Hiroshima and Miyajima

Since we didn't go anywhere in Hiroshima yesterday, we had to make up for lost time especially since Kei wanted to be back in Tokyo by 6pm.

Wearing our matching Crocs, we headed over to the Peace Memorial Park which was quite easy to find and everything I wanted to see was located there: A-Bomb Dome, Cenotaph containing all the names of the atomic bomb victims, Children's Peace Monument, Eternal Flame of Peace, and a whole bunch of other stuff. It was quite fitting to be there at a time when I just left South Korea and all the talk there was about NorthKorea's failed missile launch.

We didn't wait for the museum to open since I really didn't want to go there and read all about the horrible things that happened when the first atomic bomb exploded. To this day, the images and text that I read regarding the Pol Pot Regime in Cambodia are still quite vivid in my mind two years after I visited.

At 8:15am, the clock at the park started ringing; my guess is that this happens everyday to signify the time when the atomic bomb exploded. Shortly thereafter, a man came to unlock the Peace Bell which allowed me to ring it once.

Heading back to the hotel, we dropped by the city center again so that I could buy a Hiroshima Starbucks mug. It's really amazing how this city has bounced back from all its past sufferings. And as I kept telling Kei yesterday, I actually like this city because it's more civilized than Tokyo and people here look happy.

After checking out of the hotel, it was another round of hauling all our stuff on the train. Luckily, we found available medium-sized coin lockers at the JR Miyajima Station and we managed to fit my luggage into one of them with some tweaking. After riding the ferry to Miyajima Island, it was all gluttony from there. We each ate a stick of squid pieces right when we got there (think inihaw na pusit with teriyaki sauce). While I happily ate mine in peace, Kei kept being followed by one of the free-roaming deers. Maybe because Kei was short so the deer could easily see and smell what she's holding? HaHa!

Further down the road, we found a stall selling fried sticky rice topped with an oyster (oysters are a specialty in Miyajima) and each bought one for $5. I swear, this country is too darn expensive. Finally, we saw the infamous "floating" torii gate. We passed by Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, forgetting that it's a World Heritage Site, and headed over to catch the Miyajima Ropeway to go to Mt. Misen.

Okay, so I thought that the ropeway would drop us off at the observatory part of Mt. Misen. Afterall, we had to ride two cable cars to get there. But guess what? It was still an uphill hike to get to the summit! What the?! I had no idea. I swear, I haven't been doing anything, but go up steep mountains on this trip!

After what seemed like an hour of blood, sweat, and tears, we finally got to the summit, some 535m above sea level. The view was awesome! We could also see the cable car station from there and couldn't believe how far we walked. After seeing more gray clouds roll in and hearing thunder, Kei and I headed back to where we came from. Soon after we arrived at the cable car station, there was an announcement that weather conditions may delay the cable car rides. Sure enough, we had to wait a few minutes before ours departed and the ones going towards Mt. Misen had no passengers in them. The rain poured while we were riding down the mountain and we were quite thankful that we left before we got soaked and muddy. Too bad for those folks we passed by on the trail heading the other way.

Famished, we ate a chicken and egg donburi at the nearest restaurant we saw. When we walked back to the torii gate, we saw that it was low tide and it wasn't "floating" anymore. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go up to it. I bought a few momiji-manjus (steamed bean-paste buns shaped like a maple leaf) to take with us on the train. You'll never be hungry when you're traveling with me. ;P

To catch a shinkansen, we had to go back to Hiroshima where we arrived half an hour early for the one bound for Shin-Osaka. We had enough time to have some green tea lattes, our last drink together.

At Shin-Osaka station, it was time to bid farewell. I had to catch the train bound for Osaka while Kei had to catch the one for Tokyo. It was quite nice to have a 24/7 travel buddy with me for four days, but at the same time, I was looking forward to going around alone despite being a bit scared of the language barrier.

I got to Osaka Station fine (it only took like five minutes) and found the Tourist Information Center which gave me directions to get to my hotel, HotelKinki. Yes, you read that right. It's actually a love hotel, but budget-conscious travelers have been using them. Since they just finished renovating the whole hotel, my Japanese room was brand-spanking new. Score!

For dinner, I didn't want to walk far so I just went to the KFC across the street. $7 for two pieces of chicken and a biscuit. Yes, $7! With no drink! Crazy, crazy country, I tell you. On my way back to the hotel, I saw the many nudiebars surrounding my hotel. How appropriate for Easter Sunday. ;P