I just got back from the most amazing field trip of my life! It was an extremely educational and fun packed five days of intense travel to the southernmost parts of Honshu, the main island of Japan! Let me start...
We traveled from the Shin-Yokohama station via the 新幹線 (Shinkansen) or Bullet Train. I was fascinated. It was the most amazing and luxurious train I have ever been on. Trains in the U.S definitely do not compare. I was so fascinated I took probably a quarter of all pictures from my trip of the train itself. Here's a choppy video of a view out of the window.
We arrived at the Hiroshima Station later on in the day, and after taking taxis to our hotel, which was more of a hostel run by the city of Hiroshima, we walked as a group to the peace museum. The museum was just minutes away from the hypo-center of the Atomic bomb that was dropped on Japan. Throughout the next day and a half we talked to
被爆者 (Hibakusha), or bomb survivors, walked around the Peace Park and surrounding area and learned much about the A-bomb and its consequences .
There is much that can be said about this tragedy, and I don't feel that I could ever be able to express correctly the message that those most affected by the bomb could. I will just say that the city and people of Hiroshima are doing the best job they can at conveying a message of peace and a nuclear weapons free world. They helped me to further understand that the past can be studied and understood to create a better future, not to perpetuate feelings of guilt or anger.
A-Bomb Dome
On the third day we were up early in the morning and on our way to the absolutely stunning Miyajima Island, where the just as stunning Itsukushima Shrine is located, all within the 瀬戸内海国立公園 (setonaikai kokuritsu kouen) or Seto Inland Sea National Park. The island is known of as one of Japan's three most beautiful spots, and really is just that, beautiful. We toured the small island town after arriving by ferry, and I ate a delicious oyster udon noodle lunch. The area is know for its fresh and delicious oysters. Afterwords we trekked through the Itsukushima Shrine and then to the rope way station to take a rope way car up to the peak of Mt. Misen.
Itsukushima Shrine Torii, Miyajima Island
Once at the rope way station near the peak, which was full of wildlife, mainly dear and monkeys, we hiked to the highest point, where there was an observation deck. At the rope car station, besides monkeys there was a group of Japanese students also from the Tokyo area. They were fascinated with our group. They were specifically interested in Myrna and myself. They were very nice, they followed us around a bit, and kept asking to take pictures of us in various locations (with their own cameras, not our own...). We then hiked down the mountain which took about two hours. We played some silly games on the way down, and ran into more deer. We grabbed some deep fried cake in the town and then hopped back on the Ferry to our hostel in Hiroshima.
Me on the peak of Mt. Misen, Miyajima Island
Monkeys near the rope way stationThe two nights when we where in Hiroshima were quite fun. The first night was a Karaoke night, and the second night was us searching for a club, but ending up in the red light district. I wont say much more about that! In addition, I had been having bad traveler's disease, and got locked in a toy store while using their restroom. They must have forgot I was using their restroom and they shut the store down.
The fourth day of your trip was spent touring the island of Etajima where the Japanese Imperial Navy had first founded their academy, a Japanese version of the U.S. Annapolis, which now belongs to the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. The most interesting part of this tour was our walk through a Japanese Naval History Museum. There were many paintings of Japanese ships and people, many more artifacts from Japanese naval history, and even more relics from a past that many Japanese people try their best to forget. These relics include letters from Kamikazi pilots, and the like. I thought the museum was very interesting, and represented history well and in an unbiased manner. It told it like it happened, and while honoring those who died for a cause they truly believed in, it did not glorify them in an un-tasteful manner. However, the museum allowed no pictures, not even without flash, a testament to how Japanese people wish to move on, and avoid the proliferation of militarism in any way shape or form.
Imperial Japanese Navy Flag from WWII
The next half of the day was spent touring by bus, the city of Kure. Kure was an old fishing village, but by the industrial revolution had become one of Japan's military bastions. Kure is where The Imperial navy had its ships built, and where the Self Defense Force (as well as the U.S) continues to operate. We toured another naval museum, this time a museum of the modern day Self Defense Force, and other historical spots. One spot was the shipyard where the battle ship Yamato was built. 大和のふるさと (Yamato No Furusato) or the hometown of the Battle ship Yamato, was as inconspicuous as any other city with a shipyard our tour guide explained. Due to this fact however Kure was the fifth heaviest bombed city during WWII. The next and final historical spot that we toured was a cave dug into the wall to house factories, and later to act as a bomb shelter from relentless bombing. the cave was dug into the side of a beautiful bay side road, and looked just as inconspicuous as the shipyard. Once entering the tour guide told us the true horrors of the cave. Young female school children (Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans about 13 to 20 if I recall correctly) were forced into labor in the horrible conditions of the cave. From there we returned to Hiroshima station, and hopped on the Bullet Train to Kyoto. I should mention that it poured relentlessly all day long.
Inside Japanese Submarine Once Used for mine sweeping
Kure City, View from Entrance to Abandoned Ammunitions Cave
Kyoto was amazing due to its rich history and culture. Kyoto is definitely an ancient city, with its assortment of 1000 year old temples, shrines, and palaces. I got a good sampling of these sites. The first day was spent touring the Arashiyama area in a small group with four UC students, and four Ritsumeikan students. We walked around to two different temples, one being the Tenryu-ji, a UNESCO world heritage site. In addition we walked through a bamboo forest, and ate at a restaurant where I had Mochi Udon, very chewy.
Our UC/Ritsumeikan Group in Arashiyama
That night we went through the Gion in a large group searching for Geisha. We didn't find any Geisha, but instead had a blast enjoying each other's company. We took lots of photos of each other, ate at a very traditional Japanese restaurant where I had a a dish called konoha-buri, a bowl of rice with vegetables and a raw egg. We also stumbled upon the Yasaka Shrine, a very old shrine that the Gion was built around. The night was finished by buying fruit at a market, where I bought two apples for close to 5 dollars, they were absolutely the best apples I have ever eaten.
Yasaka Shrine in Gion
The next and final day of our trip was spent at the Fushigi Inari Shrine. A beautiful and famous shrine known for its tunnels of Torrii gates. The shrine honors Kitsune, or the Fox who is thought to be a messenger between the gods and us. The shrine was very active, there were shinto priests doing rituals, and many people touring the grounds. I prayed at the temple, which is weird considering I am a nonreligious and non-spiritual person. Perhaps it is just that the ascetic quality of temples in relation with their historical context produce a sense of interconnectedness with humans, and nature who, if their is a god, is the one and only.
Fushimi Inari Shrine Torii Gate Tunnels
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