Staying in the country about 8 km from the city of Hiroshima, is an adventure. We are loving the peace, beauty and quiet of where we are. The bonus is that our host, Kengo, is a lovely man who has a natural and generous way of offering hospitality. It feels like we have known him longer than just a few days…he is a natural at welcoming strangers to his home. Always available and close by, but very sensitive to giving visitors their space.
This is the third suite at our Ryokan. All have natural tatami mat floors and traditional futon bedding.
The three suites all face out to the yard with a great view of the mountains as well as the sound of the river below. Our room is the middle one by the picnic table.
We are in the middle of a neighbourhood where the houses are situated on different levels due to being in the midst of the hills. One thing is for sure…to get to your house there will be a steep drop from the road.
We really enjoyed meeting this couple from New Zealand, Doug and Christiane. The four of us have been staying at the Ryokan for both nights, sharing the kitchen with lots of good conversation and laughter. Our host Kengo is on the right. Arigato gozaimasu for a memorable stay.
Hallowe’en in Japan is a colourful time with lots of decorations. We saw lots of kids dressed in costumes walking with their families. But we didn’t see any trick or treating like at home… a low key affair
There are many rivers in the centre of town. This is the Enkobashi Bridge spanning the Enko River. In 1926 it was rebuilt with statues of eagles in flight atop globes and engravings of monkeys on the handrails.
Spanning the bridge are these charming monkeys grasping a heart. This bridge is 1820 metres from the hypo centre of the atomic bomb and it survived the blast. It served as an evacuation route.
On our last cycling trip to Japan, we visited Nagasaki, and visited the Peace Park and Memorial Museum. It was a raw and moving experience. We were in Hiroshima almost 40 years ago and we visited the Peace Memorial Park and Museum. Memories of that visit have been etched in our minds for years.
The Children’s Peace Memorial is a statue dedicated to the memory of the children who died as a result of the bombing. The statue is of a girl with outstretched arms holding a folded paper crane. The statue is based on the true story of Sadako Sadaki, a young girl who died from radiation from the bomb. She is known for folding 1000 paper origami cranes.
The Peace Flame has burned continuously since it was lit in 1964. It will remain lit until all nuclear weapons on the planet are destroyed and the planet is free from the threat of nuclear annihilation.
We visited the Hiroshima Peace Museum.It was a sobering, heartbreaking experience. The explosion from the bomb obliterated everything within 10 square kilometres, killing around 80,000 people. Radiation poisoning sickened others resulting in an estimated final death toll of 192,000 people.
When walking through the Museum, you get a sense of the gruesomeness, horror and despair experienced that day by the people of Hiroshima. Today, the museum was packed with Japanese high school students, families and visitors. As a result, movement through the museum was painstakingly slow. This made this an extraordinary experience sharing this with strangers. No impatience, no shoving, just a collective sense of sorrow.
This tricycle belonged to 3 year old Shin who along with his older playmate, died in the blast. In 1985, Shin’s father donated the tricycle to the museum. The father said, “this should never happen to children. The world should be a peaceful place where children can play and laugh.”
The following photos tell the heartbreaking but inspiring story of Sadako. As a teacher of young children, I would read the book of her story called Sadako and 1000 cranes.
The Children’s Peace Memorial with a figure of Sadako at the top of the statue, holding up a paper crane over her head. The glass cases in the background, contain paper cranes made by children from around the world.
Every year, survivors of the atomic bombing or bereaved family members donate to the Peace Memorial Museum, materials related to the bombing. These items bring to life people and neighbourhoods who existed at the time of the bombing.
At the time, some people wanted this building torn down as its bombed appearance was too painful a reminder. Ultimately, it was decided that it should remain. It has become an iconic image representing a stark reminder of the damage done that day.
As we were riding back from the Peace Park we could hear the sound of drums. We followed the sounds and came across a wonderful performance. Kagura which literally means, entertainment of the gods” is a Shinto dance. Hiroshima is known as one of Japan’s leading Kagura locations. Nearly 300 Kagura groups are active in the prefecture.
