Blogs from Hiroshima, Japan, Asia - page 38

The arrival of April brought with it improved weather. And the improved weather meant the blossoming of the infamous Japanese sakura (cherry blossoms) wouldn’t be too far off, nor would the equally infamous hanami parties (essentially a picnic amongst the cherry blossoms with a lot of drinking involved). A group of us jumped the gun a little early and had a hanami picnic the first weekend in April. It was a nice time and featured just as much revelry and alcohol as a typical hanami picnic, albeit without the actual cherry blossoms. However, it was clear from the hint of pink emerging from the green buds that they were on the cusp of blooming and we rightly predicted that by the same time next week the city of Hiroshima would be awash with cherry blossoms. In ... read more

This entry is for reflecting on my trip to Hiroshima on April 1 and I'm already hard on myself for not writing this sooner while it was more fresh in my mind but now I have time and I will begin. This is a long entry so if you're in a hurry I'd just wait to read it. Also, I expect a somber tone but this was a somber experience so that makes sense.. here goes: Today, many classmates and I went to Hiroshima, the first city in the history of the world to be the victim of an atomic bombing. There, we listened to an atomic bomb survivor speak of her experiences on that day, and visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, dedicated to the the promotion of peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons ... read more

Not too far from the city, out in Hiroshima Bay, lies Miyajima (the Banff of Hiroshima?), a small touristy island with several sights and lots of history. We were to spend the better part of our day there, but sore feet and uncooperative weather cut our visit short. Miyajima is home to the famous 'Floating' Torii, a Shinto shrine gate just off-shore from the island (so famous in fact that I was in awe and forgot to take a picture). Unfortunately, when the tide is low the gate is surrounded by mud and is most definitely not floating. But it's quite large and has been around for about 1500 years, so that makes up for its lack of floatyness - and yes, that is a real word. The first thing you notice when you step off ... read more

Woke up at 4:30am this morning - on my own accord thankfully - to catch the 6:00am bus for the 3-hour ride to Hiroshima. "Hooray for nice weather!" I thought to myself as I looked out the bus window, enjoying the mountain scenery on this very crisp and clear morning. Denise, her visual senses overwhelmed from such glorious sunlight, promptly fell asleep to prevent her eyeballs from exploding at the rare sight of clear blue sky. Given the balmy weather today, it's kind of odd that the highlight of the drive were the tunnels. We passed through at least a dozen, most of which were over a kilometer in length, and the longest being slightly more than 3.5km! I guess when 80% of the country is mountainous, your options of where to place roads can be ... read more

Before coming to Japan my winters consisted of few rainy days, snow once every seven years, and flip flops. I mean, in SUNNY California especially in the the northern, valley, snow was considered a special treat. Upon coming to Japan, I now know what seasons really are. From the first snow during the first week in December, until this PAST TUESDAY (March 28...are you kidding me!) I now have decent idea of what it is to live in snow! In a place where central heating is scarce and I have paper walls, I am ready for this winter business to be over (that is until next year, as many of you know or don't know, I am staying a second year in Japan!) As the temperatures dropped and the days were shorter it was no longer ... read more