Friday, 24th May 2013 My final day in Japan took me to the port city of Kobe. Devastated by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, it made sense to pay a visit to the Earthquake Memorial located just south-east of the city centre (Full name: The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction & Human Revolution Institution). I was 16 and reading Geography in school when the earthquake struck in Japan. In those days, I even had difficulties pronouncing "Kobe" properly. As expected, I was probably the only foreign visitor this morning as it was crowded with school groups some coming from as far as Fukuoka. In the afternoon, I paid a visit to the Mitsui Outlet Mall. The Kobe branch was better stocked with popular brand names. Since this was likely to be my final visit to ... read more

Wednesday, 22nd May 2013 From Fukuyama, I travelled another 42km on the train to Kurashiki, a beautiful merchant town in Okayama Prefecture that evolved during the Edo Period. Since Kurashiki was spared from the WWII bombings, most parts of the old town including the Bikan Historical Area were well-preserved. Coming out from the north exit of the train station, I was pleasantly surprised by the well-thought out "European Area" centred around a clock tower. Within the town square were two shopping malls including a branch of the Mitsui Outlet Mall which I was soon going to visit in Kobe City. My shopping trip was cut short as I was targeting to reach the Bikan Area before sunset today. This was reachable via the south exit of the train station after about 20 minutes on foot. As ... read more

Wednesday, 22nd May 2013 Ohayou gozaimasu, Hiroshima. Using the city as my base, I took a 45-minute train ride along the eastern seaboard which would bring me straight to Kure City. Home to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (海上自衛隊, JMSDF), there were two museums worth exploring on the ground. The JMSDF Kure Museum and the Yamato Museum (separate admission charges applies) were located next to one another. Given the time constraints, I opted for the free JMSDF Museum which offered me great insights on the submarine operations in safeguarding the sovereignty of Japan's waters. Housed together with a de-commissioned submarine vessel, I was able to relate to the maritime jargons given the nature of industry I was working in. There were also exhibits depicting life-sized sleeping quarters and the various kinds... read more

Monday, 20th May 2013 This morning, I was up by 5.30am to take a final look of Nagasaki before moving on to Hiroshima. I proceeded to take pictures of the Dejima Harbour which commanded great views of the port and the surrounding mountains. The city flourished during the early days due to its trading activities with the rest of the world. My visit to the harbour would somehow bring a closure to my trip in Nagasaki. The next phase of my journey would see me through Hiroshima after a transfer of trains at Hakata (Fukuoka). I arrived at the city of Hiroshima at exactly 2.47pm on Monday afternoon after completing some 434 km on rail from Nagasaki. It's always a joy to ride on these modern machines as the trains always arrived on schedule - something ... read more

Saturday, 18th May 2013 Three nights in Nagasaki City was just about right as I had ample time exploring the city's museums in an unhurried fashion. Before leaving my hotel this morning, I invested on the Nagasaki Tram Pass which would see me through a day's worth of unlimited rides on the nostalgic tram system. At 500 yen, this was considered a real bargain so long as I made more than four trips on the system (Note: At the end of the day, nine trips were made translating to 1,080 yen). From my hotel in Goto Machi, I boarded the tram heading towards the direction of Urakami Station which would bring me to the doorsteps of the Atomic Bomb Museum and the Peace Memorial Park. This museum was a moving tribute to the many who fell ... read more