Japan
Hiroshima

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    • Day 8

      Miyajima

      October 14 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

      Littéralement "l'île sanctuaire", Myiajima est un lieu sacré shintô. Le gigantesque torii flottant (à marée haute) est classé au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO. Des cerfs se baladent en toute liberté parmi les nombreux touristes qui visitent l'île tout au long de l'année.

      Pour y accéder, le train puis le ferry. Sur place, d'innombrables commerces qui vendent des souvenirs et de la nourriture. Nous avons notamment assisté à une fabrication traditionnelle de mochis!

      Oh, et on a aussi vu passer Voltron...

      Malgré le monde, nous avons trouvé ce paysage sublime et ses cerfs fort sympathiques !
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    • Day 10

      Tagesausflug nach Hiroshima

      October 31 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Heute ging es früh morgens mit dem Shinkansen los. Von Shin-Osaka, einem Stadtteil etwas außerhalb von Osaka, startete unser Zug. In Shin-Osaka angekommen, haben wir schnell unser Frühstück bei 7-Eleven gekauft, um es dann im Zug zu genießen. Dieses Mal hatten wir keine Plätze reserviert, um das auch mal auszuprobieren. Es hat super geklappt. Wir konnten frei wählen und hatten wenig Mitfahrer im „Nicht reserviert“-Abteil. Entspannte 1 Stunde und 20 Minuten später standen wir am Bahnhof in Hiroshima.

      Hiroshima war relativ früh auf unserem Plan. Wir nahmen gleich einen Bus zum ersten Punkt: Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Monument (広島原子爆弾 爆心地説明の碑). An dieser Stelle explodierte am 6. August 1945 um 8:15 Uhr in etwa 600 m Höhe die erste Atombombe der Welt und verursachte schreckliches Chaos. Dort zu stehen, war einfach gruselig, erschreckend und schrecklich zugleich. Einfach nicht schön. Auch beim Schreiben läuft es mir kalt den Rücken runter.

      Dann ging es weiter zum Friedensdenkmal. Das Gebäude, das noch steht, obwohl es durch den Angriff fast zerstört wurde. Auch hier kam eine seltsame Stimmung auf. Auf den Tafeln konnte man lesen, dass lange überlegt wurde, ob man das Gebäude abreißen sollte, da es an Leid und Schmerz erinnert. Es wurde jedoch als Zeichen stehen gelassen, dass so etwas nie wieder passieren soll.

      Wenig später standen wir an der Flame of Peace (平和の灯). Dieses Feuer brennt, bis alle Länder der Welt jegliche Atombomben vernichtet haben und solche Waffen nirgends mehr existieren. Ein schöner Gedanke! Nebenan ist das Hiroshima Victims Memorial Cenotaph (広島平和都市記念碑(原爆死没者慰霊碑)). Dort ist ein Sarkophag, der eine Liste aller Namen enthält, die alle Opfer auflistet. Ach man... Einfach schrecklich.

      Die Stimmung änderte sich schlagartig zum Positiven. An diesem Tag fanden viele Schulausflüge statt, und plötzlich begann ein Kinderchor auf Japanisch zu singen. Es klang einfach wunderschön und zauberte ein Lächeln auf unsere Gesichter.

      Anschließend schlenderten wir noch durch die Stadt und fuhren nachmittags zurück nach Osaka. Dort angekommen, durchstöberten wir verschiedene Läden und gegen 18 Uhr machte ich mich auf den Heimweg. Erschöpft vom Tag und mit dem Ziel, etwas Ruhe zu genießen, verbrachte ich den Rest des Abends allein im Airbnb, da die Jungs sich spontan entschieden hatten, noch eine Runde feiern zu gehen. Passt prima, denn für den nächsten Tag war Erholung geplant.

      ---

      Today, we left early in the morning on the Shinkansen. Our train departed from Shin-Osaka, a district a bit outside of Osaka. Once we arrived in Shin-Osaka, we quickly bought our breakfast at 7-Eleven to enjoy it on the train. This time, we didn’t reserve seats to try it out. It worked perfectly. We had free seat selection and very few fellow travelers in the "unreserved" section. A relaxing 1 hour and 20 minutes later, we arrived at Hiroshima Station.

      Hiroshima was relatively early on our itinerary. We took a bus to our first stop: Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Monument (広島原子爆弾 爆心地説明の碑). On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM, the world's first atomic bomb exploded at about 600 meters above this spot, causing horrific chaos. Standing there was creepy, shocking, and horrifying all at once. Simply put, it was not a pleasant experience. Even as I write this, it sends chills down my spine.

      Next, we went to the Peace Memorial. The building that still stands, despite almost being destroyed by the attack. Here too, a strange atmosphere prevails. The plaques explained that there was much debate about whether to demolish the building since it reminded people of suffering and pain. However, it was left standing as a symbol that such events should never happen again.

      A bit later, we stood by the Flame of Peace (平和の灯). This fire will burn until all countries in the world have destroyed all atomic bombs and such weapons no longer exist. A beautiful thought! Next to it is the Hiroshima Victims Memorial Cenotaph (広島平和都市記念碑(原爆死没者慰霊碑)). There is a sarcophagus that contains a list of all the names of the victims. Oh man... Just terrible.

      The mood quickly shifted to a very positive one. On that day, there were numerous school trips taking place, and suddenly a children's choir started singing in Japanese. It sounded absolutely wonderful and brought a smile to our faces.

      Afterwards, we wandered through the city and returned to Osaka in the afternoon. Once back, we browsed through various shops and by 6 PM, I headed home. Exhausted from the day and aiming to enjoy some peace and quiet, I spent the rest of the evening alone in the Airbnb, while the guys spontaneously decided to go out partying. It worked out well since we had planned for a day of rest the next day.
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    • Day 47

      Miyajima ⛩️🌸🦌

      April 5 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Hüt simr uf dr Wältkulturerbä Insle gsi wo schiins zu de 3 schönschte Landschafte vo Japan ghört... Näbschtem Schrein hets seeehr viiiiil wunderschöni Chirschblüeteböim ka und sehr zuertoulichi Rehli 🌸⛩️🦌Read more

    • Day 31

      Day 30-31

      March 31 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Day 30

      We packed our bags and headed towards the bus station today to get on the bus bound for Hiroshima! After gobbling down a quick snack we were quickly rushed onto the bus and set off. The highway buses in Japan are absolutely silent! They ask you not to use your mobile phones in order to not disturb other passengers, so I got my book out and settled in for our 3 1/2 hour bus.

      After 3 long and painful hours we arrived at Hiroshima bus terminal where we grabbed our backpacks and headed off to our hotel. The best way to describe our hotel is like staying inside a cigar, the whole hotel stinks of cigarettes and smoke so not the most welcoming smell after being on a stuffy bus! We were also booked into a smoking room so we left the windows open for a few hours and the smell dissipated.

      We are in a great location right next to the peace park so we thought we’d wander through the peace park for the rest of the afternoon. For those who don’t know, the peace park is MASSIVE and is full of monuments. Wondering around looking at the monuments and seeing the famous dome we found our way to the “peace pond” which was also very close to the centre of the bomb dropping point. I hadn’t felt overwhelmed with emotion until this point when I saw the flowers people had laid out and the eternal fire burning in remembrance of the victims but to also honour the survivors. It was very heavy and a few tears were shed! It’s just unimaginable the horror that Hiroshima faced when the bomb was dropped, we also went to the memorial hall which is full of rotating pictures of the casualties some of which were just children. It’s really heartbreaking and really difficult to see. I’ve been slightly putting off writing about this in my blog as it’s hard to describe how devastating and tragic this event is and how it made me feel, it’s hard to put into words.

      We looked at going into the museum but the queues were insane so we decided we’d get up early to go to beat the crowds a little.

      Day 31

      Alarm blaring we quickly got up and out the door to make it to the memorial museum shortly after it had opened and even so there were still a lot of people! But I’m sure less than if we had gone later in the day. The museum starts with a display of what Hiroshima was like before and then after the bomb. After the bomb literally all that was standing was the famous dome everything was just in complete wreck and ruin with the landscape being purely rubble.

      I think the core facts that stood out to me from the history section of the museum were…

      •the bomb released the equivalent of 16 kilotonnes of TNT, that’s not even a figure I can get my head around.

      •the west disgustingly nicknamed the a bomb used on Hiroshima “little boy” due to its shape and size.

      • ground temperatures near the hypo centre of the bomb reached 4,000 degrees Celsius.

      •the bomb killed an estimated 140,000 people but also causing long term illnesses and suspected genetic cancer so the casualties from the bomb is actually still rising.

      Just those facts alone quite frankly made me feel sick to my stomach, but the exhibition that tipped me over the edge was the children’s exhibition. A tricycle, a pair of shoes, a lunch box, a text book all belonging to children killed in the blast and more distressingly many were not killed instantly and suffered a brutal few days before their bodies eventually gave up. I was in absolute floods and I just can’t comprehend how terrifying it is that we have created weapons like this and have used them. It was a really really hard museum to visit but absolutely the right thing to do.

      I think that’s all I’ll say on the museum but I’m sure you can all imagine that emotions were running very high today.

      We decided in order to lift the mood we should go and do something fun! So we took the boat from the peace park out to Miyajima island! We were hoping to stand outside but we had to sit inside which was a shame, as we cruised the sea we saw the island coming clearer and clearer until we docked and clambered off. It was nice to get the fresh air as we have found Hiroshima has been very smoggy and the island was definitely a breath of fresh air!

      The first thing that took us by surprise was that there were deer everywhere just wondering around and completely unbothered by people which was quite lovely! Trying to leave a decent distance between us and the deer we took a few snaps and then headed around the island to see the Torii gate that was in the sea! Very similar to the one we kayaked to but obviously this one is much more popular. We climbed onto a small rickety boat with no other forgien tourists and were passed the large and rather comical on us bamboo hats! Before heading out for a better view of the torii gate, this time we were actually taken through the gate which I was surprised by as we weren’t allowed to kayak through the last one! But it did mean we got a very close up view of the rustic red gate whilst our guide gave us what I’m sure was a very interesting and in depth description in Japanese!

      Having rockingly returned to the beach we walked by the large shrine which at high tide appears to float as it is on stilts! It’s a brillaint red that really shines! Walking around the back of it I yelped in delight when we saw FULLY BLOSSOMED CHERRY BLOSSOMS!!! FINALLY!!! They were absolutely beautiful! It was a great little taster of hopefully what is still to come! They are incredibly delicate little flowers and are actually more white than pink! There are different types and some are more pink than others but a few are very white! I was so over the moon that we finally saw some cherry blossoms as we have been crossing our fingers and toes to see them as the forecast was so wrong! This honestly made my entire day and I didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day.

      After catching the boat back we wondered through the peace park to enjoy it at night in the peace and quiet and then headed back to chill in our room.
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    • Day 16

      Insel Miyajima

      November 7 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      Heute bringt es uns auf die Insel Miyajima. Dort gibt es eins der bekanntesten Tori-Toren, welches im Wasser steht.

      Mit unserem Airbnb sind wir perfekt gelegen und brauchen von der nächsten Anlegestelle lediglich 10 Minuten zur Insel.

      Von dort folgen wir den Massen an Touristen zum Tor. Auch hier erwarten uns auf den Straßen und Wegen Rehe, die etwas zum Fressen wollen. Leider wird hier nicht so drauf geachtet und wir sehen wie zwei Tiere die Flyer von Touristen auffressen.

      Von dort laufen wir zum Tor und schauen uns den Tempel dahinter an. Er wurde aufs Wasser gebaut und gibt einen tollen Blick aufs Tor. Mit dem Kombi-Ticket kamen wir danach auch in die Schatzkammer, wo wir Schwerter, beeindruckende Rüstungen, Gemälde sowie Schriftrollen sahen. Einfach beeindruckend. Leider durften wir keine Bilder in dem Gebäude machen.

      Von dort liefen wir zu einem Tempel, wo ich schöne Bilder im Netz sah. Zunächst bestand es aus mehreren Schreinen und zu Beginn erklommen wir dir Treppen dort hin. Die Geländer waren verziert und die Stirnseiten erzählten eine Geschichte. Links und rechts säumten Figuren den Weg. Links waren lauter steinerne Mönchsfiguren. Das skurrile war, dass alle gestrickte Hauben auf hatten.

      Von dort kamen wir zu den Tempel, die unglaubliche Schnitzereien enthielten. Vom Äußeren waren es bisher die Aufwändigsten, die wir bisher gesehen haben.

      Innerhalb des einen Tempels standen tausende kleine Figuren einer Gottheit. Mit dieser akribischen Genauigkeit ging es weiter. Es gab tausende Buddahfiguren, die wohl bestimmten Leuten gehörten. Auf allen möglichen Figuren wurden in die Hände oder auf den Kopf Münzen gelegt. Es ist einfach unglaublich wie erpicht die Japaner sind nach Glück zu beten.

      Zuletzt kamen wir zum eigentlichen Schrein. Dieser wurde in den Berg hinein gebaut. Die Stimmung ist gleich eine andere. Es riecht nach Räucherstäbchen und er erklingt Mönchsgesang aus versteckten Lautsprecher. Auch hier stehen zahlreiche Figuren von Göttern. Das eigentliche beeindruckende ist jedoch die Decke. Dort hängen perfekt geordnet zahlreiche Laternen. Die Symmetrie sowie das schummrige Leuchten verleiht dem Raum einen besonderen Touch.

      Damit verließen wir die Tempelanlage und liefen zu einer Seilbahn. Damit wird man auf einen der Berge gebracht. Der Ausblick über das Inselarchipel ist unglaublich. Wir machen viele Fotos. Weil die Zeit recht weit fortgeschritten ist, stellen wir uns bald wieder an nach unten zu fahren. Es kommen immer wieder durchsagen, dass um 16:30 Uhr die letzte Gondel fährt und die Schlange war lang. Es war erst kurz vor 16 Uhr, aber es strömten noch immer Menschen hoch. Sogar Schwangere und Männer in Anzügen. Solltet ihr 16:30 Uhr nicht schaffen, dann müssen sie zu Fuß zwei Stunden laufen. Wir waren froh, als wir unten waren. Uns kamen nur noch leere Gondeln entgegen.

      Sicher unten angekommen, holten wir uns noch etwas zum Abendessen. Oystern sind auf der Insel wohl sehr beliebt und wir wollen welche probieren. Gleichzeitig sind wir Schisser und nehmen deswegen die frittierte Variante. Ganz mit dem Motto „Frittiert schmeckt es immer“. Sie waren nicht schlecht, aber als Hauptgang brauch ich es auch nicht.

      Heute haben wir uns viel bewegt und nach dem Essen ist es auch schon Dunkel. Muse besteigen wir die Fähre und hängen an den Handys. Wir tuckern gemütlich rüber und Alex und Anita sind verwirrt, dass alle aufstehen. Die Antwort, dass wir bereits angekommen sind, haben sie nicht verstanden. Sie dachten wir liegen noch vor der Insel und sind noch nicht los.

      Wir nehmen einen kleinen Umweg, um Verpflegung für den nächsten Tag zu kaufen und laufen dann nach Hause. Jeder springt unter die Dusche und so findet ein schöner Tag sein Ende.
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    • Day 77

      Miyajima island

      December 16, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      היום נסענו ליום טיול באי מייאגימה.
      ישר כשירדנו מהפארי ראינו איילים והתרגשנו מהם מאוד אפילו טל הספיקה ללטף אחד.
      הגענו לרחוב החנויות וקנינו שנינו מאצ'ה לאטה חמה להתחיל את היום.
      ראינו את הטורי המפורסם במים (נראה כמו שער אדום במים).
      המשכנו למסלול הליכה למעלה התצפית לפסגה של 535 של האי והיה מסלול של 5 ק"מ מספק ומאוד יפה מלא במקדשים יפנים.
      במקדש האחרון החלטנו לקנות ספר חותמות שבו יחתמו לנו בכל מקדש שנהיה בו ביפן. אז מקווים שהספר יתמלא בקרוב:)
      חזרנו לאכול ארוחת צהריים שחיממה אותנו והיתה בדיוק מה שרצינו, מרק אודון עם טמפורה שרימפס.
      אבא קינח בגריל אוייסטר שמסתבר שמגדלים פה ומפורסם כאן מאוד.
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    • Day 9

      Ryokan in Miyajima

      September 25, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

      We dove into the arms of the sushi train to comfort eat the emotional sucker punch that was Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

      Are there any differences with an Australian sushi train? Well, yes and no.
      The setup is the same but with a few minor differences. There is a hot water tap in front of patrons for their tea (yeah, I was prepared this time); there is no sushi on the train, just pictures that you grab and show the chefs; and they use a handheld device that scans your stack of plates to calculate your bill. There is no need to sort them into colour-coded piles, so where is the fun in that? Sigh. Japanese efficiency, though, is pretty cool.

      Noah and I shared oyster nigari (because that's what Hiroshima does best) and local red miso soup from the region, which Noah rated as his favourite thus far.

      After the obligatory snack top-up at 7-Eleven, we reserved tomorrow's remaining train tickets (like absolute-boss commuters) and ferried to Miyajima, a little island off the coast akin to Rottnest, just with deer instead of quokkas.

      As we arrived, you could see the massive red O-Torii gates standing in the sea. The gate marks the entrance to the floating Itsukushima Shrine (first built in the 12th century to protect seafarers and the Imperial family) and functions as a border between the mundane and religious, encouraging the individual to transcend into that sacred space.

      After checking in, we wandered down the narrow streets filled with traditional dwellings (much like Tsumago), some bustling with a marketplace vibe of new foods, touristy gift shops and a few very cool niche stores. Built over the water, The Itsukushima Shrine was peaceful to walk through, the sun setting behind the Gate making it a popular selfie spot. The kids took a moment to sit down, legs dangling over the edge to chat and laugh, no doubt at their mum's obsession with taking photos. Paul and I took a moment to offer a donation and pray at the shrine; the energy was really different there. It is difficult to explain but peaceful and expansive, a great meditative space.

      We wandered past monks handwriting blessings for tourists; we sought ours out using what I call the rattle sticks. To receive your fortune, you donate and then pray as you shake the box of sticks. One pops out with a number corresponding to a draw containing your reading.

      If it's good news, receive it humbly. If it's not so good news, you tie the message to a wall of cords, and the monks will pray over it at their next prayer session. 💖

      The walk back through the quiet streets at twilight was my favourite part of the day. Painted lanterns adorned each doorway, each uniquely painted to symbolise the dwelling. The narrow streets wove up and down through a town that breathed a sigh of relief as the last tourists boarded the ferry. We had the place to ourselves and it was magic!

      We had fun pointing out the local deer just chilling in doorways. These Nihonjika ("Japanese deer") were considered messengers of the Gods and therefore fed and respected by the locals. They now use a fear campaign because the kids were more skittish than curious; at one point, they exclaimed in retreat, "It's got horns. It's gonna go us!". The deer, on the other hand, is entirely unmoved. Smart media campaign Bambi, who is your manager? 😜

      We arrived just in time for dinner, so regrettably, we didn't don our kimono PJs and slippers. It was fantastic, though, my goodness! Dinner consisted of a five-course degustation where you cook part of your meal in the broth on the table. The courses kept coming, much to Paul's delight and I found it exciting to try and work out what we were eating. Poor StellaB bravely tried everything but handed over her sashimi whilst Noah quickly snavelled her Miso. It's tough being a parent sometimes.

      Our traditional Ryokan room is, well, sparse. The room is empty save for a table and seats on the floor. You look around and think, "Where do we sleep?" Our futons, pillows, doonas and linen were all folded in the cupboard, so it's a bit like camping but inside.

      I'm trying to keep my chin up as the room (including the hotel hallways) has a strong, musty urine smell. It's a worry when there's a half-used bottle of Febreze in the entryway like the hotel has just capitulated. The floor is made of matting, even in the toilet. I live with two fellas, so I get what they are working with. But come on, the mattresses have the same smell, too. 😵‍💫😩

      Paul's positive attitude is contagious, chalking it up to a unique experience. Although he did have a chuckle when comparing the photos from the website to that of our room, it was like ordering something from Wish 😅🥴

      We finished the night sitting cross-legged around the table, enjoying green tea and Alan's surprise Gelato buffet💗. The view out the window of twinkling lights and the boys in kimonos is just magic. 😁❤️ Life is still great. Just one more quick spray.....
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    • Day 137

      Miyajima

      November 18, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      Eine kleine Urlaubsinsel direkt vor Hiroshima. Hier sind wir für einen Tagesausflug. Mit der Fähre dauert es nur 10min vom Festland bis auf die Insel. Es erinnert uns ein bisschen an Warnemünde mit der kleinen Promenade voller Menschen und dem schönen Strand. Anstelle der Leuchttürme ist hier aber ein großes Torii Tor. Von diesem haben wir ziemlich tolle Bilder gesehen aber heute stand dort leider ein Gerüst und es war Ebbe 🤷🏼
      Dafür gab es dort überall Rehe 😍 wilde Rehe die einfach zwischen den Leuten und in den Einkaufsgassen herumlaufen.
      Bei längerem beobachten haben wir dann bemerkt, dass auch die Rehe wie die Möven in Warnemünde verhalten. Sie versuchen überall essen zu klauen 🙈 wie das immer so ist wenn man wilde Tiere füttert, dann haben sie einfach keine Angst mehr.
      Ich hab mich trotzdem gefreut das sie so dicht kamen und sich sogar streicheln ließen 😍
      Ich finde es einfach so herrlich zu sehen wie sie hier so völlig normal durch die Straßen spazieren.
      Es war jetzt im November schon wirklich schön. Im Sommer kann man hier sicher auch Baden und wer mehr Zeit hat, kann auch auf die Berge Wandern.
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    • Day 25

      Hiroshima, Japan

      October 5 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

      Today’s port was Hiroshima, Japan, a city name I’m sure we all recognize.

      Our first stop was Miyajima Island, a short drive and then a ferry ride away from the ship. I have to say that it was a spectacular early fall day here, which made this tour all the more special.

      We visited a shrine that dates back to 1168 and is “Shinto”. Shinto is the traditional Japanese religion which is considered a Nature Religion.
      It believes that spirituality is embodied in the environment and in nature. Obviously, there is a lot more to it, but that sums it up in a nutshell. It is a lovely shrine that feels very peaceful.

      They eat a lot of eel here as well as oysters, but none of those seemed too appealing, even though we were feeling peckish. However, they are quite famous for their waffle-like pastry, shaped like a maple leaf and filled. The first one we tasted was filled with bean curd, and it doesn’t take long to tire of that. But, we found some filled with custard and caramel and we definitely struck gold. It was delicious!
      The other special thing about this shine and Torii Gate is that it has a different character when the tide is in or out. There are times it appears to be floating.

      On August 6th, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Between August 6th and December 2nd 140,000 people died here. If they didn’t die instantly, they died of their burns or radiation sickness in the following days. The museum is quite well done and shows the complete devastation just after the bomb was dropped. I’ve included a picture of one of the only buildings left standing - it was ground zero.
      Everything else in this lovely city was built after 1945.

      In addition to the museum, there is a beautiful park-like setting that includes some meaningful sculptures as well as an eternal flame. The park occupies the large open space that the bomb created. It is considered a peace park and emphasizes Japan’s desire to advocate for peace in the world as well as to memorialize the victims of this horrific event in our history.

      It certainly causes a great deal of reflection after spending the day in this city.
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    • Day 33

      Day 32-33

      April 2 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Day 32

      We spent the majority of today continuing to explore Hiroshima city in the beautiful sun and warmth! We strolled through Hiroshima castle grounds and enjoyed the cherry blossoms of several of Hiroshimas parks today. The sky was a brilliant blue and it was just nice to enjoy the peaceful parts of the city that are more hidden away to the main bulk of the tourists. We saw lots of tortoise and koi fish in one of the ponds which Jacob got very excited about and took lots of pictures of whilst I enjoyed a slightly strange. bridge! It was a very steep bridge and after gingerly climbing to the top I had to get a celebratory photo! We also stumbled across another small bamboo forest and so many stunning cherry blossoms it was just nice to finally not be seeing dead trees!!

      Day 33
      Today we decided to head out to one of the islands to explore and get away from the bustle of the city so we hopped on a ferry from Hiroshima port which took us to Ninoshima. Standing outside and enjoying the sea breeze and mountains dotting the horizon we arrived at Ninoshima port. I’m not sure I can call it a port- more of a pontoon! We wandered through the streets and the island was absolutely dead! Jacob and I have nicknamed it pensioners island as everyone else on the ferry was like 75+ and clearly come into Hiroshima for a morning coffee and a bit of shopping! The streets were deadly quiet with a few wondering cats here and there. The corrugated iron houses and slightly falling apart wooden huts lined the narrow streets. Ninoshima island is known for Akinokofuji mountain which is meant to give you stunning views back of the sea of all the islands and also of Hiroshima.

      So we found the start to the trail and began heading up, what started off as a nicely pathed route ended up quite the opposite!! After 20 minutes or so you are weaving through bamboo hoping you are vaguely heading in the right direction. Feeling relieved to leave the bamboo behind I thought the route would be a bit easier from here on, how wrong I was! For a while, you walk through an old very narrow river bed before having to scramble up rocks for the last 400 meters!! It was definitely tiring especially in the humidity but the views did not disappoint!! Reaching the summit I collapsed onto a rock and the view was absolutely breathtaking. The cityscape of Hiroshima in the distance surrounded by deep blue sea with islands jutting out and painting the horizon. It was gorgeous and once I’d stopped huffing and puffing it felt worth the hike!!

      Enjoying the view and having some snacks to help fuel us for the hike down we gingerly made our way back down the trail.

      After wandering back through the streets we discovered that there is only one restaurant on this island that was closed so we headed back to the port to catch the ferry back to mainland Hiroshima where we grabbed some food before turning in for the day. Another fun day exploring!
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima, 広島市

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