Day 9 in Hiroshima and Miyajima

I woke up a little depressed this morning - probably anticipating where I was going. I took a Hikari Shinkansen from Kyoto station to Hiroshima station, and then took a tram to the Atomic Bomb Memorial. I met with a gentleman whose mother was two months pregnant with him when LBJ dropped the first nuclear weapon in human history onto the city where his family lived. Luckily his mother and father were outside the 3km radius where only minutes after the bombed detonated absolutely nothing was left. His grandfather did not have such luck. This gentleman provided his family's account of what happened in the build up and aftermath of this devastation. I sat on a chair and read front to back the binder and reflected on what was one of the lowest points in human history. The political nuances are much more complex than what we are taught in a US schools. I do not believe the Atomic Bomb was required to end WWII and was a rash and grave mistake. My political thoughts aside - here are some pictures. I have not included any from inside the Peace Park museum as I do not think it's appropriate for every person that might be reading this blog post.

After this somber experience I took a ferry to Miyajima island - which is most famously known for the Itsukushima shrine that sits in the water during high tide. Unfortunately when I arrived I saw part of it was being refurbished. I ended up take a ropeway up into the hills of the island and the hiked in the heat to the top of Mt Misen. After Hiroshima, this hike was exactly what I needed. I felt rejuvenated (even though I was drenched in sweat). I ate grilled oysters before the hike and Hiroshima-style oyster okonomiyaki afterwards.

After taking a ferry and three trains to get back to Kyoto I took a much needed shower and sat by the Kamu river while enjoying the cool nighttime weather.