Three nights in Kyoto passed
quickly. Back on the train I went, this time in the direction of Hiroshima.
I would come back for Osaka later. In Hiroshima, I was able to
check into my hotel a bit early. They even gave me a free beer and snack. I was only staying here for one night
so there was little time to waste. Hiroshima was the target
of the atomic bomb in 1945 which had destroyed most of the city at the time. Walking through it now in all its modernity, it's
hard to imagine the horrors from 80 years ago. The dome of what was originally the
product exhibition hall building was the only structure left standing
by the end of World War II and is now kept in a state of ruin to serve
as a somber reminder of its history. I then went to the Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum located in the same park as the dome. It took about 2 hours
to go through and was very emotional, but it's extremely important so
it's an absolute must for visitors. For dinner I went to try one
of Hiroshima's specialties. In Okonomi Village you can find three floors of stalls all serving the same thing
--- Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. It's somewhat confusing as many of them were
reservation only, or they only served locals. Eventually, I found one that served tourists. Okonomiyaki is like a thick pancake mixed with various ingredients and cooked on
a flat griddle called a teppan. It originates from Osaka but
Hiroshima boasts their own version. Here they make it in layers,
rather than mixing it all together. Being able to watch the chefs cook it in
front of you is all part of the experience. The next morning I checked out and stored my bag
in a coin locker at the Hiroshima train station. I then took the train to Miyajimaguchi
station to catch the JR ferry to Miyajima, a small island less than an
hour away from Hiroshima. An overnight stay here is recommended,
but I wasn't able to book a place, which is why I stayed in Hiroshima itself. As soon as I stepped onto
the island, I saw wild deer. At 8:00 a.m. in the morning
they were still a bit sleepy. My first stop on the island was the Itsukushima
Shrine, famous for its floating torii gate. It isn't truly floating of course, it is only
when the tide comes in that it appears to be. After this I headed for the Miyajima Ropeway.
Along the way I passed many deer roaming around. They coexist with the humans here
and aren't really afraid of you. On the ropeway it takes two separate gondola
rides to get to the top of Mount Misen. The view here is really nice, as
you can see Hiroshima and a bunch of other islands around the area.
There is also another 30-minute hike from here to get to the top observatory, but
unfortunately I didn't have time for that. I finished my half day on
Miyajima at the Omotesando Arcade, a shopping street where I tried a
bunch of local snacks for lunch. After this whirlwind tour of the Hiroshima
area, I took the train back to Osaka. Osaka is actually very close to Kyoto so
most people will visit both places together. The next morning I visited Kuromon Ichiba Market, a public market selling seafood, meat,
produce, snacks, homewares, and more. Of course, my trips are never complete
without seeing penguins if I can. The penguins at Osaka Aquarium
were adorable, but I have to say, seeing the whale sharks following
the fish around was a real treat. In the late afternoon there was a
thunderstorm so I waited it out at the hotel. When the coast was clear I stepped back out. Shinsekai was a strange mix of
retro, kitsch, and artificiality, and yet I found it quite interesting as it was a
bit different to what I had seen so far in Japan. Here I ducked into one of the
restaurants to try kushikatsu, which refers to various deep fried
skewered meat and vegetables. I returned to Dotonbori to end off the evening. It was extremely busy here and everyone
wanted a photo with the Glico man. There were also takoyaki stands everywhere.
These balls of batter containing small pieces of octopus originated right here
in Osaka so I had to have some. My jaunt in Osaka was almost over. On my last morning here, I
walked around Osaka Castle Park. The current Osaka Castle is a complete
reconstruction of the original that was built in the late 1500s by the
samurai warlord Toyoto Hideyoshi. In the spring, the park is a popular
location for cherry blossom viewing. Before I left, I wanted to
try Osaka's okonomiyaki. It differs from Hiroshima's multi-layered
creation in that almost all of the ingredients get mixed together in a batter
before it gets cooked on the griddle. This doesn't look that big but it
was actually incredibly filling. It was now time to head to my
last stop for returning to Tokyo, one that I was pretty excited about. To get to my destination,
first I had to take two trains, then transfer to a funicular, and finally a bus to get to the top of
Koyasan, or Mount Koya, a Buddhist temple town. I had made a reservation to stay
overnight in one of the temples. After checking in, the monk showed me to my room. At 400 p.m. there was a free temple tour. This particular temple I was staying
at is one of the oldest in Koyasan. Founded During the Tenchou period between 824 to
834. For dinner, a traditional Buddhist
vegetarian meal was served. In the evening, I headed outside. It was a bit chilly now as the
temperature had dropped below 10° C. The monk had recommended to me earlier to
visit the cemetery next to the temple at night. It was lit up with lanterns and very atmospheric.
However, it was still a bit eerie as I was alone, so I didn't go far before
returning back to my lodging. A key part of the experience staying at the
temple was being able to attend the monks' prayers at 6:30 in the morning,
which lasted for almost an hour. For obvious reasons I couldn't record this
but it was very interesting to observe. Then, a vegetarian Buddhist breakfast. After checking out, I took some time to
stroll through the mountain town before catching the bus and cable car down the
mountain and then the train back to Tokyo. This was an incredibly jam-packed 3-week
tour of Japan and I'm pretty sure I've only just scratched the surface, so
I can't wait to come back for more. Thanks for joining me on this adventure
and I'll see you on the next one!