Hiroshima with Andrea...

  Hiroshima, Japan
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

As Andrea was still on vacation, we decided to meet up and spend four nights in Hiroshima, which for obvious reasons is one of Japan`s most visited cities. Both of us had a "Seishun Juhachi Kippu" rail pass which meant that it was exceptionally cheap to get there, but we were limited to using the slow trains, resulting in a six hour journey south with numerous changes (as opposed to the ninety minute direct route on the shinkansen). The time passed quickly though, probably because of the company and the prospect of a great few days ahead of us...

Once in Hiroshima, we boarded a tram that took us virtually to the doorstep of the hotel we were staying at. All the hostels were fully booked, but I can`t say that I was too disappointed about staying in a plush hotel for a few days, and I didn`t hear Andrea complaining either. It was situated in a great area as well, right next to the Peace Park, so as chief accommodation booker, I`d done rather well...

z14. Floating Torii

We went for a mooch around in the evening, and ate okonomiyaki at a place recommended by Andrea`s host family in Osaka. It was very nice, but I think I lost about a stone in weight due to the heat - the stools were all facing in towards where the chef was cooking. I wasn`t as elegant with the chopsticks as my old pro companion, as I`d never really had to cut things up with them, but I`m getting there. I was just thankful to get outside and breath in the fresh air, although we soon headed back inside when we found an arcade, and I dished out another Tetris drubbing (although Andrea impressed me with her dancing skills on one interactive game, and easily beat me in the fighting games).

4. Deer attacking me

We decided to get the boat to Miyajima Island the next day, and the weather was certainly on our side. The crossing only took about 15 minutes, but it was memorable as we got to see one of Japan`s most famous sights en route - the `floating` torii. As usual I took plenty of photographs, utilising the enhanced zoom feature on my camera to get some good shots - little did I know that disaster was around the corner...

After leaving the ferry terminal, I immediately saw the groups of tame deer that the island is famous for. Andrea was less enthusiastic about their presence after encountering them in Nara, and maybe I was a little naive as I bought some deer food from an old guy in the street. They immediately surrounded me and began biting my jeans, my hooded top...and my nether regions! I shouted at one of them, telling it that I wanted to have children one day, a line that created much hilarity from one Japanese woman (it was probably the tone of my panicy voice that made her laugh as opposed to any meaning conveyed). Despite nibbling my private parts though, the deer were very cute...

7. Andrea

Now, it`s fair to say that my positive mood changed for the worse a few moments after feeding the deer. I wanted a photograph of Andrea and me sat on a wall with the ocean in the background, and an old man duely obliged and took a shot of us. Perfect...except for the fact that when passing the camera back to Andrea, time seemed to stand still, as my brand new Kodak C875 fell ever-so-slowly to its death. There were repeated somersaults as it hurtled towards the ground, before a thud prompted me to put my head in my hands...it was dead.

I tried to put a brave face on it, but it was very tough, and for the next hour or so, I unwittingly introduced Andrea to the true meaning of the phrase "mardy bum." I wasn`t annoyed at Andrea as it was a complete accident, I was more concerned about having to shell out for a new one when I was already over budget for various reasons, one of which was the posh hotel! Thankfully I managed to snap out of it eventually, and when all`s said and done, it`s only a bloody camera!

8. Itsukushima Shrine

Anyway, we mooched around for a few hours, pausing for ice cream or to pat a deer (they were less aggressive when food wasn`t involved!), before returning home early in the evening. Despite my broken camera, and subsequent moodiness (!), we`d had a nice time strolling around such a beautiful place...

The weather changed for the worse the next day, but we didn`t mind as we wanted to visit the Peace Memorial Museum. We ended up being there to over three hours, and it was quite emotional at times - the section showing the children`s injuries really got me. Some of the pictures were horrific, but even so, I`m glad that we went as it opened my eyes to the scale of the devastation...it completely flattened the entire city, with barely any building left standing at all within a 3km radius.

z22. A-bomb Dome

The A-bomb Domb as it is now known, situated on the river bank and almost at the hypocentre of the blast, was one of these few buildings, and when the rain stopped just before midnight, we had a really pleasant, peaceful stroll to it. There were no tourists around, and it was quite eerie as we looked at it from across the river...the frame of the dome seems to act as a symbol of defiance in the face of adversity. Apparently there was much debate in the 1960s, with some people arguing that it should be demolished, but thankfully it survived and is now a World Heritage Site. 

z25. Sakura

Sunday, our last full day in Hiroshima, was one of my favourite days in Japan so far. After another huge breakfast at the hotel overlooking the river, we walked around the Peace Park to the the many memorials, before stumbling across a band near the river that had drawn a crowd. The four old Japanese guys, cool as you like, played instrumentals reminiscent of The Shadows...in fact the lead guitarist was doing his best to imitate Hank Marvin, dressed smartly and staring into the distance while his guitar did the talking. We sat watching for half an hour until they finished their set, and Andrea later complimented the bassist when we passed him in the street!

z24. Band in front of the Dome

I was walking around in a t-shirt, and it felt like summer had arrived early, with a really nice atmosphere in the air. Further down the river, we watched an entertaining young folk quintet, complete with jovial frontman, before a duo came on and sang Imagine by John Lennon - quite apt considering we were sat adjacent to the Peace Park, with the A-bomb Domb in view on the opposite side.

Yes it was a really pleasant day, and a fitting end to an enjoyable stay in Hiroshima...