Hiroshima and Miyajima

After having just returned from climbing Mt. Fuji, my roommate and I set out again, this time to visit Hiroshima and Miyajima. We took the night bus to Hiroshima (about 10-11 hours) from Yokohama. The itinerary is indicated by the yellow line.

As soon as we arrived, we took the train, and then the ferry to the island of Miyajima.

Ferry entrance

There are deers everywhere on the island, seemingly undisturbed
by the flocks of tourists that come to see the island

You can even touch them!

The reason I wanted to go to Miyajima is because it is designated as one of Japan's three best scenic views. The other two are located in Matsushima, and Amanohashidate (Kyoto Prefecture).

And the most famous view in Miyajima is of the giant torii gate, which seems to be floating in the water when the tide is high.

Nihon sankei: one of Japan's three best scenic views

The famous gate

After taking tons of pictures of the gate, we took a lift to visit the mountainous area.

After that, we took the ferry and train back to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Museum.

On August 6, 1945 (that date has been stuck in my head ever since we visited the museum), the U.S. released an atomic bomb in Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. The effects were disastrous. Buildings and people alike were reduced to ashes. Others were severely burned. Others appeared fine only to die a few days or weeks later from injuries caused by the radiation. And months, years later, many died from cancers and other diseases. Many babies were also born with physiological defects.

I didn't take many pictures inside the museum. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of all the suffering.

a model of the city of Hiroshima before the bombing

The same picture as before, except after the bombing

We also visited the A-Bomb Dome and the Children's Peace Monument.

The A-Bomb Dome: what is left of the former Prefectural Industrial
Promotion Hall. This was one of the only buildings left standing after the bomb exploded.

The Children's Peace Monument is a monument to commemorate Sadako Sasaki and the other thousands of children that became victims of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.

If I remember correctly from what I read at the museum, Sadako Sasaki was two when the atomic bomb fell. She then was diagnosed with cancer (caused by the radiation). Believing that folding a thousand paper cranes would make her live, Sadako folded crane after crane. But even after having reached a thousand, her condition did not improve and she died after battling the cancer for 10 years.

I'm glad I got to visit the museum but at the same time, even though I saw many pictures of the city in ruins or of people with burns, I cannot begin to imagine how it must have been for the people who were there that day. I cannot pretend to understand because nothing in my life can equate to what happened on that day. After leaving the museum, both my roommate and I walked in silence, unable to really say much.

For supper, we ate delicious okonomiyaki (Japanese style pancake).

The ingredients: squid, noodles, cabbage, bean sprouts, shrimp, 1 egg and lots of sauce

And then, we took the bus again (for another 10-11 hours) and arrived safely back home.