Heavy Hearts in Hiroshima

Friday morning we woke up early and headed to the Osaka train station. In another example of perfectly choreographed Japanese efficiency, the Starbucks barista wrote our train times on the - seasonal red! - cups so we would be sure to get our coffees in time. We pulled out of the station exactly on schedule and we were in Hiroshima in less than two hours.

I wasn't sure what to expect upon arriving in Hiroshima but I definitely didn't think there would be so much "there" there. The city is just as developed as other Japanese cities we have visited, with high-end stores, a massive public transportation network and sizable restaurant / bar scene.

We made our way via streetcar to our guest house, World Friendship Center, and dropped off our bags before spending the afternoon walking around the nearby Peace Park.

In front of the Children's Peace Monument, inspired by Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who died after the A-bomb and inspired the novel "A Thousand Paper Cranes."

One of the many donated artworks created by hundreds of paper cranes.

We stopped at a few of the larger memorial sites but didn't linger too long as our hosts had arranged a guided tour for us on Saturday.

I had read about a "floating shrine" nearby so we took a ferry to Miyajima, known to many as the Island of Gods, to check out the huge orange arch built on the shoreline. Unfortunately we arrived at low tide so the "floating" effect wasn't really applicable, but the area was still pretty scenic and we enjoyed walking through the Itsukushima Shrine.

A local helpfully warned us about the "aggressive deer" on the island but after Nara, we were pretty sure we could handle any form of near-domesticated wildlife. This guy basically posed for us near the welcome sign!

The Great Torii. Apparently much more impressive at high tide but still a pretty awesome sight.

Lion standing guard in front of the temple.

Another shot of the 'floating" gate.

Outside of the Itsukushima Shrine.

The combined ferry / streetcar journey took about 45 minutes so we were starving and exhausted once we got back into the center of town. We had dinner at a family owned Okonomiyaki spot next to our guest house and enjoyed the Hiroshima take on the classic Japanese dish (more cabbage and cheese - count us in!).

Basically in heaven.

Once back at the WFC, our accommodations for the next two days, our kind hosts Richard (from Ohio!) and Xinia took about an hour to tell us about themselves, the World Friendship Center and its mission (in a nutshell: peace on earth). We enjoyed chatting with them but called it an early night so we could wake up for a full day of somber sightseeing on Saturday.

I convinced Alex to go for a run at 6:30am so we would have time to shower before breakfast at 8:00am at the guesthouse. Over a simple and delicious meal we met the other guests staying at the WFC and traded stories about our time in Japan.

After breakfast, we were joined by Soh-son, a Hibakusha, or A-bomb survivor, who volunteers his time just to meet with travelers like us. Soh told us about this experience - he was five years old and only about one mile from ground zero when the bomb went off - and provided a first-hand account of the devastation that occurred in Hiroshima afterward. Needless to say, I had a bit of a hard time keeping it together. I wasn't sure what the general view on Americans would be but Soh assured us there really aren't any hard feelings these days (not so for Koreans apparently; according to our hosts many Japanese hold onto this grudge very seriously).

After our chat with Soh, we met up with another WFC volunteer, Miho, for a guided tour of the Peace Park.  Much like Soh, Miho was extremely kind and very happy that we were there. All of the people we've spoken to here are very forthcoming about their hopes for peace, the elimination of nuclear weapons and also the end of nuclear energy (a bit more controversial than the previous two).

We learned about each of the various monuments with Miho and then made our way to the nearby museum.

The A-bomb Dome, one of the only buildings near Ground Zero that survived and has since been preserved.

Fall in the park was actually pretty beautiful.

Monument to the war's Korean victims. Koreans believe that the dead are carried on the back of a turtle to heaven after passing.

The Peace Bell.

The Memorial Cenotaph, below which contains the names of all known A-bomb victims from Hiroshima

The museum was as depressing as I feared but obviously a very worthwhile and important stop. Equal parts scientific information, history and tragedy, the exhibits left a very strong impression on Alex and I. It was (again) hard to keep it together as we walked past the scorched clothing remains worn by children who had died following the explosion...

In need of a reprieve, we headed to get lunch nearby and stumbled upon our favorite ramen chain, Ichiran. They only serve one thing - delicious ramen as you like it - and we have now perfected our order after three visits across Japan!

After lunch we wanted to rest and catch up on the computer so we headed to a nearby Starbucks. We were quickly approached by a barista who informed us they were hosting an inaugural tasting event for English speakers and strongly requested that we join. Enticed by convenient and timely free coffee and treats, we agreed and enjoyed a 30-minute lesson on coffee tasting. We also got to sample some of the most popular food offerings in Starbucks in Japan (which were actually pretty good!). We realized this was mostly an opportunity for the staff to practice their English, but still the entire experience was pretty hilarious - see below for the group shot they took. If we don't wind up on a company website somewhere, I am going to be very disappointed!.

Team Starbucks!

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around downtown Hiroshima and were struck by how similar the city feels to any other. I know it wasn't fair of me to assume the city would still be defined by a tragic event over 70 years old but I am still amazed at the normalcy of it all. We are going to head to dinner soon and tomorrow we return to Tokyo for one more night in Japan. Next stop: Seoul!

View of Hiroshima - and the A-bomb Dome - at dusk.

Tokyo : New York :: Osaka : Chicago

Admittedly, I haven’t thought of this analogy format since the SAT but it seemed appropriate for this blog entry’s title. We heard a couple times that Osaka would be nothing special compared to the other cities we’ve seen in Japan but Sarah and I both enjoyed our time there a lot. It’s true that there aren’t nearly as many historic sites, temples, shrines, etc. as you would see in Kyoto (or Tokyo, for that matter) but Osaka has a clean, new feel we haven’t come across so far in Japan. It is also regarded by many as the culinary center of Japan. Finally, there are a bunch of rivers that run through the city giving it a decidedly Chicago-like resemblance. Our expectations were set low before we got here (and coming from Nara anything can be considered an upgrade) but we had a fun day and a half here.

We arrived from Nara around mid-day - as always, the trains were very easy to navigate and exactly on time. Check in wasn’t for a few hours so we grabbed a leisurely lunch nearby and strolled around the city for a few hours.

These rivers throughout the city reminded us of Chicago.

Once we were checked in Sarah and I decided to go for a run - the weather is warmer here and the scenery along the water is hard to beat.

Sarah snapped this picture of a garden along the way.

For dinner we headed to the famous Okonomiyaki Kiji. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese dish based around a scallion pancake (sort of) that has eggs, meat, vegetables and sometimes noodles mixed in. (Trust me, it’s delicious.) We waited for over an hour to sit down at the bar but it was worth the wait. The owner spoke good English, though he didn’t have any English menus so we just let him order for us. We split two okonomiaki dishes - one “traditional” and one that was more like lo mein. Overall it was a fun (and tasty!) experience and we’d highly recommend a stop here if you ever find yourself in Osaka!

On the way to dinner.

Action shot. Ours is on the right (and yes, it is covered in bacon).

Some of the lo mein-like dishes. Different, but equally as delicious as the “traditional.”

The owner and his staff let us take a picture with them on our way out – great start to our stay in Osaka! (And yes, I'm easily over a foot taller than the owner...)

Okonomiyaki Kiji happens to be in the basement of the Umeda Sky Building, home to the Floating Garden Observatory. We headed up to the top floor to check out the panoramic views of the city – as expected, it was spectacular.

Nighttime in Osaka.

We woke up today ready to see more of Osaka on foot. We grabbed a coffee and walked over to the Osaka Castle, which seems to be the city’s most important historic landmark. The weather was a little cloudy but at least there wasn’t any rain!

On our way to the castle. Like others in Europe, this castle had a moat.

The Osaka Castle.

Looking back at the city and the colorful leaves.

Another shot of the Osaka Castle on our way out.

Having checked the box on historical landmarks in Osaka we took the subway down to Kuromon Market in the Nipponbashi neighborhood. Definitely much more low-key than Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, though there is still plenty of fresh fish around…so we decided to have sushi for lunch. We stopped at one of the small stands to get bowls of rice and sushi: I had tuna, Sarah had eel.

Slightly different style than the other sushi we've had, but equally delicious.

Full from lunch, we spent the afternoon wandering around the streets of Shinsaibashi, perusing the shops and taking in the sights.

A river runs right through the mall-like streets of Shinsaibashi, making it quite a scenic shopping experience.

We opted for casual ramen for dinner. We thought we’d found a new ramen place, but once we got inside (there was a 20-minute line) we realized it was the same as the ramen place we went to in Tokyo! Guess they have a couple locations. In any case, it was the perfect way to end the day. We headed home on the subway afterwards to get some rest before heading to Hiroshima tomorrow.

Not a bad view at night either!

Half Day in Nara

And that's about half a day more than you need.

This is the first place we've been in Japan that we really felt we could've missed. There were a few nice temples to walk around, but after seeing Kyoto's beautiful temples over the last three days these just didn't compare. Tourists are also drawn to Nara to see the native Sika Deer that populate the entire town, but especially Nara Park. The locals consider the deer heavenly creatures due to their legendary role in Nara's early history; the deer obviously maintain that lofty status today because there is no other reason to let them take over all the public spaces. People treated them like puppies - feeding and petting them gleefully - and there were so many that you didn't have to look far to find your own deer to play with. (The number of deer in Nara > the number of squirrels in Central Park).

We walked around for the afternoon to see the sights, then had an early dinner and relaxed with our Kindles before turning in early. It was not a worthwhile stop, but we're looking forward to Osaka tomorrow.

This is what happens when you try to feed two deer at the same time, while sitting on a bench that puts you right at their eye-level. After this fellow got his arms bitten a few times he decided to feed some other deer elsewhere. Doesn't it look like fun??

This guy let me through with no problem, but then blocked Sarah's path for a few minutes (maybe he thought she had food?). Her facial expression sums up her feelings on the practically domesticated deer perfectly.

I tried to take a picture of the entrance of the Todaiji Temple...but I guess this deer thought I had some food for him?

I was able to get a shot of Todaiji Temple without any deer in it - and it was actually very impressive. We both liked the gold "horns" on top.

On our walk back to our hotel we passed through the Kofukuji Temple and saw this octagonal building - very different than what we've seen so far (and no deer around!).

Kyoto Days 2 & 3: Tons of Temples

Waking up a little sore (turns out rental bikes don't have the most cushioned seats), Alex and I left the bikes behind for a self-guided walking tour of Kyoto on Monday. First stop: Nishiki Market. Similar to Tsukiji Market in Tokyo - minus the massive fish market and warehouse - we walked past a number of shops selling everything from hot food, local produce, Japanese delicacies, fresh seafood and artisan crafts.

Strolling through the market, which we had actually unknowingly walked into the previous night (one block from our dinner restaurant) but it was dark and nothing was open!

After sampling a few items - yes to okra chips, no to unidentifiable pickled vegetables - we were ready for a proper meal and started walking to a gyoza spot for lunch. Unfortunately, as has been the case a few times for us in Japan, the place was closed so we found a fast ramen chain instead. Warmed up after some hot soup, we continued the walk east toward the Yasaka Shrine.

We've spotted many lions - and other animals - greeting fellow visitors to the temples in Japan.

Standing in front of the dance hall at Yasaka Shrine.

Trying to get a shot of the shrine without so many tourists!

After checking out the Yasaka Shrine and surrounding area, we continued east to Eikan-do Zenrin-ji where the fall colors - and tourists - were in full effect. Zenrin-ji was definitely one of the most beautiful spots on our tour through Kyoto. In addition to the incredibly colored trees, the shrines and surrounding areas were very intricately designed and well landscaped. While there were pushy people everywhere, we were able to walk through the temple (barefoot) and witnessed some of the prayer services taking place.

Serene pond and garden within the temple walls.

View of the temple after we walked through it.

Incredible shot Alex took of the nearby bridge.

We loved these little guys on our way out!

This small pagoda overlooks the entire site – pretty spectacular!

One last shot of the bridge.

A little tired from a full day of walking, we headed back to our hotel to rest for a couple of hours before our scheduled evening event: a Japanese cooking class! I knew I wanted to try either a sushi-making course of kappo class while in Japan and once I read about Cooking Sun, I knew we should try it out. Our instructor, Akiho, was super friendly, very informative and spoke excellent English - we really felt like we got a great firsthand look into Japanese cuisine! And our homemade dinner was delicious too! Cooking Sun has only been around since April and already they are ranked #3 of all activities in Kyoto on Tripadvisor – definitely check it out if you are ever in Japan.

Carefully dropping the vegetable tempura into the boiling hot oil.

Alex expertly chopping the spinach while our instructor, Akiho, prepares the dashi.

Alex and I ready to eat our homemade Japanese dinner.

Wednesday morning we woke up early, left our bags at our hotel and headed south for a brief hike up Mount Inari, known for its bright orange arches and Fushimi Inari shrine.

Alex in front of the Fushimi Inari entrance.

I love the beautiful paper cranes we have seen at some of the temple entrances.

The bottom of the mountain was pretty crowded so we hoped that the throngs of people would thin out as we ascended (and others grew tired of the hiking). We were right – it was much easier to take pictures once we got closer to the top!

The arches are each donated by individuals or businesses (at ~US$4,000 – US$10,000 a pop) and they were everywhere along the various mountain paths; definitely one of the more unique temple sites we have visited.

Almost the entire path was covered with these orange arches.

Our view up and down the mountain for 90% of the time.

Finally found a fellow tourist for this shot.

Inside one of the shrines. This particular site had two foxes guarding almost all of the temple entrances.

Once we reached about two-thirds of the way to the top, we were treated to panoramic views of Kyoto (and a brief rest!).

No monkeys this time, but at least the sky cleared up!

The view coming back down the mountain.

I loved the Buddha statue near the end of our hike.

The whole hike took about two hours so we were easily able to head back to our hotel, grab lunch and get on the train to Nara by noon. We had a great time in Kyoto and are gearing up for our final five days in Japan!

Kyoto Day 1: Arashiyama

Sarah and I took the train from Takayama to Kyoto yesterday. We arrived mid-afternoon and took the grey weather as a cue to do our laundry and catch up on emails. We wrapped up our lazy day with another meal of delicious conveyer-belt sushi.

Though it still comes across as a bit of a gimmick to us, the sushi is actually really good!

We woke up early today to make sure we were able to reserve a rental bike - apparently they go quickly - so we could explore the city. Fortunately, we didn’t have any problems because it’s not quiite peak tourist season here. Equipped with our bikes for the day and a detailed map of the city, we set off for Arashiyama, which was an hour bike ride from downtown Kyoto but a nice place to walk around.

The ride was easy – mostly flat and along a bike path – though the scenery on the way left a little to be desired (mostly industrial riverbed mixed with run-down gardens), so we stopped at a few shrines along the way to mix things up.

At Matsuo Taisha Shrine there were a bunch of families there for an event – clearly one where their daughters were dressed up as mini-geishas.

We also saw a drum performance near one of the shrines; though it seemed a little impromptu to us, the drummers were very well rehearsed!

Once we arrived in Arashiyama, we were greeted with fantastic views of the fall foliage that we’d been expecting! (And a SWARM of tourists we were not expecting!)

Walking around Tenryuji Temple.

Beautiful display of autumn colors.

After grabbing a bite to eat we headed to the “Path of Bamboo” – basically a bamboo forest that you can walk through. It was an interesting but not our favorite sight in the area.

We saw these happy guys on the walk over to the “Path of Bamboo.”

Strolling through the bamboo.

Our next stop in Arashiyama was Monkey Park, which is basically exactly what it sounds like: a park filled with Japanese macaque monkeys. For city health-code (and probably many other reasons), the monkeys reside at the top of a very tall hill. It was a pretty strenuous walk to get up but once we were at the top we had excellent views of the city!

Overlooking Kyoto from Monkey Park.

A monkey family picking fleas off each other.

Sarah snapped this picture of a baby monkey!

Once we were done monkeying around (couldn’t resist) we rode our bikes back to town and got cleaned up for dinner. We were both ready for a change of pace cuisine-wise so we opted for Spanish tapas at Tato. The meats and cheeses were delicious and we left happy that we sought out something different tonight.

After dinner we walked over to Pontocho Alley, a scenic, narrow alley with many bars and restaurants. We grabbed a drink at Hello Dolly but weren’t that impressed so we opted to just stroll down the street for a bit before heading home. If you’re ever in Kyoto we definitely recommend a stop here!

Sarah paused to rest her legs for a minute – we’d already biked 15 miles at this point!

Pontocho Alley (though this picture doesn’t really do it justice).

Tomorrow we have another full day of exploring Kyoto – time to see more of the temples and shrines that the city is known for!