Sadness and Bullets of two Kinds

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On Wednesday this week I was down in Wakayama again, and it was awesome. My board has provided me with a couple of opportunities to travel alone into the heart of 'real' Japan. Despite the less than epic surf the people I have met or just observed and the views I have seen make up for that... Plus, the cost surf gear here is through the roof. We in SA are lucky. Don't forget that! .... Ja, to travel alone is a very interesting and liberating experience. Really forces me to use this language I am learning coz there is no one there to save my butt if I need help. Plus I think a single foreigner is less intimidating than a group of 3 or 4, so you get to meet interesting people.... That's what I did on wednesday.....

On thursday I regrouped with the maties and headed north - forcing back as much common sense as possible to buy a shinkansen ticket! I have have been bursting to ride one all semester... But usually common sense prevails (tickets cost as much plane tickets that cover a similar distance). NOT THIS WEEK! I went to Hiroshima by Shinkansen (bullet train) with Rifka and Levi and it was soooo worth it. A 6 hour journey became 2 and a bit hours and the spacious, comfy train made catching up on sleep so easy! OOOOH! That has to be thee way to travel. No one hour check in or book before story like planes, but the same speed.

Yes, the destination was as rewarding as the journey! I can't say I had an exciting or uber fun time, but it was definately worth it! To see the peace park, A bomb dome and the various monuments was so moving. At times I just wanted to cry! I think it is something everyone should see. But pack tissues if you are the sniveling type. The goosebumps came in such a wave as a class of schoolkids gathered around the monument for the girl who had leukemia from the radiation and folded one thousand paper cranes in an effort to get better. Kids from schools all over Japan make paper cranes and bring them to the monument. The kids who were there while we were there said a prayer for peace and sang a song. As we walked through the park looking at memorials and contemplating nuclear war, the kids were singing, and I just wanted to smile and cry all at once. Hiroshima is a popular destination for school excursions, so hopefully the youth of Japan will grow up supporting peace. But, the flame in the park (that will burn until all nulcear weapons are dismantled) is still burning strong. Maybe in my lifetime it will go out. I can only hope...

The heavy emotional impact of the peace park needed some watering down, so the on Friday we went to Miyajima to immerse ourselves in the culture of old heian Japan, pushing back from this nuclear age.

AT Miyajima the Ootorii is the most prominent and well-known site. It is a large Torii gate that appears to float on the sea just offshore. We took a ferry at high tide to we could see the gate in all its splendor but had to endure buckets of rain that pretty much rendered umbrella'a useless. Hmmm. At this point we were carrying around our backpacks as we had checked out of the youth hostel in hiroshima where we slept the night before. My backpack has abosolutely no waterproofing! THe only thing that came out dry was my dirty clothing that I had put in a plastic bag. Fat lotta help that was! Not fair.... I just hope my takkies are dry before I hop onto 25ish hours of flying home next week... How delightful.

Had to wear those takkies all the way back to Hirakata... And there was no shinkansen to chop 4 hours off the journey, this time. Tis weird how things turn out like that...

G'nite people....

See you SA lot soon. This semester seems ot have taken place in a single breath!

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Photos

Contemplation
In Wakayama Prefecture, Isonoura.

Paper Cranes
Childern in front of the Monument with their paper cranes

Cranes
Close up.

Ootorii
"Great" Tori gate - Miyajima

Fushimi Inari
THe Shrine in Kyoto with all the fox statues...

Fushimi Inari 2
Alright! Who's seen memoirs of a Geisha, the movie? Yes... I've been to the place where the little girls rins through all the red tori to pray!

Comments

[Wayne Bagley]

Surfing?
Did you at least get a wave on this trip? New Pier was epic on Thursday!! See you Wednesday.Have you bought me a container of pop-out boards to sell in the good old RSA ?

[Janet Meyer]

So sad I'm going to miss you! Tried phoning but you probably off line or not turned on or.......Jacqui? Best of luck for the rest of the year and you are already invited for a 'braai' at Kasouga with.....melktert! Have a great flight! Love from all of us!

[Bhav]

well, as the french say, homme (ou femme, in your case) toujours tu cheriras la mer. this is the only time you get to say that was the best year or half year of your life, because how often is so much amazing shit crammed into such a short time? good luck on your return... and never forget how to ride a bicycle in the rain, holding an umbrella, with your backpack in the basket.