Written by Nancy

Hiroshima Rest Day

Today we took our first rest day of the trip.  While we have had some shorter days the last couple of days, it was nice not to have to pack everything up this morning.  After a few check-in calls to family, our first port of call was to get some breakfast. 

We’d spotted a shop interestingly called “Wildman Bagel” on Google maps that was just around the corner so we headed there, figuring it would likely be one of the few times we would get a bagel here in Japan.  The shop opened at 9, and when we got there just before 9 there was already a queue down the road.  That was a good sign that the bagels were probably going to be good, though it did mean a longer wait than we expected.  People were buying them by the dozens, coming out with big bags full and it looked like a tiny shop so we were getting a bit worried about whether there would be any left by the time we got up to the front.  And yes, the bagels were very good, even though they didn’t toast them or warm them or anything.  We did ask about toasting, which caused a bit of consternation, but we did get the last cream cheese packet they had so they were fine as is.  I am not sure how they only had one cream cheese packet left by 9:05 on Sunday morning –  planning seems to be a bit off on that but thankfully it was enough for both of us.  And we got some decent coffee, so all was well.

Suitably nourished (at least with carbs) and caffeinated, we headed to the main purpose of our visit – the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and museum, just up the road.  The museum is informative, sad, disturbing – all those things that you would expect.  It was quite busy already by the time we got there, so there was a bit of dodging people to get around it.  We both got the audio guide that provides more detail about what is in the museum, which was worth it. 

The museum is mostly about the impact of the bomb on the residents of Hiroshima.  The destruction of almost the entire city, the loss of many lives both immediate and later on from cancers and other illnesses caused by the radiation.  There were many stories of those living in Hiroshima, of families trying to find their loved ones, many of whom had been burned beyond recognition.  There were also remnants of clothing, buildings, etc. showing the effects of the bomb.  There s also a lot of information about the development of the bomb that hit Hiroshima as well as the one that hit Nagasaki, and the resulting efforts of governments from many countries to put a halt on the development and use of nuclear weapons.  It is astounding what those bombs did – the extent of damage they did is shocking.

Outside in the park they have retained what is left of the building that was at the center of where the bomb went off, and it is now referred to as the Peace Dome.  There were many people taking selfies with it in the background, which seemed odd to us.  But, tourists will be tourists, I guess.

It was all very informative but also very sobering and hard to describe.  What it did do was emphasize the destruction caused by war, the loss of life and the impact on generations to come.  So crazy that so many resources continue to be spent on invasions, expanding territories, stamping out cultures, etc.  Just think what could be achieved if countries just stayed in their lane and all those funds were spent on their own economies, eradicating hunger and poverty and other good things.  All seems so short-sighted and directed by oligarchs and power hungry men (sorry, almost always men) who care little about how this is affecting their citizens.

Okay, enough of that.  After coming out of the park we stopped for lunch at a noodle shop that had a different kind of udon.  The broth was very rich and was served in a separate bowl, which you dipped your noodles into before slurping them up (I think this is referred to as tsukemen).  It was good, but probably not my favourite, as it the broth was a bit too rich for me.  Oh well, good to try anyway. 

Then we wandered a bit and found an excellent coffee shop – Obscura Coffee.  They made a great cortado, with no explanation needed.  And because the coffee was good, we also got some beans that they ground for our Aero-Press – again, no explanation needed, they knew exactly what an Aero-Press was.  If we were here a few days I am sure that place would get a daily visit.

Dinner in tonight with food from the local grocery store – all very tasty.  Sometimes eating out everyday gets a bit tiring, so it will be nice to relax here in the hostel. Yes, it is still Japanese food – bento boxes. Dave really wanted to try the special Hiroshima eel.

Tomorrow we also have another short day as we take a ferry back out of Hiroshima back over to Shikoku to a city called Matsuyama, where we’ll stay the night before heading south. I convinced Dave to splash out on hotel with a natural hot spring onsen – I’m sure where they get the water as Matsuyama has close to 500,000 residents (wouldn’t there be a lot of competition for the free hot water?). Anyway, that’s for tomorrow.