Hiroshima!

This past weekend I (Kelly) decided to go Hiroshima. Tyler is probably going to go some time in the near future, but he decided he didn't want to go with me on the trip and went back to Hakone instead. So I went by myself, as no one else could make it, and it was the only weekend I'd likely be able to go. I was a bit nervous to travel alone, at first, but it ended up being a really great trip and a lot of fun. Japan is such a safe country that there wasn't much to worry about, and on top of that, Hiroshima is probably one of the most peace driven areas in the world.

It was a four hour ride by shinkansen (bullet train), so I got there around 10pm on Friday night and checked in to my hotel, which was conveniently right next to the station. The next morning, I took the local streetcars (trams) and visited the Peace Memorial Park, which included the Peace Memorial Museum, Children's Peace Memorial Monument, the Atomic Bomb Dome, and several other monuments and memorials. It was all very sad, and I was very surprised at how little the museum focused on blame of the United States. I was even given paper cranes as a gift when I stopped by the gift shop. 

A watch stopped at 8:15 from the blast.

Glass embedded into concrete.

The Atomic Bomb Dome, remnants from the
hypocenter of the bombing.

After the Peace Park, I went to Hiroshima Castle, which was really pretty and very interesting. 

Then I visited the Shukkei-en Garden, which was unexplainably beautiful. The pictures I took do not do it justice. There were so many koi fish and all of them were HUGE. The cutest, little Japanese man gave me a tour.

After that, I went back to the hotel to rest before grabbing a bite to eat near the station. I found a Hiroshimayaki restaurant and am now officially obsessed. It's the best food ever, Hiroshima's version of okonomiyaki, which is a pancake containing a mixture of ingredients (lettuce, egg, meat, mayonnaise, etc.) Being vegetarian, I opted out of getting meat, but it was delicious. In Osaka, where it's famously from, they mix all the ingredients together, but in Hiroshima, they're all layered down and include soba noodles as well. The sauce is beyond delicious. 

The next day, I woke up early and left for Miyajima, an island near Hiroshima famous for its red torii, Japanese gate. It's considered one of the three views of Japan and was absolutely beautiful, despite the foggy day. There were a bunch of wild deer on the island that are completely tame, but they had ticks, so I didn't touch them. They're notoriously aggressive when food is involved, and I had to laugh at a boy who tried feeding them. About ten deer all started chasing him in a line down the road.

A traditional Japanese wedding at the shrine!

Five-tiered pagoda on the
island

After exploring the island, I walked through Momijiani Park and took the gondolas up the mountain. From there, I met some travelers, and we climbed up Mt. Misen together. It took about 45 minutes, but it was pretty amazing at the top, only 1,755 feet above sea level. I was exhausted, so we'll see how climbing Mt. Fuji goes in July, comparatively 12,389 feet.

That was the end of my trip!