I am hopeless at estimating ages but maybe they were 10?) asking me in broken English my name and why I was there for a school project. It is very difficult to think of a good answer to "what do you think about the atomic bomb" that was in sufficiently easy English that they could understand! Then, being Japanese, they naturally wanted a photo with me! Following this I had a walk around some of the rest of the city (including a thriving shopping area) before getting a tram back to the station.
Next stop was the shrine island of Miyajima, which necessitated another short train journey and a ferry crossing (also included in the rail pass) to get there. The main attraction on Miyajina is the Itsukushima Shrine which consists of a gate standing out in the ocean and buildings which also would start "floating" at high tide. It paints quite a serine picture. However, it is also a beautiful island, with many other temples and things to see, along with some mountains to be walked. I set off along one path, fairly steep in places (although with steps) and had been going for about half an hour, when I met some (English) people coming the other way. They warned me that (1) it was half an hour to the next junction, (2) the pathway down the mountain was closed at that point anyway (3) to get to the cable car down from there was another hour plus in walking and (4) the cable car shut at 5! Therefore, I decided to turn back and walk back down the hill instead! Had a bit more of a look around before having a beer and watching the sun set over the island. Then time to head back, a longish journey as all parts were put together, not helped by the fact that I found an even slower class of bullet train which stopped at a vast number of stations. After a while I got out at an appropriate station and changed to a quicker one!
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