Hiroshima

The A-Bomb Dome.

After visiting Kyoto, we took another Shinkansen to Hiroshima.  The train ride was about 1 1/2 hours which gave us a little time left in the day to head to The Hiroshima Peace Park and Memorial Museum before it closed.  From our hotel, we took a streetcar which let us off around the A-Bomb Dome site.  The remains of the building from that tragic day, says it all.  After looking at the A-Bomb Dome, we walked along the river, which was amazing.  Along with the Cherry Blossoms in full-swing, the weather was warm, and comfortable.  This was a nice treat especially since the weather in Kyoto had been cool.

We saw the Children's Memorial, and various other monuments/memorials before heading inside the museum.  We had 1 hour to see the very large museum.  I could have spent a little more time, but am happy to have gone.  I thought the museum was done very well.  It told things from an historical point-of-view, and I didn't feel like it was biased towards the Japanese.  Overall, I felt very welcomed as an American in Hiroshima.

Itsukushima Shrine.

The next day, we decided to take a train and then a ferry ride over to Miyajima Island.   This island had so much to see.  There were deer, temples, an aquarium, boat rides, shopping, hiking, a cable car, ice cream, lodging, and one of the 3 most popular sites to see in Japan..the Itsukushima Shrine.

Again, I would have liked to explore Hiroshima for at least another day.  I've heard really good things about:  Hiroshima Castle and The Futabanosata Historical Walking Trail.

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