Hiroshima and Miyajima (or, April can't think of a more creative title)

Hello all,

On Sunday we had a very jam-packed day with a two hour bullet train ride to the Hiroshima / Miyajima area.  Because of train schedules and such, we had about an hour and a half at Hiroshima and 45 minutes on Miyajima, but my opinion is that it is better to have gone to the places if only for a little bit than not at all. Many on the trip disagree.

After Sunday, we has officially used 10 different forms of public transportation. This is one of the things that is awesome about Japan and lame about America. There is no way you can get around America at a reasonable cost using only public transportation--our country is very much designed around the use of cars. I support the use of p.t., but it is very unpractical in America, unless you feel like walking 2 miles in the dark from the bus stop nearest to your house.

Anyway, so far, we have used: airplane, bus, train, bullet train, large van thing, subway, ferry, foot, streetcar, and taxi.

I really want to add rickshaw to that list, but they are, like, $25 for 20 minutes.  Maybe worth it?

The first thing we did today was take a bullet train to Hiroshima. I had low expectations going in to Hiroshima, because Paul Reasoner told us that there wasn't much there. Which...makes sense. There is one building that survived the blast that is near a Peace Park and museum. The Peace Park has two statues and is very barren in the winter time. (I have to keep reminding myself when we go places that they are probably so much more beautiful when everything is in bloom. I'm glad I did this trip now, but I would love to see the cherry blossoms someday).

The museum is based around personal stories, mainly, and when you have only an hour to get through it, it is hard to focus on one story at a time. There are burnt clothing, melted bottles, fused together rice bowls, and ashen lunch pails.  Basically, a lot of destroyed everyday objects. A little boy's baseball glove. Another common theme is the idea of no nuclear objects in the world. There are petitions and the like at the end of the museum.

We then took a ferry to Miyajima--one of the top three most scenic places in Japan (here, I again had to remind myself that it was winter). The ferry ride took about 10 minutes; the island was misty through the snowy skies. There were mountains and little inns all along the coast that reminded me vaguely of Mackinaw Island. As we drew closer, the famous fiery gate shown like a beacon through the haze. 45 minutes was barely enough time to run to the temple, snap some pictures, and jump on the next ferry back.

April