We are in a lovely hotel overlooking the Peace Memorial Park and had a quick look last night after the temperature had cooled off. We were quite peckish after trying lots of Japanese cuisine so grabbed a burger in Kembys micro brewery pub. It is odd and feels odd to be eating in an ostensibly American sports bar in Hiroshima but the food and hospitality was fabulous and the beer super tasty. Jenni and Susie played pool and we unwound from travelling. At this point the appetite for blogging left me so we held over until today.
This morning we were up early to catch a boat ride from the Memorial Park to the Torii gate . The Torii gate is a famous shrine entrance that sits out on the waterfront and at high tide the supports are covered in water so it appears to be floating. The gardens surrounding the Torii gate were fab and hot again but we saw Koi, waterfalls, beautiful bridges and pools. We grabbed breakfast, a combination of western ham and cheese toasties and fresh roasted coffee and memiji pastries which were rather fabulous. Such a lot of shops and all good quality stuff, not too much tourist tat. We also found a shop selling studio Ghibli merchandise including lot of “My neighbour Totoro”.
The gate was fab but also there are wild deer mooching around and the boat ride getting there hit my boat buttons. I love the harbour around Hiroshima.
This afternoon we split up to achieve several goals. Lunch, anti histamine for big bug bites, baseball apparel from the Hiroshima Carps team and a photo expedition for me. I will let the pictures tell the story but there is nothing but future hope or peace to remark about the H-Bomb and its effects. The building you can see is the only one left standing at the blast epicentre. It was left as a memorial untouched since the blast with minor renovation to make it safe. It is harrowing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Peace_Memorial
In the evening we went to an Okonomiyaki restaurant. It is curious that in Japan a good restaurant will only do one dish, albeit with different toppings or styles. So you have to prepare and agree where to go and confirm everyone wants that food before you go out.
Okonomyaki is a pancake really with corn starch, noodles and vegetables with a little pork, often topped with an egg and a special spicy sauce. They do vegan options if you don’t mind the shared grill and it was super tasty. However it was also super filling. I made the mistake of ordering a litre of Asahi Dry draft beer and had to neck it down like a greedy hobbit (the glass was huge) because you shouldn’t stay too long when there is a queue outside to get in. How full was I? My goodness!
