Hiroshima Day 24 12/10/2014

We headed out from our hotel to visit the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park.  Both sites are on our must visit list but as we headed off we both felt a little bit apprehensive about what we'd see and how disturbing it would be.  In common no doubt with most people the only reason we know of Hiroshima is because of the events of 6th August 1945 when Hiroshima became the target of the world's first atomic bomb attack.  The Atomic Bomb Dome was one of very few buildings left standing anywhere near the epicentre despite the bomb exploding almost directly above.  Everyone inside what was then the Industrial Promotion Hall was killed.  The site is now a Unesco World Heritage Site and has become a grim symbol of the city's tragic past.  The Peace Memorial Park is a large, leafy area on the opposite side of the river dotted with memorials, The Flame of Peace and a museum.  The museum exhibits include amongst other things a display of personal items salvaged from the aftermath of the explosion - ragged clothes, glasses, children's possessions - and some very gruesome and harrowing photography of victims.  It told the story of a little girl called Sadako who survived the explosion but 10 years later developed leukaemia.  She folded over 1,000 paper cranes, the symbol of longevity and happiness in Japan.  She was convinced she'd recover but sadly didn't.  The park includes a Children's Peace Monument inspired by her story.  Thousands of children had been brought into Hiroshima before the bomb to help build fire breaks.  It seems somehow ironic that this decision to help prevent destruction in the city ultimately cost them their lives.  All very moving but probably shouldn't be considered as an isolated episode in what was a horrendous and long war which ultimate this act possibly helped to draw to a close and end the ongoing loss of human lives all around the world.  

We then headed off south on the local train to get the ferry to Miyajima, an island off the bay of Hiroshima (we could use our train pass on both which was an added benefit).  Diane's navigation skills failed slightly but luckily Simon stepped in to ensure we went the correct way on the train!  The island is one of Japan's most visited tourist spots with the star attraction being the vermilion toril (shrine gate) of Itsukushima-jinja which looks like it's floating on the waves at high tide.  It was busy (and must be extremely busy in the high season) but it still managed to retain a sense of tranquillity and peace as we've experienced in other tourist attractions in Japan.  After ice creams and a stroll around the waterfront we headed back to Hiroshima and enjoyed  a chilled beer at a small cafe opposite our hotel.  At night we went off in search of the same restaurant we'd failed to find the night before - and failed to find it again!  The place we ate in was a lively bistro style restaurant, Japanese only menu (except the headings) and Japanese only speaking staff.  With the help of the ivoice app we ordered two bowls of rice, two slices of mushroom, two slices of aubergine and two small chicken skewers all washed down with Carlsberg and a sake (we thought we should participate before we leave Japan).  Not the best of meals and we did head off in search of the "golden arches" (didn't find one) but a great experience.  As we left we spotted the restaurant we'd been searching for directly opposite and full of westerners.  No doubt courtesy of Lonely Plant.  Interestingly the restaurant we went to is the only place we've been to that has cutlery and a large selection of wine.  Perhaps it's Hiroshima's equivalent of a Spanish tapas bar?