Hiroshima - Day 3

Day 3

Our 3rd day was devoted mainly to the Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Museum.  Although it was a good experience, I can't really say it was a fun one.  It's a bit like going to the Holocaust museum, very sobering.

Our first stop was the A-bomb dome, one of the only structures that partially survived.  They were currently doing some tests on the building.

The next stop in the Peace Park was Sadako Sesaki and her paper crane memorial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_origami_cranes)

The displays were all made of origami paper cranes

These are all donated cranes (the kids donated a few they had gotten the day before). And now we have TONS of paper cranes around the house!

After the peace museum, we tried another Okonomiyaki place, then went shopping at a huge discount store called Don Quixote where I got this bluetooth selfie-stick!

And finally we rounded out our trip with a ride back on the Shinkansen

As you can tell, it was a bit late by the time we returned on the train from Yokohama.

Hiroshima - day 2

Day 2

We got up bright and early (well, like 6 am, which seems way to early for vacation), so that we could make it to Miyajima Island before the tide level went below an "undesirable" level for viewing the famous "floating" Torii gate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itsukushima_Shrine).  We did get there in time, but what we didn't expect was to see all the seaweed floating around it (you don't see that in the postcards!) but it was still very scenic, to be sure. 

After our train ride, we took a short ferry to the island.

a little bit of translation humor for you

And of here we have some paddle-boarders messing with our photo-op!

After our pictures we walked through the main part of the shrine

On the other side the kids played on the beach for awhile

We walked up to view the pagoda on the hill

There were deer everywhere!  And they wanted to eat anything you had.

Looking back from the temple

Temple statue

One of the temple buildings

Not as good luck as I had last time :)

But Abby still hangs it up for me, Barely Good Fortune is better than Bad

Starting our hike up to Mt. Misen (we had originally planned on taking the tram but it was closed for maintenance)

So up we go, and up and up, many, many stairs, and I in my clogs (did I mention we were going to take the tram?)

The view from the top (yes, I made it)

Even T made it (with shoulder rides)

Up near the top there was a temple with the Eternal Flame which has been burning for 1200 years

The outside of the temple

And the flame burning inside (they keep tea brewing in the pot)

Once we came down from the mountain, the tide was out so we now got to walk out closer to the Torii gate

Where's my selfie-stick when I need it?

Return ferry trip

Mt. Misen is left hand "peak"

Torii gates and deer pretty much sums up our day

Hiroshima - Day 1

Day 1

For the 3-day weekend in January, we traveled, along with our friends Marcus&Gaby that were visiting us to Hiroshima.  Tristan, knowing that we would be riding a Shinkansen (bullet train), would ask daily "How many more days?".  Finally the day was here, we were all packed, including Tristan's two trains.  First we had to travel to Yokohama to catch the bullet train from the Shin-Yokohama station.  Tristan literally kept saying "I'm so excited!".

Waiting at the station

Here it comes!

Series N7, if you wanted to know

This is so exciting!

Partial view of Mt. Fuji

Tristan kept his trains on the windowsill (I think we must be in a tunnel here)

Our  train ride was about 3 1/2 hours

Here's the interior of the car, the leg room between each seat is probably an extra foot compared to airplane seating and the seats lean WAY back.

Once we checked into our hotel in Hiroshima, we headed to Hiroshima Castle for a bit of sightseeing before dinner.  It was destroyed from the atomic bomb, but later rebuilt.

This is one of the outer buildings of the complex

The main building, which now houses a museum about the history of the castle and has several Samurai artifacts

Jamie trying on some Samuria garb (and apparently posing as a Ninja)

The view from the upper floor of the main castle building.