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Published: October 17th 2006
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Hiroshima
The A-bomb dome in Hiroshima. Yeasterday I did a full day excursion to Hiroshima, around two hours by train from Kyoto with a change of train in Osaka.
Hiroshima needs no further introduction, as my guidebook said way too accurately "Hiroshima is known worldwide for the worst of reasons".
As a tribute to the victims of the nuclear bomb that exploded 600 meters above Hiroshima August 6th 1945, they have created a peace park and Hiroshima calls itself the peace city.
Every time a country does nuclear tests the mayor of Hiroshima writes a personal letter to the ambassador of the country performing the nuclear tests to condemn the test, this has been going on for over 40 years.
In the A-bomb park you can see one of the few houses that survived the bomb, mostly because the bomb exploded almost right above the building. Nobody really knew what to do with the building but ten years later funds were raised and the city decided to keep the building as a monument and a reminder of the tragic event, it is now part of UNESCO's world heritage.
In the park they also have a children's peace monument. A girl who was in Hiroshima the
Shinkansen -the bullet train!
The first high-speed train in the world, Shinkansen. This photo is taken at Shin-Osaka station and I'm waiting for the train to Hiroshima. day of the bombing got cancer a few years later but she believed if the folded 1000 paper cranes and wished she would get well, her wish would come true.
Well unfortunately it didn't, but the story has survived and children from all over Japan come here with paper cranes to the monument.
As a matter of fact my school did the same when I was around 11 years old, and a girl in my class who was going to Japan brought the cranes to the monument.
There was also a museum next to the park telling what happened that particular day 60 years ago, with a bit too many details, some things were not very nice to see.
There were plenty of Japanese school children there as well, and in one class the teacher had given her pupils the task to do a short survey of what foreigners think of Hiroshima and nuclear weapons.
Of course I couldn't resist helping them, they were only 10 years old or so, and I have a nice photo with them as well.
After leaving Hiroshima I did a short stop in Osaka on the way back to Kyoto, I had
Hiroshima
The A-bomb dome in Hiroshima. One of the very few buildings that survived the bomb. to change train there anyway.
There was a skyscraper next to the main railway station with a nice viewing platform, so that's where I headed and managed to get some amazing photos of Osaka, both at daylight and at night.
After a really nice and actually not at all very expensive dinner I headed back to Kyoto.
Today I did a visit to Nara, a very old and traditional Japanese city which was once the capital of Japan (even before Kyoto I think).
Fantastic little city, so much to see and beautiful nature!
A very friendly woman at the tourist information desk at the railway station gave me a map and draw a nice route on the map how I should see and get the most out of the city during my limited time. Very useful! Arigato gozaimasu!
It is a bit sad to leave Japan! I really like the country!
It was very overwhelming to arrive here, so many things are different and strange, but once you get used to it and learn the Japanese customs it is so nice!
I really enjoyed staying in a traditional ryokan as well. It was a family-owned place so after
Hiroshima
Some of the paper cranes at the children's peace monument. a while you got to know the people a little bit, I believe there were three generations living in the house all taking care of the place during different times, even the children helped with the breakfast on days when they did not have school.
It was really nice to take a bath in the evening as well, and if you are lucky there will be other people there as well.
Well don't take me wrong on that, but since you just sit there not doing much at all you can just as well take the opportunity to socialise a bit with the other people in the bath.
Yeasterday there were three Japanse business men who were taking a bath at the same time as me, so I got to see how the bathing should be done properly.
One of them spoke some English so it was quite nice to have a chat, they were actually pretty impressed I managed to stay so long in the water (it is usually between 40-45 degrees hot), but of course as a Swede I have some experience of saunas which is kind of the same concept.
Anyway, I'm off to New
Hiroshima
This flame will be extinguished when there are no more nuclear weapons in the world. As you can see it is unfortunately still there... Zealand in just a few hours, 11 hours again on a plane, but a new exciting country to look forward to...
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