Japan Trip - first ever solo trip [Part 2]

After the morning trip to Miyajima island, I went back to Hiroshima station for the second part of my itinerary of that day.

To travel within the Hiroshima city, it is recommended to use the Sightseeing bus - Maple Loop bus there. This bus cover almost all the famous tourist spot in Hiroshima city like Hiroshima castle, Peace Memorial Park and so on. The ride only cost ¥200 per trip or ¥400 for one-day ticket with unlimited rides. It's even better if purchased the JR pass, because it's completely free to use the bus! 😆For more information about the loop route and timetable can checkout this site: http://www.chugoku-jrbus.co.jp.e.aec.hp.transer.com/teikan/meipurupu/

From Hiroshima station I took the orange route to the Hiroshima prefectural Art Museum stop and visit the Shukkeien Garden (縮景園). It was quite a big garden with a pond in the middle. The garden displays many features of the traditional aesthetics of Japanese gardens.

¥260 for the entrance fee

Next I went to the Hiroshima castle (広島城) which is just a walking distance from the garden. It is free to walk around the castle, but there will be admission fee to enter the main keep.

The gorgeous castle

A shrine within the castle area

Not sure is it still available there now

Before the end of that day's itinerary I went for a quick stop at Pacela shopping mall to visit the Pokemon Center there! A must go place as Pokemon fans 😄

The signature Pokemon there - Shiny Gyarados

My main itinerary of the second day was to go to the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Park. I believe for those who are not familiar with Japan would have heard the name of Hiroshima and Nagasaki before. The place where the bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, instead of redeveloping that area, it was devoted to peace memorial facilities. 

In the morning, I took the Maple Loop bus green route to there from Hiroshima station. Around 9.30 am there were already quite a lot of people visiting there. A group of students studying the history of that place, parents explaining what had happened there, old folks probably recalling back what they've been thru during that period. At that area there were also quite a number of people telling stories about the atomic bomb, displaying some photos of the disaster, articles or stories from the victims. 

An uncle telling a story of the tragedy

From the A-Bomb Dome, just need to cross a short bridge to reach the Peace Memorial Park. After I crossed the bridge, I saw there was a long queue at a monument going to ring the bell in it. After Googling it, I found out that it was called Children's Peace Monument (原爆の子の像). According to Wikipedia the monument was built after a victim girl who wished for world peace who died of an atomic bomb disease. Sadako Sasaki, shortly before she passed, she had a vision to create a thousand cranes. In Japanese tradition, it is says that if one creates a thousand cranes, they are granted one wish. Sadako's wish was to have a world without nuclear weapons. Thousands of origami cranes from all over the world are offered around the monument. They serve as a sign that the children who make them and those who visit the status desire a world without nuclear war.  

The bridge to the Peace Memorial Park

Children's Peace Monument

Sadako was immortalized at the top of the statue holding a wire crane

Wishing for world peace

The colorful cranes

In the park there are quite a number of statues, monuments to look out for. There is a museum too which require admission fee. On that day there was a large group of students queueing to go in so I never go into the museum. Instead I went to the National Peace Memorial Hall. The hall exhibits the photos of deceased A-bomb victims, survivor testimony videos. I stayed there for quite awhile watching the videos, listening their stories. It was quite horrific and sad, and pray that nobody will ever have to suffer such thing again.

After spending the morning there, I took the Maple Loop bus to Okonomi Mura (お好み村) to have my lunch there. As the name says, I was going there to have one of Hiroshima's famous food - Okonomi-yaki (お好み焼き). I went to the shop which is Perfume's favourite place to have Okonomiyaki, Atomu (あとむ). Hiroshima's okonomiyaki is different from other prefectures in Japan. The main difference is that in Hiroshima they add noodle on top of it, and personally I like that version too!😋

Perfume's sign board

After the lunch I just walked around the downtown area, visiting some shops. Also taking the tram there. 

That was my last day at Hiroshima city. Around evening time, I took the shinkansen and moved on to my next destination - Onomichi (尾道)