Hiroshima: More than Sadness

Tree in Hiroshima
Hiroshima Museum of Modern Art

Enjoying the afternoon

In accordance with the strange tradtion of photographing one's meal while traveling


Free advertising for a cool little cafe












Five-tiered pagoda
Floating torii, Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima
Weird shaped shrubs at the Peace Park
The Atomic Bomb Dome
A popular site for school fieldtrips



At the Children's Memorial











Paper cranes. Make a thousand, make a wish- here that wish is "peace".

By a stroke of luck I was given a four day holiday at the end of January, during which time I traveled to Hiroshima with my friend Hannah. We had a wonderful time full of great parks, hip cafés and world-class art museums, punctuated by our stay at the nicest, most friendly family-run hostel in all of Japan (I'm sure it is! ["J-Hoppers" is the name in case you're interested]). Of course, we also visited the many memorial sites around town including the Peace Park, Atomic Bomb Dome, and Atomic Memorial Museum to name a few. All of these sites were quite moving and despite the unavoidable sadness that came along with seeing them, they were extremely valuable and well worth the visit.
Hannah and I also traveled to the nearby island of Miyajima by ferry, where more parks, more temples, more museums, and more bloody deer awaited. This island is also the site of the famous Itsukushima Shrine, known for its "floating" torii, which you will surely recognize in the photos.
All in all it was a great trip. I finally played Pachinko in Hiroshima, a very popular VLT-type machine that ate my 1000 yen bill in less than 5 minutes, and I also got to travel there and back by shinkansen (bullet-train)! Though expensive, it was impossibly convenient, and because of that I highly recommend it (it's so choice!).
Hope you're all having fun, wherever you are and whatever you're doing. Have a steak for me if you can- I just got a sudden craving...

Beware of Crabs!

Yes indeed, this (intuitive) warning sign was posted on the door of an elevator.

Lost in Translation?

I hope so.

Nihongo Sensei

Considering my level of "proficiency" in Japanese, I'm a little embarrassed to say that I've been doing Japanese lessons (and English exchange) once a week with my friend Misa since mid Novemberish. My low ability to communicate has nothing to do with her skills as a teacher, but rather with my capacities as a student. She has been a fantastic help in every way, introducing me not only to the language but also to Japanese food and culture. Thanks Misa!

So here we are we are at a café in Sannomiya.