Goodbye Tokyo, Hello Bangkok

Someone once said that time flies when you're having fun. Not sure who that was but I have a feeling it was some smug arse of a person who was always annoyingly right. I had a lot of fun in Tokyo which meant I had to leave all the sooner. Damn.

I thankfully managed to get a shinkansen back to Tokyo and arrived quite late in the evening on Thursday. At this point I would like to point out that I don't have a JR Pass. Yes...really. I have had many conversations with people who have the JR Pass and laugh at me for not getting one. Despite my repeated attempts at explaining to them that it was cheaper NOT to get the pass, they carry on laughing. Maybe I should tell them how much I spent over four weeks and that might shut them up! The JR Pass offers a fantastic discount if you plan on travelling long distances within a 7, 14 or 21 day window. Technically I did, but I decided to get an overnight bus and save on accommodation costs. My itinerary did change and perhaps I could have taken advantage of the pass at some point during my trip. When I first put together my itinerary, it was cheaper not to get the pass. End rant...

Moving on...

Shinkansen fail. Still looks pretty sexy though.

When I arrived in Tokyo I headed straight onto my next train to meet Ben. What I didn't realise is that I couldn't buy a ticket in Kamata so was stuck. The train official had no idea what I was on about so I walked off red-faced. As I wandered about with that bemused expression I have come to know and love, a gentleman asked me if I was ok. His limited knowledge of English coupled with my wild gestures and stressy tone of voice made his welcoming expression alter to what I imagine to be fear. I believe his inner monologue would have read "who is this strange girl? I wish I never bothered. That's the last time I help a tourist!". My bumbling attracted more attention and four more English speaking locals asked if everything was ok. It would have looked a strange site to an outsider! I then heard a familiar voice and turned round. Ben was in Kamata! The locals looked relieved when I told them I was sorted now Ben had arrived. He was out running some errands and spotted me. Phew.

So off we went to the back streets of Ikegami. All the houses looked the same and I wondered how I would ever know my way back to the station. This was pushed to the back of my brain and was replaced with a sudden urge for food. Ben took me to a local Yakitori (meat skewers amongst other things) restaurant. I'd been to one which served chicken, but this restaurant's specialty was the pig. I wasn't in the experimental mood so picked parts of animal which I knew were good and edible! Ben was ribbing me for it so I dared him to eat pigs rectum...he did. That's another thing I love about hanging out with guys. If you dare them to do something, the fear of pride being damaged means they always do it. I've been quite mean and used this weakness to my advantage many times. I did have cheek and temple though which is slightly unusual so I didn't back out completely.

Back at Ben's, I was shown to my room. I had a room! I was expecting a couch in the middle of the living area. Knowing that I was going to be there for a few days went to my head a little and I took advantage of the space (i.e I emptied pretty much most of my backpack onto the floor. It looked just like home.). Ben has a washing machine and a computer I could use freely. Both amenities conjured up feelings of excitement which is pretty sad. I have been living out of my backpack in low-rent dorms so this, to me, was freedom! I love the freebies.

The next day I met Alistair - well spoken chap from Kyoto/Nara - and decided to "explore" Tokyo. I thought I had the perfect day planned until I realised that there are two Ueno Parks. One in Ueno, Tokyo and one in Osaka. We needed to be in Osaka for what I wanted to do. Unfortunately this fact was revealed whilst in Ueno. Alistair laughed at me and I felt like my IQ had washed away to single figures. Undeterred, we decided to look around Ueno Park and view the exhibits in the Tokyo National Museum. As usual, I decided to take photos of objects which amused me. In seriousness though this museum was spectacular. The silk paintings were the highlight for me. The exquisite detail was mind-boggling. The scroll-drawings too were so detailed and well preserved.

 I know, very mature. But these did make me giggle.

I've taken quite a few photos in the past of the roof tiles in Japan. This exhibit was really fascinating. It described the origins of each tile and what the patterns and symbols represent. I saw examples of tiles built with the residents' family crest on.

I saw two of these attached to the building protecting the buddha in Nara. The display listed the subject as a Shibi. I have since found out that the two in Nara are said to be in place to protect the building against fires.

We were both cultured-out so went back to Ikebukuro for the best udon imaginable. The place serves dishes in three sizes - regular, large and super large. The brilliant thing is, no matter which size you opt for, the price is the same. Genius.

Saturday was a lazy day. I didn't do much at all but went to a British themed pub in the evening which was quite fun.

On the Sunday I visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography with Ben. I didn't have any strong feelings towards the current exhibits but saw a brilliant one which started in October. No good to me! We opted for the portraits as the other options were children (ahem) or a hidden war of some kind. The exhibit was entirely made up of black and white photography which I love so I was happy with my choice. On the evening I visited Nadia, a girl I met during my first few days in Tokyo. Unfortunately time constraints meant I only saw her for a couple of hours. Nadia needed to do some homework so it only felt like minutes before I had to catch the bus back to the station. I got a croggy (slang for hitching a lift on the back of a bicycle) to the bus stop which was quite fun. It was a shame I didn't get to see Nadia for longer but it was better than nothing! I listened in on their gossip and boys talking session which I loved. They cooked a yummy dinner of chilli and onion bread. It made me realise how much I have missed female company. Guys are great and  easier to get along with but there are certain things you can't say in front of or discuss with guys.

Monday was another lazy beginning with the possibility of meeting Henrik and Thierry (I met in Hiroshima) in the evening. I wasn't hopeful but we did end up meeting and I had a brilliant night. After standing at the wrong exit (4 instead of C4, ridiculously signposted), we met in good time and had a stroll around whilst keeping an eye out for any interesting eateries. We were accosted by a cheery English-speaking local lady who suggested visiting her brother's bar and restaurant. We tried to find out a bit more about the food they served but was distracted by the blindingly drunk little old lady who stumbled out the same building. She was a feisty one and was determined to get onto her bicycle. There were two others who safely helped her away. Everyone seemed to be having a good time so we thought we'd give it a go. The staff were lovely and the owner spoke quite good English. We felt useless as the menu was in Japanese. The owner was very patient and super-friendly.

Thierry attempting to stare out the menu. Nope, we still had no idea what we were ordering!

With the help of the owner we ordered drinks, sashimi for both guys with rice and noodles and I had noodles and Takoyaki. The guys let me have a piece of their sashimi which was very kind of them. Henrick ordered another platter of sashimi - salmon. When it arrived we saw three pieces of octopus on the side. Henrick looked nervous but I was delighted. I love octopus! Henrick, Thierry and I looked at each other and realised that we were being put to the test by the locals. I reckon they thought the octopus would freak us out. The entire room looked at us as we each took a bite. I think we passed. 

We were all pleasantly full and were looking to leave when some drunken locals started bantering with us. Everybody was happy in the room and the atmosphere was very uplifting. We stuck around for a bit longer and spoke to everyone. Again, after what felt like minutes, I had to catch the last train back to Ikegami. The one downfall of staying in the middle of nowhere is having to catch an early train. We said our farewells and, although I'm not sure how the guys felt, I hoped that I'd see them again one day.

Although the night was very young for some, it was pretty late for me as I knew I had an early start the next day. I arranged to meet Alistair again and we decided to hit the fish market at a decent (for us) hour and visit Odaiba, an artificial island in Tokyo Bay. Alistair was fashionably late so didn't get to the fish market quite as early as we hoped. We thought we'd missed everything but decided to have a nosey anyway. There was still plenty to see.

 Yummy!

 Lots of fishies.

 Weapon of choice...yikes!

We wandered aimlessly around and heard squeals from two local ladies. We went in for a closer look and realised they were rubbing live eels. Alistair and I both had a go. It was very slimy and weird but fun. Neither of us squealed. The seller gestured "unagi?" for which I replied "aaaah, unagi. Yes I know unagi.". Haha. It just reminded me of my earlier blogpost.

 
We thought we'd seen all there was to see when I spotted this!

 One guy was having a lot of fun!

 Bit of a closer look.

 The weapon that caused the damage. Wow...

The fish market was certainly a feast for the eyes, but we wanted a feast for the belly too! We walked round the market stalls and stole a couple of free samples. I spotted something strange too...

The fish market is minutes away and this stall is selling spam!

Lonely Planet listed a place that sold sushi platters for 1000 Yen. A steal in general but for fish straight off the market, that was a very good deal indeed. We actually managed to find it too! More luck than Lonely Planet's instructions, but still.

Nom nom. I even had the salmon roe too!

We didn't leave that place hungry, it was good. Time to head across to Odaiba. We boarded a conductor-less train and, not being satisfied with the view I had, moved to the front. I took a lot of front and side shots from the train. Because we travelled on a cloudy day, there wasn't much light to cause reflections on the glass. This meant I was able to take great shots without a glimmer of myself and the rest of the people on the train too!

Shimbashi had a lot of impressive structures. I went a bit photo crazy. Again, this probably isn't the best shot but it shows both the skyline and the track quite nicely. I love the sky in this shot and the track leads you in further. Maybe it's just me...

The first thing I saw when I got off the train.

We decided to go and look at the shops and seek out cake. It was a mutual decision...honest!

Tee hee. Yes I am immature but come on, you wouldn't get a shop with this name in England.

How thoughtful.

After shopping it was on to SEGA! My pocket was considerably lighter after this visit. There was so much to do!

I drove in this bad boy. It was awesome.

After over-indulging our inner-childs we decided to look at the sights in and around the shopping area.

Fuji TV Building

We watched the sunset and it was beautiful

 Fuji-san...is that you?

 Ooooh, we meet again.

We waited and waited for the rainbow bridge illuminations but they never came (whilst we were there).

An awkward goodbye ensued with Alistair. His final words to me were "make sure you don't die." I responded absently "I'll try my best not to".

Before I knew it I was saying goodbye to Ben too (he didn't even bother to get dressed and expected me to hug him in just his pants. I don't think so.) I decided to stay in the hostel I stayed at when I first arrived in Narita. I found it without any problems this time which was mad. Priorities were food, shower then blog. I did the first two without any problems but when I came back someone was on the computer. I decided to watch a movie. Cassandra's Dream - Ewan McGregor (yes please!) and Colin Farrell. After watching it, I realised why I'd never heard of it before. It wasn't that great but it passed the time. 

I saw this later on and wished I watched it instead...

 Looks like an Asian spin on Saturday Night Fever...with kung-fu!!

The computer became free and I started blogging. I met a couple of German guys (Tobias and Lars) who are staying in Japan for a year to study. It was typical that I wanted to wrap up my blog and get an early night but end up having a fun conversation with randoms but when I have time on my hands and really want the company, nothing. 

Moments later Adriano (guy who walked with me to the hostel on my first night) came in. I don't think he recognised me at first, or did but wasn't 100% sure. I jogged his memory and he joined in with our little banter sesh. He announced that he's Canadian...Canadian!! I love the Canadians!! Mainly due to the folks I met back in Kyoto - they thought I looked like Maggie Gyllenhaal (see below). I'll take that...and run! This guy also said I was hot but I thought he meant it in the sweaty gross sense. I was pretty damn hot on my first night. But he meant it in the nice way. It's so strange, back home I straighten my hair and wear a little bit of make-up to give myself some colour and I wear perfume! Here, I have my hair pinned back, my glasses on more than my lenses, my clothes look like they belong on a flea market and I'm pasty as ever...yet I seem to have gained the interest of certain people around here and it truly baffles me. Maybe that's where I've been going wrong back home. Just don't try. No effort. Just be me. Ha! Who knew?

Rainy Days

It was my second day in Hiroshima and the typhoon had taken its next victim. I laid in bed toying with the idea of staying in Hiroshima and wait for the rain to pass or visit Miyajima. I went through the same thought process back in Tokyo and decided to venture to Nikko despite the rain. It still turned out to be a great day so, with this in mind, I hopped on the tram to Miyajima. I was itching to get back to Tokyo but wanted to see the "floating" torii before I left.

View from the ferry

It had already started raining when I boarded the ferry. I didn't mind so much as I had my waterproof jacket and boots on, as well as a borrowed umbrella from the hostel. Other than the torii, I couldn't remember what else there was to see on Miyajima. I grabbed a map and perused the top 5 list of attractions.

First on my list:

Miyajima is well known for its quality wooden rice scoops. It also houses the world's largest wooden rice scoop. This weighs 2.5 tonnes.

The street - Omotesando - also contains many souvenir shops and eateries. Randomly, there's a salon with those flesh nibbling fish. This craze can be found in Britain. I have seen shops where customers stroll in and dip their feet into a bowl of water with these little fish in that nibble away at your toes. Upon closer inspection, this shop was advertising the same treatment but for your face! There was a video being played which showed a Japanese girl dunking her face into a bowl of water and these fish started nibbling away...one went up her nose! Yikes! I swiftly moved on.

Goju-no-to: Five storied pagoda built in 1407AD

Another main attraction is the Itsukushima Shrine. I was hoping to get a closer and better view of the torii too.

I didn't take that many photos as the place was packed.

The winding pathway (of the shrine) that leads to the torii

I took a lot of photos of the torii. The weather was gloomy and miserable which created a misty almost spooky atmosphere.

I saw this couple dressed in traditional attire. A hired photographer took photos of the couple in a series of poses within Itsukushima Shrine and near the torii. Here the lady tries her best to protect her very white dress from the rain.

A dedicated member of staff is dusting the shrine...

Me and the torii

 Something a little different...

There were deer in Miyajima too. They weren't as violent as the ones in Nara so was able to take the first photo. They were just as hungry though. The deer above was very fond of this guy's jacket. It later went after his map. The guy pictured here asked me a for photo. I thought he wanted me to take a photo of him...he wanted a photo with me! My pasty face is floating around on someone's Facebook page right now!

This deer really wanted tempura

The first thing that scares me is the obvious. These are cat toys which howl and laugh when you clap your hands. The ones hanging up roll around and the ones in outfits dance. The second thing that scares me is that these cats are a part of a 1050 Yen shop. Like the 100 Yen shop - Japan's version of Poundland - everything in this shop is 1050 Yen. Wow.

I didn't spend too long in Miyajima. I originally wanted to go up the ropeway and visit Mount Misen but the weather was awful. I decided to skip it and head back. I was hungry and there was an okonomiyaki dish with my name written all over it.

As I said before, I wanted to go back to the restaurant I went to the night before and order correctly this time. I was guided to a seat and I ordered a drink. Before I ordered food I need to nip to the restroom. I wouldn't normally note this but inside was this...

The lighting's not the best but you can hopefully see the three spiders playing Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses by the toilet. It took me a good few seconds to realise they weren't real!

I was ready for food. Bring. It. On. Here's a science lesson for you...

 Full moon...

Half moon...

Total eclipse!

This dish was incredible. I made sure I expressed my gratitude to the chef. He could speak a little English and we had a bit of banter. He asked how old I was. He is also 25 which warranted a handshake for some reason. The staff here were very friendly and I'd eat there every night if I had the chance. 

I was on my last bite when a guy sat a few seats away from me and struggled to order from the menu. I didn't catch his accent at first. I knew he was ordering what I ordered so tried to help out. Before I could say anything he whipped out his iPhone and showed the waitress a photo of what he wanted. Damn, that's a good idea. Thankfully he was a social guy and we got chatting. Although I was full to the brim, I was jealous when a fresh okonomiyaki rolled up. Although I finished, I decided to stay and chat to the French (I could now tell from his accent) stranger. Like Maluen, he was hilarious and very chatty. We decided to hit a bar afterwards. We weren't quite sure where we were going. We were surrounded by girls bars. We just wanted a drink and I hoped I was enough female company for one night!

We had a cunning plan. We saw what looked like backpackers so decided to follow them. It was early so was sure they were heading to a bar of some sort. They rocked up to what looked like a themed bar but turned out to be a posh hotel. Oops. Thierry decided to go in and ask at reception. I was too cowardly and stayed outside. The staff there were very helpful and pointed us in the direction of Molly Malone's, an Irish pub. It just happened to be ladies night which meant half price cocktails for me. Lovely. I had an iced chocolate martini and some fruity summery cocktail called vanilla sky. Despite the half price offer, I stuck to two cocktails. Alcohol in Japan is so expensive. I'd rather save the pennies for future activities.

The next morning I had breakfast and sniffed out free chocolate.

Wahoo!

I intended to go to Tokyo but was in no rush. I decided to hang about for a bit and see if there was anyone new to speak to. Another anti-social dining area. Dammit! I tried to engage conversation but failed miserably. I didn't have much to work on - "that looks like good eggy bread" (a common backpacker staple I have found). I decided to have a couple of mugs of tea and relax.

This was my attempt at a tortoise. It needed some work but I was happy. I left it on the side and forgot about it. One of the workers there added it to the display. Can't have been that bad then. 

I saw Thierry again and met his dorm room mate, Henrick. They were going to Miyajima together. We both went to the station and this is when I realised that the trains had been cancelled. I was stuck in Hiroshima for another day. The guys headed off to Miyajima and I trudged back to the hostel in the hope that I could stay another night. Thankfully there was another room free. They took pity on me and put me in a new dorm room which was female only. I was previously dorming with 5 other guys. I never know which room I'm booking. It doesn't make much difference to me whether it's mixed or female only. I have learnt that snoring and smelliness aren't solely male backpacker traits.

I didn't really have much to do and was in a bit of a grumpy mood so went back and watched a couple of movies. The Majestic - Jim Carrey loses his memory after the worst-reason-to-crash-your-car moment - and Collateral - Tom Cruise with grey hair is just wrong. The guys came back part way through Collateral.

They looooove the iPhone. I think I could have flashed my boobs and they wouldn't have flinched. They were booking hostels and researching nightlife in Osaka. They were there for a long long time.

The guys were on their phones solidly for around 3 hours...probably more actually as we didn't go out to eat until 11:30pm. Everywhere was shutting (food-wise) but we knew Molly Malones would be open so went back there. Earlier, an Aussie guy started talking over an integral part of The Majestic...ok the film wasn't that great but when I start watching a film I'm in it 'til the end! I thought I'd offended him when I paused the DVD and waited until he left. He came over and started speaking to us. He decided to join us in our late night food hunt. We had a brilliant night. The guys were hilarious. I found out that the Aussie guy is called Hans...as a die hard errr Die Hard fan I really wanted to say "Hans, booby, I'm your white knight" but the fear that he wouldn't get it prevented me from uttering the phrase. Least it was that and not "yippykaya m...".

As our party included a Swede, a Frenchman, an Aussie and me, the conversation led to culture comparisons and mickey-taking. It was great fun. Thierry was very self-deprecating about his country and was always the first person to make a joke about it. The conversation quickly turned to politics and I had no idea what they were talking about. I made the odd joke and laughed along but begged for the conversation to steer on to a subject I am knowledgeable in. Television, film and comedy cropped up. Wheeeey. That's more like it. Although it was hard work. None of the guys knew of James McAvoy or William H. Macy. Never mind.

Back to the hostel we went. I didn't get to bed until around 3am and wanted to get up at around 8am...groan! I managed to get a train the next day. I crashed at my Fuji-buddy's (Ben) place which I was thankful for as it saved a few pennies. I didn't do too many touristy things. I mainly lazed and hung out with people I met earlier. Of course there was plenty more of Tokyo that I hadn't seen but after being so lonely earlier on in my trip, I wanted to take advantage before I left for Thailand.

I'm still one blogpost behind so I'll have to wait until I get to Thailand to round off my stay in Japan. I will say this though, it has been brilliant. I have met a lot of funny and genuinely nice people here. I've not really had any bad experiences which is what I hoped for with my first stop. I have no idea what I'm going to do in Thailand. I originally had a 4 week charity work placement booked and was going to stay on in Thailand for another two weeks. However, I have since cancelled the placement so I now have 6 weeks to play with rather than two. I hope I meet some people to hang out with and wing it but my gut instinct says I'm going to have to figure it out for myself! Wish me luck! 

Weight before I arrived in Japan: 68kg
Weight departing Japan: 66kg
Estimated spend in Japan: £3000

Actual spend in Japan: £1350 (I rounded it up!)

On The Buses

"Sing like no one is listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody is watching and live like it's heaven on earth."
Mark Twain

A very apt quote I believe, for I am currently singing the wrong words to Travis songs and plan on boogying to a few other tunes later thanks to an iPod and dock and an empty house. Ben, my Fuji-buddy, kindly offered me his couch and has gone to work like a normal person. I, on the other hand, am relaxing in that fact that I won't have to do anything like that for a couple of months at least. Alas, this is proving to be quite a distraction but I must persevere. I have stories to tell you...

The long and winding journey from Koya-san back down to Osaka left me with little time to enjoy any of the sights. Instead, I needed food and I needed to find the bus terminal. The latter being easier said than done. I think I brushed past the fact that I missed my bus in Tokyo. I was using the same bus company so was a little apprehensive to say the least. This was my number one priority so, despite being on the verge of passing out from hunger, I needed to find the Umeda Sky Building. I struggled to find the correct stop. I printed out a map and directions from the bus company's website and it showed me directions from Osaka Station and Umeda Station. I was in Shin-Osaka. I had no idea if this was a good thing or not. I decided to go to Umeda seen as the building is called Umeda Sky Building. It already started to get dark as I was travelling down to Osaka. This is not good as I couldn't tell each building apart. If you think it's easy for me to get lost during daylight hours, imagine how completely useless I am at night.

The first line of the instructions told me that I needed to find the Yodobashi Camera store. I found it straight away. The elation nearly knocked me over. Although, that could have been the beast tipping over in my weakened state. I then began to follow the instructions to the letter and did not end up in the places that were listed. I was irritable and felt like throwing the beast off and cursing the skies again. Shin-Osaka was very busy, so I dismounted the beast and mopped the sea of sweat that had accumulated on my brow and screwed up my directions. Out of nowhere an English speaking guy (not sure of nationality) asked me where I needed to be. I told him that I needed to catch a bus from the Umeda Sky Building. He asked if it was a Willer bus and chuckled in a "you're not the first to get tied up in knots over finding the bus terminals" when I said yes. I needed food and the only place within collapsing distance was a First Kitchen. The food didn't look that great but I needed calories. I ate a wrap and some fries. It wasn't that great but I didn't care. Anything was better than nothing.

The journey from then on was easy. I found the bus terminal and settled down on the nearest available seat. If it's any consolation (it wasn't), I realised that because Yodobashi Camera was situated on a corner and had two sides to the building, it would be difficult for anyone to decide which left turn to take!? It just says find Yodobashi Camera and turn left. From which side though! I didn't really care after that point though. I'd found the place, that's all that matters now.

The bus departed at midnight. The bus driver decided to give a running commentary in Japanese as to what was happening. Half an hour later he was still going. I wanted my sleep. I had the growing inclination to throw something at him. All I had was a blanket which was keeping me warm and wouldn't actually cause any physical harm so that option was out of the question. I had an empty plastic bottle so maybe if I angle it correctly...this thought pattern continued for a while until I drifted off into a light sleep. Occasionally the girl next to me elbowed me. At first it was for territorial reasons as she really wanted my arm rest. I gave it to her as I wasn't that fussed. After she commandeered the arm rest, she still wasn't happy and the elbowing continued. I am not at my best when I'm sleep deprived or hungry so elbowing me at this point in time really wasn't a wise decision on her part. I let her get a few elbows in out of kindness and subconsciously decided that if she elbowed me one more t...she elbowed me again. I then resembled a person prepping themselves for the pitcher's mound/rubber in baseball. If I had enough room, my arm would be assuming a windmill motion. I was going in for the kill. I elbowed her back. Not with so much force that it would bring her to tears nor a nudge that could be mistaken for a sleepy error. I elbowed with gumption, leaving the thought trail that there is more of this to come if you elbow me again. It worked. I wasn't elbowed again. Harsh? Perhaps. But a lesson needed to be learned and I felt that I provided said lesson.

After the driver's speech and my battering from elbow-girl, I really didn't have any chance of a good night's rest. We arrived into Hiroshima 20 minutes early. At 6:10am, the place was deserted. I decided to make a sharp exit before elbow-girl noted my face and reported me to the police. I couldn't check into the hostel until 8am but wanted to give myself at least an hour to get lost, rest, buy a drink, wander around, rest then arrive at the hostel. This is normally what happens unless the hostel is situated next to the station. This hostel was about 10 minutes away with the beast in tow. By some miracle, I found the hostel without any problems. Crazy. I was about half an hour early so I grabbed some food from the 7/11 round the corner and took temporary residence on their front doorstep.

I couldn't check into my room until 3pm but I was able to leave the beast and other items in storage. I needed a little rest so had breakfast and then set out to visit the Peace Memorial Museum and the surrounding area. I wasn't sure what to expect but had heard very good things about the museum so was looking forward to it. The main mode of transport in Hiroshima is the tram. A new transport system to figure out, lovely. It was ok actually and found my way to the museum without any hassles.

Before I entered the museum I saw reminders of the devastation caused that day.

 At 8:15am on August 6th 1945, the first atomic bomb (to be used in a war) was dropped on Hiroshima. The A-bomb dome (above) was 160 metres from the hypocenter. The shell of the building withstood the blast and arguments ensued regarding whether the remains should be demolished or preserved.

After visiting the museum, I find it remarkable that this building still stands!

Managed to get a better view from the museum

 There were a lot of paper crane displays. This one had a photo of Stephanie Meran Peterson. I tried looking online as to why her photo was there but couldn't find anything. Stephanie has passed but I'm not sure why her photo is at the memorial.

 This memorial tower commemorates the 6300 students conscripted to work in Hiroshima's munitions factories. There were no survivors. I read about their sad stories in the museum.

 This is the Children's Peace Monument which stands as a memory of all children who died as a result of the atomic bomb. The monument was originally inspired by schoolgirl Sadako Sasaki. Many of you may have heard of her story. Sadako was two years old when the bomb dropped but survived the initial blast. Years later, at the age of 12, Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia. In her final months, Sadako began folding paper cranes with the aim of reaching 1000. With this, she believed her wish of living would be granted. What is confusing is that I read that Sadako never reached her goal and her school friends folded the rest. However, the museum states that Sadako reached her target of 1000 and continued until she died. The museum has a dedicated section to Sadako's story. There is a timeline from birth to death. It is a very moving read. Sadoko's friends raised money for the above memorial.

Paper crane stands surround the monument.

 The park itself contains the Peace Flame which will remain ignited until the last nuclear weapon is disarmed. The arch structure above a stone chest is the Cenotaph. This contains all the victims of the atomic bomb. It is said that this list is updated each year.

The Peace Memorial Museum holds a balanced account and is hauntingly captivating. The museum is split into sections. There is a part which demonstrates what the area of Hiroshima was like before the bomb. Another part describes the bomb and the lead up to the dropping. The next section shows the aftermath with another section purely filled with written accounts and donated items from that day. There are graphic descriptions and the stories are horrific. It is really horrifying and it does make you think a lot about what happened. Most Brits were taught about the war back in school but most of it was long forgotten. I made sure I read everything and truly absorbed the history. It is mind-boggling that in one split second everything goes from ok to ash. One minute you're sat in the kitchen cooking dinner for your family and the next...nothing.

 Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims - Hall of Remembrance (pictured left). This is a stunning 360 degree panorama of the destroyed Hiroshima recreated using 140,000 tiles - the number of people estimated to have died from the bomb by the end of 1945.
 
I spent a long time in this area. I was worn out so ended up falling asleep in a seating area half way round the museum. I wasn't the only one who was snoozing so I didn't feel too daft. After my power nap and viewing all there is to see, I ventured back to the hostel for a much needed shower. By the time I settled down and ran a few errands, it was time for dinner. I rubbed my hands with glee as I knew exactly what I wanted to eat this evening. Okonomiyaki, Hiroshima style. I had an idea of where a restaurant was nearby and I found it despite the rain. For some reason I can navigate my way round Hiroshima with ease. Strange.

 

 Everyone's food looked so good I couldn't wait to eat mine

Unfortunately I got confused and ordered the wrong dish. I had some very nice noodles though with a fried egg on top. It was beautiful. Who knew a fried egg on noodles would taste so good. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get what I came for but thought I'd come back and order the right dish the following day. I needed dessert...

 

The server in the supermarket gave me two forks, assuming that I would share the two slices of cake with someone else. I have no friends in Hiroshima just yet so looks like I'll have to eat both slices. Shame.

Reports came through that another typhoon was about to hit. I found this out in Osaka but thought I would dodge it by going south. Turns out the typhoon found me. I intended on heading up to Tokyo on Wednesday (this day being Monday) so decided to head to Miyajima the next day despite the rain. I did Nikko in the rain and it was fine.