Hiroshima and Miyajima!

This was actually from July, but I haven't had time yet to upload my pictures. For those wondering, I've finished moving back to the US, so once I finish my last couple catch-up posts, I won't have anything new to add here.

But more on that later. Here's some pictures from Hiroshima, and I'll do my best to remember what happened last month!


Hiroshima

I took a shinkansen to Hiroshima, from Himeji, early in the morning sometime either July 6th or 7th (I truly can't remember which day). It was pretty much pouring rain the entire day! Good thing I planned an overnight trip, because there was a lot to do in the city. I walked nearly everywhere, though trams and trains were an option.

I started at the Shukkuien gardens, which were near the station; Shukkuien apparently translates to "little shrub" garden, but it should probably be renamed to the "crab" garden. There were, literally, crabs everywhere: yellow crabs, red crabs, brown crabs, rainbow crabs; it seemed every where I looked, there were crabs disappearing into their burrows amidst the tree roots.   It took some practice to juggle my camera and lenses and hold onto my umbrella at the same time, but I started getting the hang of things... eventually. I didn't wind up with any good photos of the speedy crabs, despite my best efforts. Seriously though, the only reason to go to these gardens is to admire the crabs; otherwise, while lovely, it wasn't anything special.

There was a gigantic lake in this garden, and lots of bridges crossing it. Here's two. 

Another bridge, though it was a cool one to cross. They must feed the koi from there, because any person walking along there quickly attracts a fishy fan club. 

There were lots of mosquitoes here, too. I pretty much got eaten alive by the time I finished looping the lake. Definitely bring mosquito bands if you ever visit here... 

Next up after the garden was a quick walk to Hiroshima Castle. The original castle was, sadly, destroyed during the Atomic Bombing, and they've only just recently finished the rebuilding and landscaping. You can, however, see some of the original foundations that are still remaining. Inside the rebuilt castle is a museum about its history, with some nice exhibits; and at the top you can get an awesome view of the city! Maybe because of the wet weather, or because I went on a weekday, but it was a very quiet area without too many tourists around; then again, considering how bad the mud was and the lack of draining, the locals are probably too smart to hang around there during rainy season... 

One of the foundations I came across. I'm not sure at all which building this originally was.

Since I had no idea where I was going, I wound up at the back of the castle first. Still looks good, though! 

A view of the rebuilt castle with, what I presume to be, are its original foundations in the foreground.

That's actually the front of the castle, as seen from past the (rebuilt) moat. 

No idea what temple this is, but it was in the castle-complex, and it was large and peaceful. 

 My final stop in Hiroshima was to visit the Atomic Bomb Dome. It was originally a convention hall, but after the bombing it was left as a relic to remind everyone who visits of the horrors of war. It was an incredibly imposing and depressing building in person, yet it was also oddly beautiful at the same time. Many groups of monks and priests of assorted faiths marched and chanted in the vicinity of the Dome and the Peace Memorial Park, only adding to the solemnity. The grey skies actually suited the ruins quite well.

This crow was pretty obliging about being photographed, slowly letting me get closer and closer. I have a whole series of him looking curiously at my camera, but this was probably the best one. He was right next to the Dome, and watching his antics gave me a much needed moment of levity. 

Some of you may be familiar with the story of Sasaki Sadako and the 1,000 cranes. I know I read about her in elementary school, and my class sent 1,000 origami cranes to Hiroshima (I made most of them in the end, which is why I remember it so clearly). There were so many cranes by her statue, sent from people all over the world!

I stayed in a hotel on the Seto Inlet Sea, near the port, since my goal was to visit Miyajima Island the next day. There was a small beach outside the hotel, and it was a very quiet area. 

Miyajima

I went to Miyajima Island the following morning, leaving on the earliest boat I could catch (around 9:00). It was an icky, foggy morning, but it didn't rain, so that was progress as far as I was concerned.

 My goal was to arrive in the morning, and leave in the mid afternoon, so that I could experience the famous gate at both high and low tide. My original plan was to climb the mountain on the island and see the view, but the cable car was under renovation, and I wasn't feeling like lugging my backpack (yes, I backpacked for the entire trip) for a 4-5 hour round trip, so I wound up spending the afternoon at the small aquarium on the island. Best idea ever. Super cute little aquarium, if you have nothing else to do! 

Anyways, here are the photos of Miyajima! 

I passed a few islands during the boat ride to Miyajima. No idea which ones these are, but look at that fog! 

Passed this small stone lantern, it was very surreal with the low visibility. 

The famous gate, whose name now escapes me (and which I am too lazy to google). This photo is from (near) low tide, and it was possible to get pretty close to it. 

Just like in Nara, there were deer everywhere on Miyajima (though these guys are less friendly). Since it was summer, the bucks were growing out their antlers; this fellow's were still in the silky, velvety stage, but eventually just the bone will be showing. 

The main temple, connected with the big torii gate. A beautiful shinto temple complex! These photos are from low tide, as well. 

There was a large pagoda behind this temple complex, but I didn't get any closer to it than this. 

That moment where you luck out and get a photo of a crowded place without any tourists ruining your shot. (And the group of super-loud-probably-University-students-most-definitely-Americans who were minutes before Mulan-style climbing on those pillars behind the lion dogs were mortifying to watch. Even now, a month later, I'm still irritated by their antics. If you visit here, don't do that. Don't do that anywhere, actually.) 

After the main temple complex, I was still waffling on making the hike to the top, and wound up at the head of the trail, which went along this rather gorgeous river. I kind of regret not making that hike now but at the time, with the predicted stormy weather in the afternoon, it was a good decision. 

A tree showing the beginnings of its autumn colors at the temple by the trail head to the top of the mountain. 

Spider crab does whatever a spider crab can~. Seriously though, I finally photographed one of those crabs, and yes, it is indeed climbing a tree. 

So, after relaxing at the aquarium and taking advantage of all of its benches, the tide reached its high point, and the gate looked like it was floating. 

Many boats were going right up to the gate, in all shapes and sizes. 

The temple complex I went through earlier? It looks amazing floating in the water. 

At first I was squinting and trying to figure out what the weird white fluffy things on the roofs of this temple were, and than I got out my telescopic lens and realized they were egrets. So just imagine a lot of them, on a tiered roof, looking just a beautiful as this one was. 

I spotted a deer on the way out that was definitely regretting its decisions. 

Finally, a view of Hiroshima from the ferry back to the city. From there, I got on the trains back to Himeji, just as it started to rain. So at least I was able to enjoy Miyajima without any inclement weather! 

All in all, I'm glad I finally got to see Hiroshima and Miyajima before leaving Japan. But I'm not sure if I'd go there a second time. Still, I have no regrets, and that's what counts in the end. I have one more trip to post (soon-ish, I haven't had a chance to go through the photos yet), and then that'll be it for my Japanese adventures. For now, at any rate...