Day 13: Hiroshima

Today we took a vacation from our vacation. We contemplated biking 70km throughout 6 inlet islands, but decided instead to sleep in, shop, and relax in Hiroshima. We had a very phsyical past few days and felt that we had already grasped the countryside/ocean/islands after our trip to Miyajima island and our hike to the top of Mt. Misan.
We had a GREAT day today. We visited Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Dome. There were a variety of sites and a museum dedicated to the A-Bomb explosion. There were also hundreds of kids visiting the sites from all over Japan on school trips. Part of their assignment was to speak to foreigners and send a message of peace. We spoke to three young groups of kids in english and they were very cute. They're english was impressive for their age, but still very entertaining.

The park grounds were beautiful and the the three main sites were very interesting. We observed what is called the A-Bomb dome. The bomb flattened nearly the entire city except for a very few structures, one of which was the A-bomb dome. This structure still stands today. You can see where steel was melted and obtain a very clear understanding of the destruction that occured. The building was stripped of all but its concrete shell.

We then visited the park which had a peace bell, mound of ashes of over 70,000 dead people, and a memorial statue which you could look through to see the A-bomb dome. It was all very sobering and interesting.

Lastly, we visited the museum. We both learned a lot. It was incredible to see Hiroshima before and after the bomb. There were pictures, and 3D models of the before and after scene. I could have never have imagined how flattened the city was for such a wide area. It was also interesting to learn more about the events leading up to the bomb.

After walking around in the sunshine we turned our attention to shopping. We can't tell you how many different shops there are, its ridiculous. You could shop forever and never see them all. Jess had a very successful day and acquired TWO dresses, shoes, a ring, a hairband, and a necklace - she was very pleased with herself.

We went out to dinner at a skewer type restaurant recommended online. It was hard to find, but well worth the trip. Only locals were in the very quaint and cramped restaurant. Two of the other patrons assisted us with ordering and getting our dishes prepared with the right sauces, etc... A variety of skewers which contained mixtures of meat, fish, vegetables, and herbs were dipped in batter, rolled in bread crumbs, and deep fried. This all happened before your eyes because the place was so small! They came out piping hot and you ate them right away. When you finished one skewer, the next one was prepared. It was really delicious. We are amazed at how many different types of Japanese food there is. Its definitely NOT just sushi! After dinner we got a drink at a very trendy open air bar in the entertainment district and then headed to a local gambling hall/arcade where we played some video roulette and a silly coin throwing game. We lost 3,000YEN (~$35) but we played for over an hour and enjoyed ourselves.

Its now after midnight and we're heading to bed to catch an early train to Tokyo before watching a our first Japanese baseball game!!! We are VERY excited!!!