Weekend trip to Hiroshima, picking up after a 12+ hours bus ride!
I started with Hiroshima Castle. I almost didn’t go, because I knew for a fact I would visit many other castles, and this one was a reconstruction, but what the hey? I like castles.
Did someone say castle?!
Japanese castles don’t have murder holes (depressing, I know) but they do have these nifty (and probably drafty!) windows so that you can throw things at enemies who happen to be climbing the walls.
The best part by far was dress up time. They had a section set up for kids and adults…but I’ll admit, it was pretty much just my new buddies and me!
Because sometimes, you just have to get your daimyo (Japanese feudal lord) on.
The castle even had a koi-filled moat! The local merchants will sell a full cup of fish food for a dollar, and I think the koi decided that eating is more exciting than swimming. It was neat… until I realized that the koi were so overfed they would probably eat me, too, if I fell in.
On to people food!
In case anyone was concerned that I didn’t get my yearly dosage of cabbage, this is Hiroshima’s signature okonomiyaki. It’s cabbage, soba, green onions, egg, more cabbage, and some other stuff. They serve it to you on the stove-top, and you eat directly off of your own personal spatula. (Disclaimer: I had no idea what I was ordering. The cabbage was 100% accidental.)
Afterwards, I went to Hiroshima Peace Park, located at ground zero. This is the A-bomb dome. It’s the last building standing, and it was the only building standing at the epicentre of the bombing. Recently(ish) it has been undergoing preservation efforts (largely against earthquakes) as a reminder.
The park is arranged linearly, so that when survivors (or anyone else) prays at the altar, they look through the peace flame and onto the A-bomb dome, in order to link the prayer with something physical.
I also went to the peace museum. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to say they held nothing back. It was graphic (with good reason), but I appreciate the message.
However, that derailed me for the rest of the day, so I wandered aimlessly for a bit, and then caught the sunset ferry to Matsuyama.
I could seriously get used to this ‘no shoes, service’ lifestyle. The boat had a nap area, a reading lounge, and wind-shelters on the top deck.
Matsuyama is known for having Japan’s oldest onsen, Dogo onsen. It was the inspiration for the onsen in Spirited Away.
I got up at the crack of down to view it in all its glory. Alas, the Pre-Olympic Restoration Efforts (akin to hurriedly cleaning before your guests arrive) are in full swing. Only the first floor of the onsen was open, but it was still cool to visit.
After breakfast, I went for a walk through the local bamboo forest, and I have to say, Matsuyama seems to be a very strange place. The forest was creepy in a way that normal forests aren’t (even ones with the eerie noises made by enormous stalks of bamboo clacking against each other in the wind). There were several abandoned wooden structures, weird statues, and rocks with faces carved into them. Which wouldn’t have been as strange if they had been tended, or were clearly tied together.
The path routed me through a cemetery and into a small(?) Buddhist(?) temple by the side of the road.
I don’t think I understand nearly enough about Buddhism. But I kind of like the mystery.
The trail continued beyond this outcropping, leading into a tunnel lined with statuettes. Lots of tiny figures wearing knit outfits, poor lighting, and the sense that if you knocked one over, you may or may not be cursed for life.
I knew I was almost through when I caught the whiff of incense! It turns out this was the back entrance to the temple, which evolved from several different interpretations of what a Buddhist temple should look like. It’s part of a pilgrimage route through the region (#51 out of 88 temples!)
Buddhists make the Greeks look bad when it comes to statue quantity. Granted, Greek statues are a lot more transparent. Buddhist statues are mostly confusing.
Why are there so many?! What are they?
Why is fat Buddha all by himself?
Where did this guy even come from? I popped out on top of the hill, and all of a sudden there he is!
Back to this guy (who might be a Buddha? Adding him to the collection, anyway.)
But at last, I found one Buddha I could understand. This guy and I were totally on the same page. It was a long day!
myTia 