Japan learned from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the tragedy wrought by nuclear weapons must never be repeated and that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist.
Daisaku Ikeda
I thought it would be easier to do two days on the one post, two days with a little taken by travel doesn’t give you a huge amount of time.
Day 1
The first half was taken up by travel from Hakata (Fukuoka) to Hiroshima. Tracy is getting a little better but is looking forward to having a little lay down so as to kick this bug she has. The location of the Hotel Granvia was a little bit like shades of Europe in January, walk out of the northern entrance and the hotel was attached to the Station itself. The only difference with the Ibis in Cologne was that I didn’t have to leave the station (1st world problems). This is my third time here, the others being day trips from Kyoto/Osaka, so we have a little more time to work out what the go is.
As Tracy rested, my first stop was always going to be Hiroshima Castle. I got put onto the JR bus (which drops you at different spots in the city) at school so made a beeline for the stop but just missed the first bus. Got the next one to the dome and had a little walk to the castle. The original castle was destroyed by the A-Bomb in 1945 but was built in the early 1600’s and rebuilt in the 1950’s. The grounds (which were used by the imperial military as a base up until August 1945) was huge. I have no idea how people could have gotten across one moat let alone two. Inside the castle itself was a museum largely to Samurai and the history of the building. Each of the 5 floors had something of interest but I couldn’t take a great deal of pics as photography was banned in areas. The thing that still amazes me is the Samurai armour which showed little to no development over period of 250 years (due to the isolation policy of the Tokugawa Shogunate). Ended up walking back to the station as I couldn’t find the bus stop (didn’t kill me). Then off to Shintenchi Okonommura (four floors of food) for our first taste of Hiroshima okonomiyaki. I can say without fear of contradiction that was UNBELIEVABLE. Osaka has something to definitely live up to now that I have a comparison. Squid, pork, soba noodles and everything else went in and the result was brilliant. The spectacle was just as fun as well. Need me some more of this stuff J
Day 2
First stop today was the Dome. Even though I have visited this site before, it’s like a magnet that draws you towards it. The major reason I am coming back is to visit the museum to see what they had done to it since the renovations. Last time we were here in April it was closed for renovations and only a small portion was accessible to the public. It’s always confronting when you view the material but it does help you appreciate the good things and peaceful times more (and fight a little harder to keep it that way). The park itself is magnificent and as I already pointed out in the Nagasaki post, large. The site itself (as it celebrates peace) takes on a whole different light when you see images of what it was in 1945.
The museum renovations were well done and the site (as you would expect) was much larger than last time. Certain exhibits were back in action such as the step with the shadow (vaporised human) and the cranes and a range of painting that were extremely confronting. Tracy had an interesting experience outside of the facility. She left the museum earlier than myself and met and spoke to a man who was born 3 years after the bomb hit Hiroshima. He spoke of his experiences, his mother forcing him to learn english and what it was like in the period of his childhood. I did meet him and he said he had never been inside the museum as he had no need to see what was in there. It was one of those chance meetings that makes the experience that much more special.The next stop (after a little discussion) was to the Shukkeien Gardens which date back to the 16th century. To be honest, we weren’t sure about what to do but it turned out brilliantly. This garden is steeped in the culture and was incredibly beautiful. The colours of winter were very much on display and if someone had asked you to describe a Japanese garden, this one would be one you begin to think of (the reality is that it is far more impressive). From here it was one more okonomiyaki meal before our last day in Hiroshima was complete. Tomorrow off to Kyoto and on our way back slowly.
Images – Day 5 & 6 Hiroshima
2019 December Japan 