广岛之恋 (Hiroshima) & 宫岛 (Miyajima) ~ I'm finally here after a long wait!

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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 the Japanese were extremely proud of. As soon as I arrived at JR Hiroshima Station, I rushed out of the building and snapped a picture of the station façade before sharing my excitement with my friends.

广岛之恋 (Hiroshima), I'm finally here in May 2013 after a long wait!

My trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki was postponed for more than two years due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. In some ways, this was a blessing as I arrived better prepared after re-looking at my travel plans and schedules.

I'm a big fan of World War II history. The city of Hiroshima, lying on the western end of Honshu is one place that I would love to strike off from my travel wishlist. Ironically, it took me four trips (and a final one) before I was able to set my sights on it.

Hotel New Hiroden was my choice of accommodation over the next three days given its proximity to public transportation facilities. In fact, the station was so closed by that I could even hear the sounds of moving trains from my bedroom at level 12.

In the late afternoon, I took a local train from Hiroshima to Miyajima Guchi Station where the island of Miyajima was another short ferry ride away. Thanks to the Japan Railway Pass, the fares for the train and ferry journeys were nicely taken care of.

The ferry journey to Miyajima was an experience of its own given the cool afternoon breeze and beautiful scenaries that greeted me on the upper deck of the vessel. From the ferry terminal, the Floating Torii of Itsukushima Shrine was clearly evident even though it was only reachable after another ten minutes on foot.

From where I stood eventually, the views of Hiroshima Bay over the setting sun was something I would remember for a long time. And I'm certainly off to a flying start for my coming days in western Japan.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Floating Torii
Nice photo

[Budokan]

RE:
Hey there, Thanks. Have fun travelling :) Budokan