Hiroshima

Left this morning for a 1.5 hour train ride to Hiroshima from Onomichi. Only had to switch trains once, and the station only had 2 tracks so didn't take us long to find our connection!

Arrival in Hiroshima and this in no 2 track station, it is huge! First thing we want to get done is figure out our train tickets to our next spot. This is a much longer trip that we will do in 3 days and involved different types of trains so we decided to line up in the tourist line to get help. It wasn't too bad, maybe 30 minutes line up at the most and it is all sorted. We had done some research beforehand and knew what we wanted we just needed someone to help us buy the tickets. It actally involves 3 different tickets. They have these trains here that don't work just on a basic ticket, you must pay a surcharge, that was where we were getting stuck, all sorted and we are ready to go.

Off to our hotel. We usually like to stay near the train station but here we decided to stay closer to Peach Park as we knew we would be going there a few times. Here it seems to be streetcars for moving around, so our first streetcar of this trip. Off to our hotel, front desk is on the 3^rd floor, first time we have seen that. We get checked in fine, then Heather tries to check in and a problem, she actually booked for April not March. Problem is rates have gone sky high as it is the weekend and it is sakura season (Cherry blossom). She manages to find a hostel near the train station, still expensive but it took a while to even find something. She leaves her luggage with ours at the hotel and off we go exploring.

First on the agenda is to find some lunch. We came across a place with the speciality Tang Tang noodles. It was one of those places you choose what you want by selecting options on a machine, then it prints out a ticket once you have paid and you hand this to staff and your lunch is made. Everything is in Japanese. Turned out we picked well, it was delicious, but we did get a little help with ordering from one of the staff.

We walk over to Peace Park and visit the Peace Memorial Museum for a couple of hours. Very moving, but also very very busy. First time we have visited a museum for only $2 cdn. Walking through Peace Park after the museum we see many monuments, memorials. We know we are doing a walking tour here later so don't spend a lot of time.

Back to our hotel for 3PM check in. They have put out little pieces of paper with times you can go to breakfast, you pick up a ticket for when you want to go. This could either work out great tomorrow, or be a total mess, we shall see.

Heather decides to go find her hostel and we have a little break before our 4:30 walking tour.

The walking tour was OK, the most interesting part was this is the first tour that has been led by a Japanese person, and her grandparents are from here and lived within 10km when the bomb hit. She had some amazing stories, and filled us in on lots of history. Heather caught up to us part way through the tour.

We walked along the shopping arcade street looking to see if anything caught our fancy for something to eat. Happened across this little sushi place that was excellent. They had a sushi bar that had about 10 people at it, and 2 tables in the back. We were put in the back. No seats anywhere, not for the tables or the bar. Excellent sushi, melt in your mouth.

That called it a night for us. Another full day put in.

18,089 steps or 11.38 km

One last view from our room in Onomichi

Walking to the train station in Onomichi

Some of the tracks in Onomichi have not been used for a long time

Our train today to Hiroshima

Tang Tang noodles for lunch, delicious

This is the machine we ordered our noodles from, yes it was a little confusing and we needed some help

Arrival in Hiroshima, the blossoms are just about at the peak here now

Inside the Peace Memorial Museum, a very moving tour

Peace Memorial Museum

Peace Memorial Museum

Atomic Bomb Dome

Peace Flame, will be extinguished when there are no more nuclear bombs, will this ever happen?

Peace Fountain and Peace Memorial Museum in the background

Sake bar

The Japanese keep very orderly lines for waiting for things, this is in stores, waiting for trains, etc

Peace bridge, the railing had some significance but we never did figure it out

Peace written in many languages

Hospital, the line in the center joins in a straight line all the monuments in the Peace Park which is right across from the hospital

A garbage can!!  Notice people looking at it, I think we have seen 3 so far this trip

A hero that brought medicine to Hiroshima after the bombing, our guide says they learn about him in school

The USA did Nuclear testing only 682 days ago, will we never learn?

This tree survived the blast and gave people hope that life could come again in this city, it took only 10 years to rebuild

Cenotaph that is updated every year on the anniversary date of the bombing with new names that have passed that survived the original bombing.  Our guides grandfathers name was added this year

Inside Peace Memorial Hall.  There are rightups on anyone that have given their stories on their loved ones in a computer that you can read

Our guide today, both sets of her grandparents survived the explosion

Childrens Peace Monument.  In memory of a child that made hundreds of origami cranes before she died at the age of 12.  Now many people bring cranes to be added to the cases in the background, once full they are emptied and recycled into book marks 

Atomic Bomb Dome along the riverfront

Ground zero where the bomb hit 

Explanation of what the dome was before the bomb, it was an exhibition hall

The peace line continues from the hospital to this concert hall

These covered walkways with stores are called arcades, kind of like outdoor malls with a cover

Sushi bar, no seats, you just order what you want

Our sushi chef