Blogs from Hiroshima, Japan, Asia - page 37

Bland concrete office buildings and tenement-like apartment complexes are opaquely visible against a smog-obscured horizon; power lines propped up on looming metal relay towers cut a swath across mountain tops; rivers, in addition to having their ebb and flow regulated by concrete banks, suffer the further indignity of being home to discarded bicycles, tires, umbrellas and other unwanted debris. These images are hardly what any sane person would consider beautiful. Unfortunately, they are all too prevalent in, and moreover indicative of, modern Japan. It’s a shame that for a population which claims to revere nature so strongly, they’ve done an absolutely terrible job of preserving it. To put it quite frankly, Japan is an ugly country. Or so I thought. While it’s undeniable that there’s more cement and concrete in this country than is warranted, there ... read more

I was reminded recently about how things we take for granted can bring a sense of joy and wonder to others, specifically in my case, to the Japanese. As the school year begins in April here, there has recently been an influx of new students, many of whom have never interacted with someone outside their culture. Thus, the past month has once again found me in that all too familiar position of making short presentations about Canada to each class of newbies. After so many months of making such presentations throughout my time here, I’ve learnt to diversify my presentation each time so as to ward off both boredom and the tape recorder syndrome I was susceptible to while working at the Ukrainian Village: “Yes, it’s really 1927. Yes, really. Yes, I really live here. No, ... read more

Hiroshima is a great place - very funky and modern, but with lots of green space and parks. Good city transport as well. Spent time wandering and visited Hiroshima Castle (grounds only)and Sukkein Garden. It never ceases to amaze me that there are these beautiful and quiet oases right smack dab in the middle of large and busy cities here. We had a picnic under the cherry blossom trees in the Peace Park, too. The Peace Park is an amazing place - they have not created a mausoleum, they have created a vital and lively place full of life with kids laughing and playing everywhere you look. Quite amazing really. Every where you go in places like Hiroshima there are lots of school kids on class trips, all anxious to practice their english as well. Hiroshima ... read more

Arrived late into Hiroshima, and staying at another little ryokan. This one a little more of a ryokan hotel, since it is in the middle of the city - we are a short walk to the A-Dome and the Peace Park. The A Dome is the remains of the only building standing after the bomb was dropped. Went for a little orienting walk after showering, grabbed a beer and hit the sack for much needed sleep. That was the last of our long travel runs, thank goodness. We are here for 3 nights and that means that I need to get organized for some accommodation and plans once the trip ends in Kyoto on Friday. Think I will treat myself there for a bit. Today was SUNNY! and relatively WARM! Will update more in the next ... read more

8.15am.........Hiroshima will be forever remembered for that terrible incident on 6th October 1945 when it became the world's first atomic bomb target. "Nothing will grow for 75 years" went the rumours after the Enoula Gay unleashed the bomb. The historical elements of this trip have been some of our most memorable things.... Kanchanaburi in Thailand, EVERYTHING about Cambodia, Vietnam and now Hiroshima are all firmly entrenched in my mind as a potent symbol of the idocy of war. Oddly enough, you would never know about the history of this city from just looking at it. In fact it is like any other city in Japan, or the world for that matter. However, there are a few important reminders which will always stick with me now...... The first stop was the museum. The Peace Memorial Museum was ... read more