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| O-Tirol gate on Miyajima Island (just a short ferry ride from Hiroshima) |
We'll be in Japan through October 28. All I can say about our time here so far is WOW! Experiencing the sites and culture has been amazing, and the hospitality has been world class.
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| Yesterday, as we departed Osaka, we were serenaded by a 30-40 piece pops symphony while hundreds of men, women and children crowded on the cruise terminal balcony waving, cheering and blowing kisses. It was a pretty cool scene! |
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A really nice Bon Voyage from Osaka!
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Not to be outdone by the previous ports, we were warmly welcomed to Hiroshima!
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Today we enjoyed visiting the city of Hiroshima. To most, the mention of Hiroshima is most commonly associated with the bombing that occurred here on August 6, 1945. The city was practically destroyed and it was estimated that over 140,000 lives were lost. Now, this city of over 1 million residents is a beautiful , modern, vibrant, and of course, welcoming city. It will always be remembered for its place in history as being the first city demolished by an atomic bomb.
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| Sunrise as we approached Hiroshima |
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| A few minutes later |
The Port of Hiroshima is located about 7 miles from the Peace Memorial Park, which was our first destination. The cruise ship offered a free shuttle to a train station. From the train station it was just a few minutes ride on the city tram to the park, which is located in the city center. It was an inexpensive way to get there (around $2). However, the line for the shuttle busses was quite long and we figured there would also be lines at the tram ticket machines. We decided to split a cab fare with another couple and go directly to the park. The cab fare was a little more than the train (around $13 per couple), but it was a lot quicker and put us ahead of most of the cruise ship crowd.
The Atomic Bomb detonated a few hundreds yards off the ground very close to the area where Peace Memorial Park is located. Anyone who was in that area was killed instantly, with the destruction and immediate loss of life extending out for miles. The park is a very moving memorial to the innocent lives that were lost that day, as well as those caught up in the crossfire of wars throughout history.
The park now contains several museums and memorials commemorating the event through stories and graphic pictures. As we expected, it was quite a somber experience. I don’t believe any visit to Hiroshima would be complete without a visit to the park and the Memorial Museum.
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| Peace Memorial Park (taken from the Memorial Museum) |
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| The Atomic Bomb Dome. The building was a government building and was miraculously one of the only buildings not destroyed by the bomb (everyone inside was killed instantly). It is adjacent to the Peace Memorial Park. |
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| Looking back at the Memorial Museum from the opposite end of the park. |
After visiting the park and surrounding area, we made our way to Miyajima Island. There are several ways to get to the island. We chose to take the Hiroshima World Heritage Boat from the Peace Memorial Park area. It was about a 45 minute relaxing boat ride on the river and then on the bay, that was very enjoyable.
The small island contains numerous shrines, temples and pagodas as well as an aquarium, shopping arcade and dozens of free roaming very tame deer, looking for handouts. The island has been proclaimed to be one of the most scenic spots in Japan, and in 1996 the Itsukushima Shrine was designated as a World Cultural Heritage site. The beauty of the island makes it a popular destination for both tourists and locals. Even though it was a Monday afternoon it was busy with a mix of both, all enjoying a sunny, early autumn day in Hiroshima.
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| The O-Torino Gate |
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| Tajikistan Pagoda |
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| In front of the Itsukushima Shrine |
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| The marketplace on the island |
We took a short ferry back from the island to the mainland to catch a train back to the shuttle bus drop off/pick up point. Brimming with confidence that we had
navigated our way brilliantly around Hiroshima with no mistakes, we congratulated each other on a job well done. We were a little premature in our congratulations! We missed the station where we were supposed to get off. Not a big deal! We just fired up Google Maps and enjoyed the walk through a park, and neighborhood back to the designated pick up spot. The extra couple of thousand steps were good for us!
