*As an American it was a bit hard going to Hiroshima, but as a human being it was even harder. Just knowing that people are capable of making weapons that are capable of that much suffering, is a really hard truth to swallow. But! If you are thinking about including Hiroshima on your trip, I think you should.
Hiroshima is a bustling city on the western end of the main island, facing the Seto Inland Sea. Which, if you saw my pictures from Okunoshima (aka ‘bunny island’), you should already know.
The main tourist attraction in the city is the Peace Park, which has the:
A-Bomb Dome-One of the few buildings that survived the blast in relatively good condition. It now acts an the memorializing place for those who died from the bomb.
Peace Memorial Museum - really well-thought out, but may have images that are hard to swallow. I saw many children in there, too young to understand any of the context, laughing and saying “Ew! Gross!” Pretty predictable reaction from an elementary schooler.
http://www.hiroshima-spirit.jp/en/museum/
Admission is a mere 50 yen per person.
I had the privilege of listening to a survivor of the bomb tell her story of how she got permanently scarred from the blast when she was a preteen. She lost her family, including her brother, who had several children. She took those children in as her own and raised them alone. Because of her visual disfigurement from the bomb, people around her treated her as if she were diseased, and she was never able to date or marry.
I cried the entire time I listened to her story. I cried most of the time I was in the museum. I tend to cry a lot at these types of museums….
Children’s Peace Monument- Memorial for the children who died from the A-Bomb
There are 1,000 crane bundles all around the site. Children fold 1,000 cranes because it is believed that if you do, a crane will come and grant you a single wish. Sadako Sasaki is famous for attempting to do it to cure her illness which came about from radiation exposure. This monument has Sadako holding up a golden crane as a plea for world peace.
Children coming from all over Japan visit this memorial and are likely to try and interview you to practice English (and as a required field trip activity). You will probably end up getting several cranes.
Hiroshima is famous for its special okonomiyaki, Hiroshima-yaki.
Enjoy this blurry, messy photo of Hiroshima-yaki.
As you can see, there are noodles sticking out of it. Unlike okonomiyaki, which is mixed together in a bowl and poured onto a griddle like a pancake, Hiroshima-yaki is made in layers and put together. I am a fan of it.
If you want to grab some famously good Hiroshima-yaki, you can head on down to Hassho.
It’s a bit of a walk away, but in an entertainment district right off of Peace Boulevard.
My course of travel was just like many other people in that I stayed over night in Miyajima, an island near Hiroshima City.
Take the JR Sanyo Line for about 25 minutes to get to Miyajimaguchi Station. From there board a ferry to the island.
The island is home to a nationally-famous shrine called, Itsukushima Shrine. It’s main characteristic is the floating torii (shrine gate).
Miyajima’s official tourism HP: http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/
Here is a picture I took of it at night:
Managed to capture a freaky image of a deer crossing a path at night. Deer here are used to people, and are much like the deer in Nara, watch out.
↑The shrine at low tide.
Be sure to pick up some momiji manju (maple leaf-shaped sweet) while you are on the island. They will be everywhere.
This manju and many other souvenirs are sold around the old-style shopping streets in the area.
There is also Mount Misen, a mountain inhabited by monkeys and that has beautiful views of the area as well as a temple.
According to Japanese folklore, wherever there is a mountain, there is bound to be tengu inhabiting it. Tengu is a bird-like supernatural creature that usually has a very long nose that borders on phallic (maybe it is just me).
Some interesting signs:
