Dan Is Awesome

Another bullet train at 8am, and we’re off to Hiroshima. This is the only night we stayed in a hostel, which turned out to be a floor, with 8 other people in the room. Not exactly the Venetian, but we made do. The people were cool, made us food, bought us drinks, so no real complaints.

First thing we did in Hiroshima was take the ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima Island. This island has some pretty steep mountains, and also a fire that’s been lit for 1200 years. So that’s something. There were also deer everywhere, as in walking around on the sidewalks as soon as you get off the boat, biting your clothes and any food you had. If you bought french fries, you could start a parade.

This island is home to a floating Shinto gate, the sign that a Shinto Shrine is near. When tide is in, it looks as if the gate is floating. We found out that the tide goes out pretty quick in the afternoon, and makes the area walkable up to the gate.

Also while on the Island we took a cable car up to the mountain and a ~30 minute walk to the peak. It was a good workout, nice weather and a great view. There was also ice cream being sold at the top (from Here is a restaurant), so it was definitely worth it. The internet and various signs claimed there were monkeys on the mountain. This was a bold faced lie to attract monkey enthusiasts.

After returning to Hiroshima, we headed to the Peace Park, and the Atomic Bomb Dome. It was a pretty intense scene, and a solid reminder of not only the power of the bomb, but the resolve of the Japanese people to rebuild. The park is pretty huge, and the pizza they serve in their cafe ruled. Japanese people love Italian food, which works for me.

I have to sort through 2000+ pictures now, but I’ll have a photo-storyesque version of our trip up soon.