Blogs from Hiroshima, Japan, Asia - page 13

After an action packed few days in Kyoto, we were on our way to Hiroshima, about 2 hours south. Hiroshima is most known for being blown apart by the Atomic Bomb which the USA dropped without any warning on the city on August 6th 1945 (end of WW2), wiping out the whole city and anyone within 3km of it – more of this to follow shortly. We arrived in Hiroshima by the Bullet train in the afternoon and jumped on a tram to our hostel for the next 2 nights called J-Hoppers. The building used to be a traditional Japanese house and has kept many of the original features, so our room had fold out futons on tatami mats on the floor as beds, with a low table and cushions as seats in the corner and ... read more

How to describe feelings arriving in Hiroshima? As soon as you arrive you feel that you’re somewhere special and significant. Going round the Peace Park and the museum and looking at the Dome, the one building that has been left as a memorial, all fill you with questions and horror at what we are capable of doing to each other. The remarkable thing is how the city has become what it is today after such an enormous tragedy. The park is lush with trees and shrubs, covering a big area around the detonation site. The city has grown up around it and is vibrant and colourful. As well as the Peace sites we took a short ferry ride out to the pretty island of Miyajima, known for its big red tori and ‘floating’ temple. Climbed Mt ... read more

Well first thing whilst still in Nara we went on a guided tour of of Todai-ji which is the Great Buddha hall. It is an amazing sight the Buddha is the beggist in Japan and it is supposed to be one of the greatest sights in the entire Japanese history. Our guide was 74 years old and his English name was "OK" he was a really nice man and had studied many years ago at Cambridge University. We are getting really embarassed about how well a lot of the Japanese speak English and our Japanese is crap/non-existent. I must admit I kept my eye on Mike, especially after last night with him reading about Buddhism. I kept on expecting him to go missing and then turn up in a trainee Monks robe - thank goodness that ... read more

Hiroshiman historia lienee kaikille tuttu, ainakin silta osin, mita tapahtui 1945, jolloin atomipommi tuhosi kaupungin. Kavimme tanaan rauhanmuseossa ja -puistossa. Museossa kerrottiin tapahtumista ennen pommia, uhrien ja silminnakijoiden kertomuksia ja atomipommien kehityksesta. Museo keskittyi erityisesti rauhantyohon ja ydinaseiden vastaiseen tyohon. Tavoitteena on havittaa ydinaseet maailmasta. Museoissa on aina kiinnostavaa nahda, milla tavalla ja mita historiasta valitaan kerrottavaksi. Petraan teki suuren vaikutuksen se, etta museossa tarkasteltiin kriittisesti Japanin menneisyytta kolonisoijana ja sotien osapuolena myos vihollisen nakokulmasta. Museossa mm. tunnustettiin Nankingin veriloyly, jota Japani ei ole virallisesti tunnustanut saati sitten pyytanyt anteeksi... Mainintaa veriloylysta ei loydy koulun oppikirjoissa eli tapahtuma on pyyhitty pois virallisesta historiasta. ... read more

Backpackers Miyajima is where I am staying at in Hiroshima, near the harbor where boats leave for the island of Miyajima. My bed is in this big room shared with 10 or so other people, how ever many can fit I guess, they give you a sleep matt and find your preferred place, I set up in the corner and left my packs there and hope no one steals it. reception was genuinely friendly I must say, they told me to head to Miyajima just before sunset so off I went. I think it only took about 10 minutes to get there.I like the place, despite being busy with tourists, you can sense it's a quiet little village when people leave at the end of the day, I explored and purposely got lost while checking out ... read more