Ark Hiroshima

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091015

"A-BOMB DOME REVISITED"
by swami_worldtraveler

I set out from my hostel the next day, bound for the A-Bomb Dome, again. This time I was determined to meet native Japanese people and ask them what the Dome meant to them...

My strong desire to get viewpoints "from the other side" overcame my apprehension. I worked up the nerve and walked up to a salaryman in his 30's or so. I ...

... REACHING OUT FOR PEACE:

[CLICK] While taking even more photos I noticed a young Japanese man looking at me several times. As he approached I said, "Konnichiwa."

He responded in English. He took me a bit by surprise when he said he was a Jehovah's Witness. He and his two Japanese female companions wanted to talk about peace. So, I told them about the Rainbow Family, and specifically about the Meditation for World Peace and Healing on the 4th of July. They listened ...

After a quick morning saunter through takayama's morning market to pick up supplies, most of the day was spent heading south-westerly towards one of Japan's more well known cities, even if it's not for the best reason. Hiroshima is actually a very developed hub, and as we headed to our hotel, I once again noticed a large number of restaurants, shops and department stores that I had suspected were unique to Tokyo. Not so. That night we headed to the large building ...

... even a simple transaction at a shop can bring me pleasure, a few pleasentries about the weather or the price of bananas .. you know the thing .... here this is an impossibility. Even the most simple request can end in disaster - and sheer embarrassment for me and the poor person trying to help.

Yesterday we ordered 2 pizzas - not exciting I know, but my stomach is ...

... and that many American lives were lost at the hands of the Japanese as well. Overall I left the museum hoping that nuclear war never breaks out anywhere around the globe and seeing how nuclear bombs create vast devastation to any person, structure, or vegetation in the area that a nuclear bomb is dropped. No one can escape the effects of a nuclear bomb and the radiation melts the skin off the people exposed to it or affects their inner organs to the ...

... 14,000 tiles, alluding to the number of victims who died in 1945. On these tiles, you can find the names of Hiroshima`s neighborhoods. The lower the name`s position on the wall, the closer it was to the epicenter of the blast. If you just sit in one of the stools and listen to the sound of water, you could easily have one of the most peaceful moments of your life. However, as peace starts to settle in, you look around the chamber and remember how severely burnt victims died begging for ...

... followed the World Friendship Centre guidelines and took a tram (or "street-car" as they are known here) from the station, through the peace park, and got off at a stop a few blocks from the hotel. Walked the rest of the way and found the friendship centre with no worries. It is basically an old Japanese house which has been converted into lodging for about 4 different rooms. We have the entire bottom floor to ourselves ...

... geen kwaad zou kunnen zorgt het voor relaxte afwisseling. Een van de gezichtsbepalende sites van Udaipur is het Lake Palace hotel, een wit gebouw in het midden van het aan Udaipur grenzende meer, en het rijst als het ware uit het niets uit het water. In de jaren 70 vormde India en Udaipur in het bijzonder het decor voor James Bond's Octopussy. Het blijkt de belangrijkste attractie van de stad te zijn en we ontkomen er niet aan om op een van de dakterrassen met uitzicht op het ...

... recent story begins with the visit of my old mate from Sheffield days and beyond, John (one of my all-time favourite mates of all time), and his girlfriend, Mags (one of my all-time favourite mates' girlfriends of all time). Not only was it, of course, wonderful to see them after a long time, but it also afforded the opportunity/excuse to further engage my wanderlust and see some more of Japan. As ...

... to the north of the center. As can be predicted from a 1958 reconstruction, it's not exactly the finest or most authentic example of its kind. Even still, I thought I'd include in my wanderings and it did reward me with nice views over the city and surrounding hills. The other primary attraction of the city is the classically-styled stroll-garden of Shukkei-en. Also a victim of the bombing, it had to be meticulously reconstructed in the postwar era. While certainly ...