12th of November 2024 - Sunrise in Kobe

This is my last entry for my holiday in Japan as I fly home later today.

11th of November 2024 - Kobe

Today was another bullet train ride from Hiroshima to Himeji where there were views of the hillside complex of Himeji Castle which dates back to 1222.

Next to Himeji Castle is the Kokoen Japanese garden which consists of nine separate, walled gardens designed in various styles of the Edo Period.

We then drove to the port city of Kobe where we spent our last night in Japan in a hotel in the harbour area.

10th of November 2024 - Hiroshima to Okayama

This morning we first visited the former Industrial Promotion Hall or Genbaku Dome in Hiroshima which was the only structure left standing in the area near where the first nuclear bomb exploded in WWII on 6 August 1945.  It has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing.  The Genbaku Dome expresses the hope for world peace and the ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons.

 

From the Genbaku Dome we walked through the Peace Memorial Park to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The Peace Memorial Park was built on an open field created by the atomic bomb explosion.  As it was Remembrance Sunday in the UK we had a minute of silence and reflection.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is dedicated to documenting the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.  Many of the exhibits were harrowing but necessary to see for understanding the total devastation caused by the nuclear bombs exploded in Japan.

Our next visit was to the Japanese Shukkeien Garden whose name means 'landscape garden in miniature'.  The garden was badly damaged by the atomic bombing in 1945 however was restored and reopened in 1951.

We then visited the beautifully preserved Bikan district area of Kurashiki with former storehouses that line the canal have been converted into smart boutiques and quaint cafés.  A few of us visited the cat café near to the Bikan district area entrance.

Our day was ended with dinner on the 19th floor of our hotel in Okayama complete with jazz band entertainment.

9th of November 2024 – Bullet Train to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island

First thing in the morning we travelled to Hiroshima on the bullet train.

We then took a ferry to the very pretty Miyajima Island, to see Itsukushima Shrine.  The shrine and its torii gate are unique for being built over water, seemingly floating in the sea during high tide.  Miyajima literally means "shrine island" in Japanese.

We spent the night in Hiroshima going out for our meal to a local okonomiyaki restaurant.  Okonomiyaki is a savoury pancake cooked on a teppan or flat griddle containing meat or fish, egg and noodles.  We sat around the teppan on stools watching our Okonomiyaki being prepared; this was very entertaining.