Trip to Hiroshima

Last night I got home from my biggest and most thorough trek through this country yet, and possibly the most amazing. The sites I saw, the people I met, and the feelings I experienced will remain with me forever. No trip is perfect, but the imperfections, if anything, help you remember and appreciate the whole thing even more. I wish I could go into great detail for all of the 8 days I spent travelling with my mate Phil and his brother Richard, a 44-year-old who had never left Australia till now, but alas, time and space constrict me.


We went to so many of Japan's greatest sights, including famous castles, gardens, landmarks, and more. Our first day, the 26th December, was spent pretty much just travelling to Osaka, Japan's second largest city, and watched the blockbuster movie Avatar in full 3D on Imax. On the 27th we went to Universal Studios, which is kinda like Movie World on the Gold Coast, I guess. The rollercoaster was no Lethal Weapon, but it was made hilarious when halfway up the slope Richard began to have second thoughts... and of course, by then it was too late! We even had time that night to visit Osaka Aquarium, home to not one but two whale sharks, in the world's largest aquarium tank. We were totally mesmerised, watching whale sharks, tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks, manta rays, and an abundance of different varieties of fish swim by majestically.

Day Three saw us visiting what's believed to be Japan's greatest castle, Himeji Castle, built nearly 700 years ago. (There were many playful arguments between the three of us over how to pronounce "castle"!) Richard, never having witnessed anything on that kind of scale in Australia, was completely awed at its beauty and construction. But the most incredible experience, I think we could all agree, happened the next day in Hiroshima, at the site where the atomic bomb went off 64 years ago.



You can never imagine the feeling at that site until you go there and see for yourself. Just above and across from what was once the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall (above) exploded the first atomic bomb used against humanity. In an instant it wiped out tens of thousands of lives, plus more tens of thousands in its aftermath. All that's left there now as a reminder is the A-Bomb Dome, a small glimpse into the physical destruction caused, and some memorials, which give shockingly vivid insight into the pain of those who lost loved ones. The feelings I felt I cannot describe, and I was almost brought to tears more than once. One particularly emotional message came from Southfield Girls High School, in Australia, where students had made hundreds upon hundreds of paper cranes and sent them to the memorial, with the words, "For Those Who Died And For Those Who Cried". All three of us were deeply moved, and we returned there later that night to pay our respects once more.

The following day we visited the island of Itsukushima, a 10-minute ferry trip from Hiroshima, where you can see the Miyajima torii gate "floating" on the water at high-tide. It's considered one of Japan's three best views, and it's easy to see why. We also took a ropeway up the mountains behind Itsukushima Shrine, where we were treated to a spectacular view of some of the smaller islands of Japan. The view didn't last long, however, as storm clouds rolled in and made things very foggy and wet. Quite amusingly, Richard refused to buy an umbrella, claiming that his outback hat would suffice.



Well there's a very brief overview of our first five days. I'll post more at a later date, including a gallery of photos, maybe a video or two, our New Years celebrations, and what happens when you play a game called "Let's put Richard in charge of directions". (I will add that there is no winner in that game.)