Last week I went on a short holiday. I had wanted to go away for a while - I felt I needed space and time to really be on my own. Time to think and not be somewhere usual.
I suppose I am definitely starting to want my own space back, my "actual life". Normal after having been away for some time.
I was not sure if I had wanted to visit Hiroshima - look at a city destroyed which has built itself back, for what?
However, I had heard reports that it was a beautiful place to see and was not all about the destruction by atomic bomb at the end of the 2nd world war.
I was not disappointed - for some reason the city is beautiful and had a peaceful, strong vibe, kind of friendly and homely feeling.
Most of it was destroyed in 1945, except from this:
Called the A-Bomb dome, it has become a symbol of the strength of the people of the city.
Visiting the museum in the Peace Park was not all about the suffering. The angle taken was really about the complete lack of necessity of atomic warfare, and the want for a more peaceful world free from conflict. It did document the reasons why Hiroshima was chosen to be bombed, in letters from the American government. It was odd reading those, as if the city did not have people, with lives but was just a place, a name, a target. You are reminded of the horrors of modern warfare: push a button, destroy the world.
Peace Park
In the evening I saw the castle - tramping about in the dark (they don´t seem to light up stuff at night here, not sure if it is to save money or what) as I didn´t get the chance to see it in daylight. You just wouldn´t do that in Britain, but here it is perfectly safe to wander about in the dark on your own, odd feeling.
The next day I went to Miyajima. This is a small island in Hiroshima bay, just a 30 min train ride from the central train station and a 10 min ferry to arrive. It is a sacred island and I read somewhere it is one of the 3 most beautiful places in Japan. Its most iconic image is of the Torii gates (entrance gates) which look like they are floating.
You see the gates as you approach the ferry terminal on arrival. It is clearly quite a touristic venue in the on-peak season. However, due to the fact that it is December, it was really quiet and not so many people around - which was great, for the first time in a long time I felt I had space to breath and time alone.
It has a small mountain which has some shrines on the way up. You can take a cable car but I decided to climb up it. It was quite a climb to the top but well worth it.
On the way up I hardly saw anybody. There were some naughty deer at the top, and this is the view from the viewpoint:
It was possible to walk down the other side through a park, which I did, after a picnic in the sun.
Itsukushima Shrine is the main shrine on the island, here is inside:
Here are the monks cleaning the shrine:
On the island there is also a pagoda:
So refreshing to have the time to walk up a mountain in such beautiful surroundings.
Left Hiroshima early the next morning for my next destination.
Manhole cover.
No comments:
Post a Comment