Atomic Bomb Museum

The next day we went to the Atomic Bomb Museum which was being renovated to meet earthquake codes. The museum was very well curated and provided a very balanced and fact based set of exhibits. The facts themselves along with the stories of survivors and victims along side made a powerful narrative which was humbling. After leaving the museum we went back to the peace park to sit by the river and collect ourselves and have a think about what we saw. On the way to see other parts of Hiroshima we stopped at one more monument which caught our attention because of the colourful paper cranes hanging from it.

Hiroshima portraits

Just a couple of portraits in the morning in our hotel in Hiroshima.

Hiroshima Bomb Dome and Peace Park

We walked through the peace park to a bell where we caught up with MV's little friend. We sat and had a seat on the banks and took in the atmosphere. Eventually we went and had a closer look at the Bomb Dome. On the way there we got stopped by some local students who asked us for an interview where they asked us a couple of questions to practice their English. We then caught the tram back towards our hotel and stopped in for dinner at a local okonomiyaki restaurant. The teppanyaki style restaurant served up some amazing food and a show to boot.

Introduction to Hiroshima

In the late afternoon we took a walk to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. At first we walked around the park and the outside of the museum. The girls were subdued but happy as they could feel the solemnity of the place. We then went into the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. After pretending to be an olive tree and being a little bit silly, we went inside. The memorial hall was such a moving place that the exuberance stopped immediately and turned into respect. SV was instantly interested on a deeply emotional and intelligent level. She was very interested in the stories which were told in a very good way. Even MV was moved and was quiet for a while.

Heading to Hiroshima

In the morning we were excited to head to Tokyo Station and hop on our first Shinkansen N700 train. Despite quite a chilly morning we were excited for our trip. It is interesting how quickly a person gets used to the high speed though. For SV and MV it was exciting for about 10 minutes and then the lure of the tablet proved too much. They did stop and have a look around a bit later though and were sufficiently impressed. We have fun bento boxes on the train too, which is a tradition on the Shinkansen. Once we reached Hiroshima we still had to catch a light rail to our hotel, but not before a small snack. The girls made a friend on the light rail which proved to be fortuitous.

Wandering around Harajuku

After a little break we headed out again, this time to Harajuku. Harajuku is famous for little lanes full of shops that sell dress up costumes and accessories. Often there are lots of people that dress up in fun outfits and wander the streets of Harajuku or stop at one of the many cafes and restaurants. We had fun walking through the lane ways and both SV and MV bought lip gloss and applied it almost straight away. Then they both embraced the funkiness and tried on all sorts of stuff. When in costume they also showed off some of their sweet moves. It was a fun night and a good way to wrap up Tokyo for now.

Shibuya and more

In the morning we looked and talked about our previous day over breaky. We then got ready to head out to see the famous Shibuya crossing. Once we got there, it was a bit rainy but we still managed to find a good spot in a cafe. There were heaps of people crossing and it was fun to watch them walking around like ants. Pretty soon we joined them as we scuried around the back streets. Eventually we stumbled on to a little restaurant where the menu was a display case of plastic foods outside, and then we had to use a vending style machine to order the right numbered dish. The chef then called out the number as the meals were finished. We had japanese curry, soba noodle soup and a light ramen. Just before we left a film crew set up shop and started filming, so don't be surprised if you see a Japanese commercial or show and we are in it, ha ha.