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.