Tuesday, we took a long (two hour) train ride to Miyajima and Hiroshima. Although the day was marked by rain, which interrupted some of our plans - we had wanted to take a hike up Mount Misen - we still had a good day. Miyajima means “shrine island" and has been recognized as one of the top three views in Japan. We spent some time exploring the souvenir and food district before heading into Itsukushima Shrine, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, which features a massive Torii gate in the tidal waters in front of the shrine. Oh, and there are tame deer here too, so we spent some time looking at them, and luckily they weren't nearly as aggressive as the deer at Nara.
After walking through the shrine, we decided to head to the Miyajima Public Aquarium to try to wait on the rain. It was a very nice little aquarium featuring mainly animals found in the seas around Japan. Then, after a tea and coffee break to recharge, and a brief stop at Senjokaku Shrine, “the hall of 1000 tatami mats” built to remember the war dead, we headed back to the train to go to Hiroshima.
It’s hard to put Hiroshima into words. It’s incredibly sobering, and was more so because we were there one day before the anniversary of the bombing, and the yearly peace festival. Seeing the monuments to the destruction and to promote peace, rendered me a little speechless. We walked through the Peace Park and then toured the museum. By then, it was getting quite late, so we grabbed some ramen, took a streetcar back to Hiroshima Station, and headed back to Kyoto
After walking through the shrine, we decided to head to the Miyajima Public Aquarium to try to wait on the rain. It was a very nice little aquarium featuring mainly animals found in the seas around Japan. Then, after a tea and coffee break to recharge, and a brief stop at Senjokaku Shrine, “the hall of 1000 tatami mats” built to remember the war dead, we headed back to the train to go to Hiroshima.
It’s hard to put Hiroshima into words. It’s incredibly sobering, and was more so because we were there one day before the anniversary of the bombing, and the yearly peace festival. Seeing the monuments to the destruction and to promote peace, rendered me a little speechless. We walked through the Peace Park and then toured the museum. By then, it was getting quite late, so we grabbed some ramen, took a streetcar back to Hiroshima Station, and headed back to Kyoto