I awoke this morning to heartburn and stomach pain…never a good sign especially when you are about to embark on a two-hour car ride with people you still don’t know very well. I managed to eat some toast, grab my backpack, and tried to settle in and relax during the long ride. We arrived in Hiroshima around 11:30am, parked the car, and headed for Peace Memorial Park. This was not difficult to find as there were literally streams of people walking in one direction.
The Japanese flag flying in Peace Memorial Park
Following the trail of tourists
The flame that will be extinguished when there are no more nuclear weapons on earth.
A beautiful view of the A-bomb dome
Though the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima 65 years ago, I was expecting to find more evidence of the cataclysm. Instead, you are walking through a thoroughly modern city. In fact, just one day after the bomb fell electrical lines and streetcar wires were already being repaired and people were beginning to put their lives back together. I cannot even imagine how anyone has enough resilience when literally everything is lost to carry on with life. I was moved by the display of paper cranes in the park—thousands have been folded by people all over the world and delivered to this one special place. Statues around Hiroshima are also draped in colorful crane bouquets reminding everyone that it is our choice to pursue peace and that it is an attainable goal. I was reminded of the collection of over 1,000 cranes made by the staff and students at Ferris High School for our Japanese teacher when we learned he had terminal cancer.
Children's Peace Monument
Thousands of cranes made by children and adults all over the world
Masae and Kahori ringing the bell for peace
My turn to ring the crane bell
From the park you can see the Atom Bomb Dome, one of the only structures near the epicenter that still stood after the bomb fell and the city burned. It has been preserved as another reminder of the horror of August 6, 1945.
The A-bomb dome from across the river
Close up of what is left of the dome
The reinforced structure
Back to normal
By now it was time for lunch so we started our search for a Ramen restaurant. My hosts have grown accustomed to my bland eating habits and found a place where I could get noodles with no soup. The noodles are not nearly as tasty plain, but I was in a tough spot being on the road all day.
I loved this sign painted on the wall of the restaurant!
All of the girls enjoying our noodles!
Just a little hole in the wall
We finished our visit to Hiroshima by walking through the Atom Bomb Museum. Seeing the artifacts that survived the blast, things that belonged to actual people who perished that day or in the days that followed, was the most difficult part of the day. I couldn’t bring myself to take photos in the museum although photography was allowed, with the exception of a replica of the bomb that fell over the city. It was probably a good thing that we loaded up the car again and headed for another surprise destination.
A replica of the famous a-bomb
Thirty minutes later we were out of the car again and Masae was prodding us along, ferry tickets in hand, so we could catch the boat to Miyajima. I have seen pictures in my guidebook of the famous gate to the shrine at Miyajima, but I had no idea that I would have the opportunity to visit the very place during this trip. The afternoon was so hot I could feel trickles of sweat dripping down my back, but nothing could ruin the experience of walking through the town towards the shrine and a prime viewing spot for the gate. Scraggly deer wander the streets and are even bold enough to grab anything that appears edible out from the hands of a tourist. My initial reaction was to steer clear of the deer and this proved to be a wise plan.
On the ferry to Miyajima
We took our time exploring the shrine and while we were waiting for the others to catch up Toshiaki helped me get a fortune from the special fortune box. Minutes before I had watched him carefully go through the procedure and decided to give it a go provided he could translate my fortune for me. His fortune was “bad fortune”, but lucky me picked a winner. Although my fortune translated as “middle fortune” my paper said someone good would be coming into my life soon. Perhaps this bodes well for me as I continue on my search for Mr. Right. The fortune also suggested new experiences were coming too…I feel as though this is already coming true. Good or bad, I know that God has the final say in the way things play out for me so I’m not going to hold my breath for my “middle fortune”.
Near the shrine entry
The great torii at Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima
Posing for a photo...peace people!
Walking through the shrine
The shrine at low tide
Many people reading their fortunes!
A couple taking part in a purification ritual
Barrels of Japanese alcohol
Yep, more photos with the torii
A characteristic self portrait!When we first arrived at Miyajima the sun was high and bright, but by the time we reached the beach surrounding the gate the sun had moved in the sky producing the perfect lighting for photos….and we took plenty of them!
Simply amazing! This is the 8th torii to stand in these waters. The structure itself is held to the sea floor by its own weight.
A different perspective of the famous shrine
Getting in a little beach time
As the sun began to set over Miyajima we left the shrine and started to make our way back to the ferry. Along the way we stopped to admire this five roof pagoda that was painted in red, the color of Hiroshima. Masae's mother explained that a structure with five roofs is good luck. We also made a quick stop for some snacks (ice cream, yay!) and to shop a bit. Masae was very excited to find an oyster stand and ordered herself a tasty treat. We also came across a GIANT rice paddle, another lucky item from this area of the country.
The five roof red pagoda
Giant rice paddle!
The ferry ride back was beautiful and cool so I opted to stay on the deck outside in order to catch one last glimpse of the torii gate. What an incredible day! All that was left of our adventure was a three hour car ride back to Okayama--I slept through a majority of the trip.
A final look at Miyajima
We arrived back at the house after 10 pm and Toshiaki returned to the city so he could go back to work on Tuesday. I said good-bye and told him I hoped we would meet again soon. He said he would see me in Seoul! Masae started getting Kahori ready for a bath and bedtime when I heard this loud scream come from the shower area. I ran down the hall and saw Masae pointing at a very large spider (about the size of your hand) and screaming. She grabbed a shoe and tried to smash the spider without getting too close. Finally, she managed to knock the little bugger into the tub and drown him about the same time we noticed there was another giant spider in the shower too! ICK! He made his escape out the window, which we securely closed and locked!! Nothing like a little action to end the day!
Big, yucky spiders!
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