Hello family and friends! I have been super procrastinating updating this (ahahaha Japan is too much fun!), but I figured I should at least make a post about my trip to Hiroshima, so that everyone can see what they enabled me to do, since it was my birthday present! Thank you all so much, it was a ton of fun!
So on the first day, I got my butt out of bed and onto the first shinkansen (bullet train) out of Nagoya. Which is at 6:20. I live about 45 minutes away. That. Wasn't super fun. But the bullet train is super quiet so I could take a nap. On this "super express" Hiroshima was 2 1/2 hours away, so we were there around nine. We meandered miraculously over to the hotel, considering we were using google maps with no wifi, ending up on the "Promenade of Peace" in the process. Many alliterative jokes were had. After dropping our bags, we walked down to the atomic bomb museum/memorial/park, stopping for much needed Starbucks on the way. And here's the part where I start having pictures (some of which have been taken from Megan's facebook. Ahahahaha her photos are artsier).
Watch stopped at 9:15, the time the bomb hit.
Sadako's paper cranes, the source of the 1000 cranes = wish legend. Turns out a) she folded several thousand and b) enjoyed making them AS TINY AS POSSIBLE. She folded them WITH A NEEDLE. I can't even.
Outside the Museum. The cenotaph is for the victims, nearby is a grave for the unidentified victims (which are still being claimed, the most recent was last June). Interestingly, this is one the first Japanese flags I've noticed my whole trip.
Roof of the Memorial Hall for Victims. It has great environmental design!!
Children's Memorial. Something about the way the kids are sculpted was really unsettling. In the background are little protected display cases for people to offer 1000s of cranes. This is much nicer than in Nagasaki, where they got left out in the rain!!
Korean Victim's Memorial
"Atomic Bomb Dome" Because this building was so close to the hypocenter, the forces where directed downwards rather than outwards, enabling it to remain partially standing like this.
Memorial for juvenile workers. At the time of the explosion, hundreds of junior high students were helping to create firebreaks. Most died.
The Hypocenter. This is awkwardly now on the side of a building in an alley.
And now for something completely different! We went for lunch afterwards at an Italian place. Megan was served rice, promptly declared it felt weird eating with a fork, and proceeded to eat her rice like this.
The next day we went to Miyajima, an island in Hiroshima harbor.
Picture from the ferry ride over!
What's so special about this island? Besides a famous shrine and being ~pretty~, the island is full of deer! They're considered sacred here so hurting them is forbidden. They just roam about and get pet all day.
And try to enter stores.
They liked me.
So the shrine on the island, Itsukushima Shrine, is famous for not actually being on the island really since the island itself was once considered a god. Since we got to Miyajima at high tide, we went right to it!
On the approach
Itsukushima shrine! So pretty, so floaty~
All together now!
After that we got lunch. Hiroshima is famous for oysters, so I got them for the first time for lunch. They were fired but green on the inside? Tasted fine but that freaked me out. So then, because one of my friends likes hiking, the decision was made to go to the peak of the island. But to only buy one way gondola tickets.
We were of course the most beautiful scenery seen
Getting some Rangely feels.
Not going to lie, we made silly faces at the descending people.
Then we walked all around the mountain top!
Shrines!
Adorable small study buddhas!
Rocks they probably shouldn't let people on but do anyway!
Deer?! (He was trying to steal peoples lunches)
And then we got silly
Really silly
Okay actual nice picture of the gang (Left to right, Megan, Lizzie, Jess)
And then it was decided that the "sensible" thing to do was to walk down the mountain rather then shell out another ten bucks. The path was usually worse than this. (I was not wearing sneakers). We may have also met a ghost. So old guy appeared when we were taking a break, gave us oranges and was never seen again. Thank delicious orange ghost!!
It was not the easiest trek down but it was pretty and a quality life decision.
By the time we got down it was around five which meant the tide was out!
How have you been the last few hours Itsukushima shrine?? Oh. Uh. You don't look so pretty at low tide.
BUT WHATEVER WE CAN WALK OUT TO THE SHRINE GATE NOW. (Ps still not wearing the right shoes)
Pop-culturally obligatory selfie.
Lastly, before we left we ate as many Momiji-manju ("Maple-buns") as humanly possible. They're like muffin/cupcakes with slightly hard fillings. Despite the name, they are merely maple shaped, not maple flavored. (My attempts to get a reason for this were unsuccessful, as were my attempts to impress on my Japanese friends how good of an idea that would be). Common fillings are Anko (red bean paste ickickick), Macha (green tea. much better than anko), Custard (functionally vanilla), and Chocolate. But seeing as i think we went to literally every store, we also found Strawberry, Apple, Raisin, Pumpkin, Chocolate covered, black sesame, cheese, and blueberry cheese to name a few. And low and behold, once we were back on the mainland, the ferry giftshop had MAPLE FLAVORED MANJU! But when we inhaled them back at the hotel with a movie it turned out they were merely maple flavored bread, and not maple syrup filled like a true manju. Not that I cared/complained.
On our last day we went to Hiroshima Castle. Which is a reconstruction but still cool.
They had a flower festival!
Hiroshima shrine. It's Hichigosan time right now (A holiday for 3,5, and 7yr old kids), so there were cute little kids all dolled up in kimonos about. It was just too much!!
Where castle defenders could drop rocks on invaders heads, as announced by a cute cat (This pleased me)
Armorrrrr. Sworrddddsss. Hell yessssss.
DRESS UP
He may be compensating. A lot.
View from the top! Thanks Hiroshima!
All in all it was a total blast! I got to see a lot of new things, goof around with my friends and probably eat the equivalent size of a wedding cake in momiji-manju. Thanks again everyone, it was a wonderful present~!!!