It’s been a while since Janice and her Dad were here in Japan, but I wanted to write a bit more about our travels down to Hiroshima. I posted a few photos from Miya Jima, but haven’t mentioned much about the trip at all on this blog.
I’ve already mentioned a bit about Miya Jima in previous posts, and you can see some of the photos here and here. It is listed as one of the 3 big sites to see in Japan and so far, has been one of my favourite places to go in Japan. Miya Jima itself is an Island that you must take a ferry to. I think that throughout the region’s history, the island is considered to be a very holy, or spiritual place because of its beauty. The ferry drops you off about a 10 minute walk away from the massive tori gate that the island is famous for. The gate itself sits in the water on the shore of the island and when the tide is out you can walk right up to it. We had arrived early and not only was the tide out, but there were very few people there as well. Janice’s dad walked up to the gate, put his hand on it, and by the time he walked back, the tide had started to come in, submerging the base of the gate.
The gate is built right in front of a shrine, which many tourists walk through because it is built above where the tide comes in. It is called “the floating shrine” because it looks like it is sitting right on the water.
Like Nara, there are also lots of deer walking around the island, and you can buy food to feed them.
Some of the shops are also interesting; we found one store that was full of wooden sculptures. I don’t think I took any pictures, and hence cannot share the intricacy of these figures – of which, many stood over my head, but I will say that several of them had price tags that showed them to be worth tens of thousands of dollars. What was even more odd, was that for so much exquisite work, there was nobody attending the shop as we walked through!
On the island, we also took a cable car to the top of Mt. Misen, where the eternal flame still burns (see a photo here). You’re also supposed to be able to see lots of monkeys on the mountain, but when we were there, a sign said that they were all out feeding. The best part of the mountain though is the view at its peak which is about 40 minutes away from where the cable car takes you. On they way, there are several shrines and temples to visit as well. At the summit, there is a great view of Hiroshima, the island itself, and the tori gate at the bottom near the ferry.
Miya Jima is one reason many tourists go to Hiroshima; the Peace Memorial Park is the other. Within the park, there are several memorials to see and visit, but the most symbolic/memorable for me were the A-bomb dome, the Peace Flame, and the Peace Memorial musem.The A-bomb dome is a structure that survived the bombing of Hiroshima and is now being preserved as a memorial to the event. The building itself was pretty much the only building left standing after the attack, which they say is partly due to the fact that the bomb was dropped and detonated almost directly above it. Because the force of the bomb was directed strait down on the building, its vertical walls were in the best position to withstand the initial blast – although I’m sure this wasn’t the only reason it is still standing.
The Peace Flame is a monument that was lit in 1964 and has burned continuously ever since. The flame will only be extinguished if all nuclear weapons in the world are abolished. I have also read that the flame was lit from the eternal flame that burns on top of Mt Misen. Finally, there is the Peace Memorial Museum, which serves to document the tragedy of the bombing in Hiroshima. Inside, you can see the history behind the bomb as well as several official documents discussing the legitimacy of using it. There are also replicas of the city before the bomb was dropped and afterward. The most haunting portion of the museum contains actual artifacts from the area within the blast – and even from the people who were affected by it. Among the various items that somewhat survived the blast, there were collections of hair, fingernails, and even a tongue that has been preserved from among the thousands of people who suffered seriously from radiation exposure and died in the days after the initial blast.
I think we were only in Hiroshima for a day and a half. It was a very brief visit, but I feel like we saw a lot, and Hiroshima was probably one of the more memorable places I’ve been in Japan. We also saw a castle in the city, but to be honest, I don’t remember much about it. The only other thing we had time for was to go to Okonomimura for some okonomiyaki. More on that tomorrow…
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