Blogs from Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan, Asia - page 4

Incheon was so busy, there were just bodies everywhere. I swear this place gets busier every holiday. I did my self check-in and then joined the extremely long line at the baggage drop. After that I had to join the ridiculously long queue for security and immigration. That took me forever to get through, by the time I got to my gate,they were about to start boarding. I had a seat right at the back of the plane. It had been a while since I flew on a proper airline, so I enjoyed having a comfy seat with some leg room and a feed. We got a small, but nice meal of beef and vegetables over rice. I was gutted that Asiana didn't offer any hot drinks, only water, I was gagging for a brew. The ... read more

Im shinkansen mutmaßen, dass die Sumotradition daher rührt, dass die Stiegenhäuser und Rolltreppen - überhaupt alle Durchgänge - so eng sind, dass man sich streiten musste, wer im Erdgeschoss wohnen durfte, um nicht die Stiegen nehmen zu müssen. Morgens feststellen, dass man im Männerwaggon in der Ubahn ist und einen alle komisch anschauen. Der männliche Bonny Tyler macht die Ubahnansagen, klingt aber restfett und so, als würde er an seiner Barry White Imitation arbeiten. Mit einer Schweizerin über die Zugklos (Western, Japanese, guys only) sprechen und weihnachtliches Gebäck zum Frühstück. Unhöflich, aber geil: in fremde Bentos starren. 750km mit dem bullet train zurückgelegt und 2 Kirchen gesehen - erfrischend aber ein bisschen dizzy macht uns die Geschwindigkeit durchaus! Plätze tauschen mit älteren Damen, die einen dann herzlichst verabschieden (ob wir das Highlight ihres Tages waren... read more

My last blog was written while I was contemplating going home after feeling down and a bit bored with all the travelling that I have been doing. One of the main things that a lot of people picked up on is the fact that I couldn't get a SIM card for my iPhone and I thank the people who replied to the blog telling me where I should get one from but in all fairness I realised that I was getting too addicted to my phone and I can really survive without it. However there seems to be a constant routine that you stay in one place for 3 or 4 days, run around the area trying to take in as much as you can, trying to strike up conversations with new strangers in your hostel, ... read more

Other than Tokyo, Hiroshima was my favorite place I visited in Japan. It's a small, unassuming city with plenty of river walks and tasty food, and its history is ubiquitous and palpable. Anyone visiting here should absolutely read John Hershey's novel Hiroshima. It was published just a year after the bombing and it brilliantly laces together the lives of several survivors who basically never should have survived the blast. After visiting the museum, these people weren't just in the blast zone where some survived- they were in the area where practically no one survived (beyond a few days). Reading the novel ahead of time was so much more valuable than just reading the descriptions on the historical landmarks; actually, it enhanced my understanding of the landmarks around the city that tell brief stories about the condition ... read more

Die dritte Station unserer Reise... read more