Japan Day 11 (Hiroshima)

Taking a 1:30 minute journey on the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Being further south we were hoping for better weather and compared to Osaka it was.

We arrived to find rather than a subway there are a confusing series of trains, you pay when you get off which caught us a bit off guard.

To memorialise the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima is a memorial park which contains the impact site the so called bomb dome. This twisted structure was directly hit by the blast but the energy traveled outwards destroying everything else yet leaving leaving this relic in it place. The park is incredibly peaceful so seeing the bomb dome up close was particularly chilling. Anything combustable was incinerated leaving only the skeletal structure behind.

We spent a couple of hours wondering the park, visting some of the many monuments and memorials there.

Emerging from the park past the baseball stadium where people were playing a game. We walked to the Hiroshima Jo grounds walking over the moat we passed a Kendo tournament in process. We stopped to watching in fascination.

Hiroshima castle was like much of the city flattened or burned following the bomb and rebuild post war.

I was stopped at one point where a Japanese man asked me if I were an American, and if I understood what had happened here. Fortunately as a Brit he let me pass.

The mood was a bit sombre on the way back to the hostel, we had a quiet evening and pizza from the place next to the hostel.

A tree which survived the bomb

Hiroshima Jo

Kendo 

Japan Day 10 (Hikone)

We felt tired after all the walking around Kobe so had a lie in cuddling in bed before heading out.

Today we headed to Hikone to see the castle there. It was one of the few castle stops survive unaffected by the war and is mostly original construction. We took the Shinkansen to Miabara then changed trains to Hikone. Hikone city is on the shores of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan.

We followed the crowds of people which led us first to a temple so we had a Quick Look around then headed to the castle on the top of the hill. Constructed in the 17th century Hikone castle is a good example of the style and gives suburbs views out from its high vantage point. 

Like Osaka the castle is best viewed from outside inside it was crowd and cramped build for people in a different age. The grounds were well worth spending some time in though we enjoyed the woods.

I grabbed a fried squid from a stand in the grounds and we met the mascot a cute rabbet with a horned helmet. 

Next we stumbled upon a garden in all its Zen glory it was very beautiful. It was starting to grow cold and dark so we left Hikone heading for Kyoto.

Arriving in Kyoto late, we managed to grab a map a from the tourist information place. It had all the local subway and tourist places marked. Kasia fancied a pizza so we found an Italian restaurant on the 10th floor of a shopping centre connected to the railway station. 

The food was really good (if a little expensive) and we got a great view of Kyoto.

The station complex itself is a marvel of steel and glass. Saint lead up from the ground to the top. It had been a long day so we headed to our hostel for a snooze.