Day 4

Today we traveled by local and then 'Bullet Train' to Hiroshima. This took most of the morning and after dropping our overnight bags in some lockers at the station we headed by tram to the Peace Park in Hiroshima.

This is the site of the 'A' Bomb explosion which heralded the start of the end of the war for Japan. The park is dedicated to the 140,000 people killed on the day and the thousands of others that died later from radiation illnesses. It promotes peace and the destruction of all nuclear weapons.

It is set between two rivers and is a lovely green open space. It has numerous statues and a museum. At its centre is an eternal flame – which will only be extinguished when the last nuclear weapon is no more. Beside this is a moving Hall of Remembrance. It has 360 degree panorama picture of the city around the walls made of 140,000 tiles, matching the number that died. It also has a photographic record of some of those that died and later some visual and first hand testimonies from survivors of the blast. Many of which make you visualize the horror of what these people went through on that fateful day.

It is a place that is an integral part of the psyche of the Japanese and this continues today with school children of all ages coming to visit on school trips. There were hundreds there and we were stopped on a few occasions for them to practice their English, which was excellent, by them asking us a series of questions. At the end of which we were presented with a folded paper 'peace crane'.

It was a moving, poignant and though provoking few hours, but at the same time peaceful.

We left the park, returned by tram to collect our luggage and then went by a busy local train to Miyajima Guchi where we caught a ferry for the short hop to Miyajima Island where we strolled amongst the local deer to our ryokan. (Traditional Japanese style hotel)

Shoes were left at the entrance as all the floors are tatami mats. We had just enough time to get a very quick shower before changing into our traditional Japanese attire – our yukata.

We then had a wonderful Japanese meal consisting of:

Mae Zakana: Hors d'oeuvre: Salmon with egg roll, roasted shrimp, edamame bean, persimmon dressed with sesame, a boiled chestnut with astringent coat, fig - propagule with fish paste, tofu with egg plant, yam paste with Japanese ginger.

Mukohzuke: Sashimi: Tuna, squid, Japanese horse radish (wasabi), Bakudaikai -Chinese nut.

Onmono: (a pot to cook on the table in boiling water), to which you add the following:

Sea Bream, Crab, clam shell, octopus, conger eel, king trumpet mushroom, tofu, carrot, mustard spinach, udon noodle.

Yakimono: (Grilled dish) – abalone, grilled on a portable personal stove.

Nimono: (Steamed dish) Minced chicken dumpling.

Agemono: (Fried fish) – tempura of deep fried Sand Borer

Suimono: (Clear soup) – Pike, eel, Matutake, plum

Gohan: (Rice) – Rice with seasoned small fish and Hijiki seaweed

Kohnomono: (Pickles) – pickled vegetables – Hiroshima-Na, Japanese radish, cucumber

Mizumono: (desert) Grape and pear.

To say the least it was a daunting prospect, especially for a non fish lover, but it proved to be an exquisite dining experience and one that will live with me for a long time.

We just had time for a stroll down to the sea shore, in our yukata, to see the Tori Gate, which this island is famous, lit up and 'floating' in the water, before returning to our ryokan where Clare took to the onsen for a hot soak. Then it was time to retire to our beds that had been laid out whilst we were at dinner. Quite an eventful day and one to remember.