As part of our exploration of Japan, we next went to Hiroshima. One of the first sights that we saw was the A-bomb Dome (Hiroshima Peace Memorial). It’s foundations are one of the very few buildings that remained after the bomb exploded. It’s a very powerful and hugely sad reminder of what human beings can do to one another. We’re glad that the decision was made to preserve the Dome and hopefully we can learn from its legacy.
It seems necessary to start on this point, to try to convey the atmosphere of the city. First of all, it is very new. The streets are extremely clearly laid-out, and there are clever underground shopping malls / passages to avoid waiting at traffic lights. We found it to be a wonderful, vibrant atmosphere. Italian food seems very popular, as are French bakery/shops/brands - though, I suppose, that’s broadly consistent with what we saw in other Japanese cities we visited. Overall vibe of the place seems to be very positive and friendly; with just the occasional reminder of the history (and lives) that were lost.
On the second day in Hiroshima, we went to see the famous ‘floating’ gate on the island of Miyajima. I was quite happy with the photos that I managed to take, it really was a fabulous sight at sunset! In low tide, it is possible to get quite close to the gate via the beach.
The island is also home to a large population of local deer. They are tame and freely walk around tourists. None seemed very interested in making friends with us. Probably for the best, as they seemed to be quite interested in chewing on other tourists’ maps and paper!
Finally, we spent a day in Fukuoka. This was mainly eating, visiting friends, and walking through a HUGE multi-building shopping mall called Canal City, where we also ate local ramen noodles. The city did seem like a really nice place to live. Apparently it’s quite trendy, which explaned why we saw a 30 person queue for a tiny croissant bakery outlet at the station!
Next stop: Kobe. Amazingly, the 600km trip only takes 2h 20 mins via the Shinkansen bullet train.
Comments
Were the Italian and French shops run my Japanese or Italian/French? Is there a large foreign population in Japan?
Let me know your experiences on the bullet train.
Have a great time.
Lots of love.
D
Everything around us will one day be gone; so we must appreciate every millisecond of it/them.
The cherry blossoms you saw in Kyoto are beautiful always, no doubt, but particularly beautiful because they blossom for 2 weeks once a year!
Lots of love.
D
Our impression is that, whilst Japan is opening itself up to tourists - we felt very welcome everywhere we have been - there are still fairly few ‘foreigners’ living here. That may change in the future, though I imagine overcoming the language barrier will remain a significant challenge.