Today I visited Miyajima Island south of Hiroshima. It lies at the end of one of the local tram lines, so I didn't have any problems finding my stop. From there it was a short ferry trip across the bay, again my Japan Rail Pass could be used, so I didn't have to pay the fare on the ferry, if you ever go to Japan and plan to travel, make sure tha...

So I went to the baseball game yesterday and it was great. I met a friend outside so we could go buy tickets, but he already had some for us because he met a guy on the train that had two spare. So these tickets is right between home and 1 base on the 6th row and I'm friking out - the best seats ever ... and free. The ballgame was wonderful (eve...

Ein wahrer Kontrast zu den vielen Tempeln, Pagoden und Buddhafiguren war der Besuch des Friedensmuseums in Hiroshima, in dem der Atombombenabwurf auf die Stadt mit all seinen Facetten dokumentiert ist: Hintergruende, unmittelbare Auswirkungen und weitreichende Folgen werden dargestellt. Der Atombombendom, das Relikt einer Ausstellungshalle, dien...

Well it has been a couple of weeks since my last entry.  As a brief heads up, I have not been feeling well lately and it looks as though there is a strong possibility I may be returning from my trip overseas earlier than expected.  But, before I go, there are still some stories I would like to share. This entry has taken me awhile to a...

Hiroshima, where the A-bomb was dropped in WWII is today a vibrant city. The War Memorial museum is very informative and well put together. A visit to the A-Dome, (the building that remained standing after the explosion) is also a must. If you visit Hiroshima, I highly recommend living close to the city center so that everything is within walkin...

Today was a long day. We set off early in the morning from Fukuyama with Mayumi for the 1/2 hour train ride to Hiroshima. On arrival, we went directly to the Peace Park. I read the book Hiroshima by John Hersey when I was still in elementary school and was quite affected by it, so it was very moving to actually see the A-Bomb Dome, which is all ...

Richard For the trip to Hiroshima I thought that we should try the bento boxes which are as much a part of travelling in Japan as the bullet trains. According to our guidebook each station in Japan has different boxes and takes great pride in them. There are even enthusiasts who travel around trying them all and writing about them. Fiona and I d...

We got up at 7 o'clock, much to Egg's amazement. He insisted we sign his book before we left. Reading some of the other comments was funny. One said Tad (which was his real name) is larger than life, in many ways. Another said "rules rules rules, the fat man walks alone". We left a nicer message however despite his bank balance saving rules, I'm...

After three days in Tokyo Trace had to go back to work so we headed to Osaka where her and Murray live, and from there I took a day trip to Hiroshima. It's a really sad place to be, but a definite highlight of my time in Japan. The Atomic Bomb Dome, which stood close to ground zero, is the only building remaining from before the bomb which hit o...

Visit to Hiroshima with Mum and Dad. Each member of my (immediate) family except Pete has rung the peace bell so Dad made sure I did too! While in Hiroshima we also visited Mijiyama, one of Japans top three beautiful sights to see. A Tori floating in the water in front of its temple, though at low tide its less beautiful! We also went on the cab...