Bullet Ride to the Storm

Part One (please see Part Two Below)
Day 17

We boarded the Shinkansen to Hiroshima this morning for an easy 2 hour trip. Stops at stations for unboarding and boarding occur in under 2 minutes, so be prepared or you will be left on the platform or on the train. If train travel in the US were as comfortable, fast, precise, and easy as in Japan I would rarely fly within the US. The airline industry must be lobbying hard against high speed railways.

The trains in this part of the country did shut down after our trip due to anticipated high winds from Typhoon Nanmadol.

As of this evening our itinerary for tomorrow has been canceled and we will hunker down in the hotel. The wind and rain was just starting on our way back from dinner and we are expecting winds up to 68 mph tonight. Fortunately, the forecast states that Hiroshima will avoid a direct hit.

After arriving in Hiroshima we dropped our luggage at the hotel and headed for the Peace Memorial Park, Museum, and a presentation from a survivor of the bombing. I have seen several documentaries on Hiroshima and hearing her story in person was even more of an emotional experience.Read more