Woke up way too early in the morning for how much fun we had last night, but it's a 6am train out of Nara up to Kyoto, and then a train from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka, and another train from there to Hiroshima. All of my trains for the past week have been well under a two hour commute, and if I kept to my original plan, that would also be the case today, but in total it was around 3 hours of commuting and train hopping before my arrival in Hiroshima.
My hotel is diagonal across the street from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Museum, and as I knew coming into today, it was going to be an emotionally heavy day. I dropped my bags at the hotel, and walked my way across the street to the Museum and Park, and prepared myself for tears, because I knew they'd be coming.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima.
On August 6, 1945, a single atomic bomb destroyed the majority of the city, and was responsible for the death of 90,000-170,000 people, and injuries to over 70,000 more. The numbers are not exact, because many of those affected by the radiation poisoning of the bombs died in the weeks, months, and years follow. At least 68,000 died on August 6, including kids walking down the street, adults going to work, indentured workers from China, Korea, and abroad, and although there was a military presence in Hiroshima, it's reported that only 10% of all casualties were military. It was one horrible event, and it would happen again three days later in Nagasaki.
Away From Home, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima
Black Rain, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima.
A-Bomb Dome, directly under epicenter, Hiroshima.
It's been argued over and over that the US should be given a free pass on these bombings, because of the atrocities Japan committed throughout other Asian nations during WW2. At the same time, it's argued that the atomic weapons used should be considered war crimes because of the number of innocent affected in the crossfire. Two wrongs don't make a right, we can agree to disagree, all's fair in love and war. Say anything you want, but regardless, nuclear weapons should not exist or be used. There is no reason for any one weapon to have such a massive destructive force, without thought or care to innocent lives being forced through war.
Hiroshima Victims Memorial Cenotaph, Hiroshima.
Seeing the burn articles of clothing, beams of steel bent and twisted in unintended ways, it's a truly heavy experience, but a necessary one to understand why things like nuclear weaponry should not exist, and the evils of war. Leaving the museum and entering the sun feels so welcoming, and I'm glad I can move on to see what has become of Hiroshima, and how it's continued to grow and redevelop into the largest city in Chugoku Region.
Gates of Peace, nighttime, Hiroshima.
Any major historical site in the city has a reference to World War 2, and the after effects of the atomic bomb on that area, which includes Hiroshima Castle, north and east of the museum. The entire castle complex was completely destroyed from the atomic bomb, but a number of trees in the gardens and open areas of the park managed to survive, and still stand to this day. Rebuilt Hiroshima Castle is a gorgeous sight, and climbing all the way to the top gives and excellent view around the city. The other cool thing happening at Hiroshima Castle was a firefighting demonstration.
Panorama south view from Hiroshima Castle, Hiroshima
Panorama east view from Hiroshima Castle, Hiroshima.
I made my way back downtown to try to find a bus that would take me over to the Mazda museum, but two problems: 1) The Mazda museum was only open for a total of three hours, in two separate hour and thirty minute blocks, and 2) The bus that was supposedly driving in that direction never showed up at the stop when it said it would. So I was bored and hungry and googled the closest ramen restaurant.
The closest ramen spot is a tiny little place called きよちゃん (I don't actually have a translation for this). The shop has six seats total, and the man behind the counter was excited to see me, as I was his last customer before preparing for dinner. It's very common for restaurants to open for lunch, close for two hours in preparation of dinner, and reopen around 5-6pm. This little spot served what I was told is "Hiroshima Ramen," made with a thick tonkatsu broth, very thin noodles, and the most adorable scorched chashu, and I mean it when I say adorable, they were tiny little pork cubes!
Hiroshima Ramen, きよちゃん, Hiroshima.
As I waited for my ramen to arrive at the table I looked back to my spreadsheet to see what I wrote myself as suggestions and saw the one of three things I hadn't done yet was Miyajima. I flashed back and remembered the reason I only wrote down three things to see in Hiroshima was because Miyajima was another hour by train and ferry away, and the island itself would take half a day. Once I finished this delicious bowl of ramen, I made my way out to Miyajima.
Miyajima, view from the ferry, Miyajima.
Deer roaming Miyajima, Miyajima.
Miyajima is far enough away that it didn't suffer any of the effects of the atomic bomb, and is a peaceful island known for it's massive Itsukushima Shrine, and the floating Torii in Hiroshima Bay. The floating Torii in particular is considered one of the Three Views of Japan, along with the sandbar of Amanohashidate, and the islands of Matsushima. I'm very lucky to be able to make it to Miyajima for sunset for the incredible view of the Torii:
Itsukushima Shrine and Torii, Miyajima
Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima.
Itsukushima Shrine and Torii, Miyajima.
Ok, so maybe it's under restoration right now as it's the slower winter season, but at least I can find it easily when I come back to Japan. The island also has a ropeway up to the very top, which was closing very shortly, so I hoofed it as fast as I could, and a number of signs pointing in the direction of the ropeway kept saying it was a short distance away, and I'm here to tell you those signs are lies! I walked for like 15 minutes before I realized that the ropeway would be officially closing and I was only halfway there. Seriously, google maps says it's a 7 minute walk from the Shrine up the hill to the ropeway, but it's more like 20-30 minutes. That's fine though, because the walk the the forest was glorious, and one of the rest stations had a drink called Power Squash.
Power Squash is delicious, Miyajima.
Little forest shrine, Miyajima.
Forest deer chillin', Miyajima.
The views from the island at sunset are beautiful, and all of the shrines in the area are accessible to take photos, which includes the five storied pagoda at the Totokuni shrine. Deer are all over the island, just like in Nara, however, there are signs everywhere telling guests not to feed the deer, as the island has a delicate ecosystem. Nara on the other hand, has stalls every 10 meters selling cookies specifically to feed the deer.
Senjokaku Pavillion, Miyajima.
Totokuni Shrine Five Storied Pagoda, Miyajima.
Totokuni Shrine view from Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima.
One thing I'm loving about Japan, specifically being on the eastern and southern shores, is how fast sunset occurs, as the sun disappears behind the mountains, it becomes dark very quickly. Following my nice little sunset in Miyajima, I trekked back to the hotel to check in and rest up, before heading out to dinner for a Hiroshima specialty: Okonomiyaki.
Sunset at Itsukushima Torii, Miyajima.
Wide Angle Sunset at Itsukushima Torii, Miyajima.
Sunset view of Hiroshima Bay from the ferry, Hiroshima.
Okonomiyaki essentially is cabbage, egg, a meat (typically pork), and cheese all cooked together to form a pancake. Add some okonomiyaki sauce, noodles, rice, mayonnaise, or any spices you want, and you have an incredibly delicious and surprisingly healthy snack or meal. The place I went to, Hassei, makes the okonomiyaki on a teppanyaki grill right in front of you, so it's really cool watching them cook up close. The Hassei Special is what I ordered, and it comes with a choice of soba or udon noodles, and I went with the chef's choice: soba. So delicious, so filling.
Just starting, Okonomiyaki from Hassei, Hiroshima.
Finished Product, Okonomiyaki from Hassei, Hiroshima.
Detailed view, Okonomiyaki from Hassei, Miyajima.
Hiroshima today is a little over 2 million people, and it's come a long way, and I'm really glad to see how a city can bounce back the way they have. If you ever have the chance to go to Japan, Hiroshima is a must-see, and make your way out to Miyajima as well, it's worth the quick trip across the bay.
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