H: Japan so far

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First of all Hiroshima. To walk around in the area where the bomb hit the ground felt so surreal, it was (and still is) impossible to fully take in and picture what really happened there. Though the total madness with nuclear bombs became crystal clear, especially after a visit to the Peace memorial museum. And to think that some people want Japan to start develop their own?!

Then Kyoto, at first we got a bad impression, are all the Japanese people this strange?! and where exactly are those beautiful places Kyoto is so known of? Then everything changed, starting with meeting Sarah and finding our first vegan (organic) restaurant. Then the fox shrine, Hiro and the river that runs through the city. We followed it one day and walked for hours watching the fish, birds (eagles!) and people living in, around and beside it. Getting quite impressed by the 2store high apartment someone built under one of the bridges..

From Kyoto to Osaka and the human rights museum (never heard of or seen anything like it before!) giving a short presentation of different groups being discriminated in the Japanese society. We didn't find that much (new) information about the Buraku people (the outcastes in the old Japanese castesystem) but still we got a great deal of inspiration of how to set up our exhibition when we come back home and it was definitely worth a visit. Through the museums we've been visiting and of course the people we've met (AND not to forget "The wind up bird chronicle" by Haruki Murakami) we've learn a great deal of Japanese history and culture. Somehow it all starts to make sense..

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