In the morning we boarded a JR Shinkansen bullet train to Hiroshima and were off after picking up a quick breakfast from the convenience store. Convenience stores here are so nice and sell such good food but also everything else as well. You can purchase sushi, alcohol, snacks, and even mochi from the convenience store. Convenience stores sure hit different here. I picked up some sushi and mochi for the train ride. We were making use of our very expensive JR rail passes we paid $335 for today as we had a 2 hour bullet train ride and would be taking another train and JR ferry to the island of Itusukushima.
Hiroshima is most known for being the site of the atomic bombing in 1945 but it also has a lot of beauty besides the history. We visited the Shukkeien Garden first. The name translates literally to “shrink-scenary garden” and goes with the idea of collecting and miniaturizing scenic views. It was originally constructed in 1620 but destroyed by the atomic bombing in 1945. There is only one sole Ginko tree that survived the bombing and is very slanted. The seeds of the Ginko to this day are collected and shipped around the world as a symbol of fertility since despite the bombing, it survived. The garden is centered around a beautiful green pond called Takuei Pond with 12 different bridges offering crossings to reach the other side. A lot of the bridges were built to resemble animals and their symbolism. The main bridge in the middle of the pond was built in the shape of a turtle. The garden was framed with all sorts of scenery from mountains and high rises in the background reflecting onto the pond water. The garden was very peaceful and serene. It was a good break from the bustle and noise of the big city. It was also stunning the way the lights fell on the water and lit up the garden. We took our time taking in all of the beauty that surrounded us basking in the warmth of the sunlight. The garden had been built by the emperor so it contained all things the emperor loved such as a bamboo garden and herb garden. There was even a shrine that had been recreated after the Atomic bombing.
As a part of the garden there was also a small museum housing art from European and Japanese tradition. Much of the art was contemporary and primarily acrylic on canvas. I really liked the traditional Japanese scroll art.
A few blocks from the garden was the Hiroshima castle. Hiroshima Castle was a 5-story pagoda watchtower. The original castle was built in the 1590s but was rebuilt due to the bombing. All castles needed to be protected from intruders and this castle was protected on all sides by the natural terrain and moat built around it. The castle sits on top of a hill and is surrounded by water making it difficult for people to attack it. The castle was built in the traditional Japanese style and was very pretty on the outside. Inside the castle, there was a museum about the castle throughout the ages and various samurai that had lived there. They showed the uniform various kings wore and the fancy swords. There was one station to hold the samurai sword just to feel the weight of the sword and hilt. I picked it up first with one hand at first wondering how they were able to not only hold but fight with such a heavy weapon in one hand. At the top of the castle there is a watch tower with 360 degree views of the entire city. It was such a good view of the city below!
It was about 3 pm by the time we finished with the castle and garden and both Suyi and I agreed if we wanted to make it before it gets dark to the floating shrine we would need to leave now. To get to the famous floating Torii, we had to board the JR train to Miyajimaguchi which was about 30 minutes away. There, we were starving and sat down to eat. The restaurant we found ourselves at served only one thing - grilled teriyaki eel rice bowls. There were several large pieces of grilled eel over a bed of sticky rice. With it came a bowl of hot miso soup which was much needed after being outside in the cold for so long. The server had also brought a Japanese green pepper with her. I tried it first, decided I liked it, and put more and more over my rice as it gave it a good flavor. As I kept eating I noticed my tongue going numb. The pepper was made from a pepper similar to the Szechuan pepper that has a similar effect. The Japanese pepper wasn't as bad as Szechuan peppers but it was enough to make me pause at times so I could feel my tongue again. I enjoyed the eel bowl from Anagomeshi Ueno but found the rice too dry and very expensive. It was our most expensive meal in Japan!
From the lunch spot, it was a short walk to the ferry terminal which took us to the famous Itsukushima Shrine. The Itsukushima Shrine is a floating red torii gate in the water that is one of the most photographed spots in all of Japan due to the location and way the sun falls on the gate at sunset and sunrise. It has been a holy Shinto site for centuries and faces the island's highest peak of Mt. Misen. The island is a nice contrast to the city life and offers picturesque views of the lush mountains and ocean waves. At high tide, the Torii gate floats in the water giving an appearance that it is deep in the water. However, it is actually placed in a very shallow area and during low tide you can walk up to the gate. It was high tide when we arrived and it was almost dark by the time when we arrived. We almost got caught up in all the shops in the little village but I told Suyi we had to get to the gate before the sunset. The sun was setting just as we got there. Sadly, it was quite cloudy so we did not get any golden or orange sunset but we did catch some nice lighting. The island is also known for its wild deer that are pretty aggressive. I had seen a group feed a deer and the deer managed to grab their whole sandwich bag and coffee. I somehow managed to capture a wild deer right in front of the torii gate. It was perfect timing. No Preetis were harmed in the capturing of the photo.
There was a Shinto pagoda right nearby and I really wanted to visit it but I had also seen so many cute shops closing and it was not even 6 pm! It was also freezing cold so we decided against the pagoda and just wandered the street shops instead. Japan has the cutest souvenir shops! I have never done this much shopping in any other country. Even the cutest and smallest bear in the window is enough to draw me into a store. Plus since it was Christmas I was also buying tons of gifts for others (and myself let's be real). I picked up cute socks with the torii gate and pandas and some other cute cat figures for Greg who would probably lose his mind over how much cat stuff there is here. They also had another Rilakkuma store where I could not stop fangirling over the little brown and white bears!
And just like that it was dark outside. The days are too short and we never have enough time for everything. I had really wanted to go to the atomic bomb dome and the peace memorial museum since we came all the way to Hiroshima but by the time we boarded the boat everything was closed. So many things to do and so little time! So with that we boarded a train back to Osaka for the night.
I think I was ready to scream when Suyi suggested ANOTHER anime store. I think by now we have been to about every anime store so far. So I let him go shopping on his own while I went shopping for Japanese snacks to take back. By the time he was done it was nearly 10pm and I was hangry. We ended up at a ramen place called Ippudo Umeda which had spicy ramen. I had to send my order back once because they put meat in it but other than that it was okay. It was nice and spicy but nothing has been as good as that sake lees ramen I had in the Sake District in Kyoto.
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