Hiroshima

Friday, March 27, 2026

We all went to 7-11 for breakfast. It was a definite upgrade from eating in the hotel restaurant. We shared a chicken cutlet sandwich, grapes, and each had our new favorite, a souffle with whipped cream and custard (think a really good homemade twinkie).

All of yesterday’s perseverance in getting working rail passes paid off today. We paid about $160 for the 7 days. Today’s high-speed train to Hiroshima would have been $140 on its own. We had reserved seats, but none of us were together. Keith was a row ahead of me and the seat next to him was empty as we started out. He suggested I join him until someone came. I thought about it, but my seat was 3B, not 2C and it didn’t seem right. After the next stop, he texted me again. I couldn’t do it. So much rule following. After the last stop before ours, he was alone in his row and I hopped up to join him and look out the window.

My only input on this trip was a request to go to Hiroshima to the peace memorial and to the atomic bomb museum. It seemed one of those things that you should bear witness to if you are able.

Our walk from the train station led us past a restaurant with possible Kristine food. It was between noon and one and the place was pretty busy with people on their lunch hour. We passed several large groups of men in smoking areas. I feel like it has been a long time since I saw someone smoke. We have seen a lot of groups of men – riding the rails, walking together in shopping areas, etc. There certainly are lots of women, but the groups are all men. A lot of the men are wearing suits. Business culture doesn’t seem to favor women here.

Kristine was able to find a good meal of shrimp fried rice. I had “chicken cutlet with cheese inside”. It was really good. The cheese was so good. I am doing a good job with chop sticks – it doesn’t seem hard at all. I did understand the assignment of eating soup with chopsticks, but it had a fish base, so I wasn’t even tempted to try it.

We spent time in a beautiful garden with 14 bridges. The goal of the landscaper was to create a space that looked like it was huge, even though it is not. I believe he was very successful. The afternoon was warm and sunny and beautiful. I so enjoyed our time.

We got fish food, but the fish were not interested. Kristine bowed to them, to no good efffect. She chastised them and got no good results from that either. We gave our food to some kids are the entrance. We figured they would enjoy throwing it even if the fish didn’t eat it.

The central bridge was as high as it was wide. It looked easy to do, if you weren’t deathly afraid of heights (which I am), so I challenged myself to go up. I started and realized the steps are slanted and get slantier has they go higher. I thought I could do it but really didn’t think I could get down. I ran away, then ran back. I did it! Keith and Mike came up on either side of me – with quite a bit of regretful talk as they climbed. Since we were all up there, Kristine joined us. Keep in mind she is wearing two knee braces because of a torn ACL and other knee parts after a significant skiing incident a couple weeks ago. We all went up. We all came down. Phew.

The Atomic Bomb Dome is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was originally built in 1915. On August 6, 1945, the bomb exploded about 600 meters almost directly above the building. Because it had an iron frame on the dome and because the blast went out more than down, some of it survived. It has been left as a silent witness to the horrors of nuclear war.

Peace Memorial Park has a arch that stands over chest holding a list of over 220,000 names of certified victims of the bomb. If you look straight through, you see the A-bomb Dome.

There is a museum that I was very interested in visiting. There were quite a few people with their 8-12 years with them. I would not take my kids to such a visual representation of horror. The first room had wall sized pictures of Hiroshima before the bomb. The next room had the same sized pictures after the bomb. I could see in the first room fine, even though my left eye is just blur. In the second room, I had to close my bad eye to see what I was looking at. My brain took the mix of clear and blurry to make me see what it understood. In the second room, it couldn’t make sense out it and everything was just a mess I struggle with new places for the first few seconds until my brain makes sense of it. Then it is just a little fuzzy. My brain said nope to post bomb surroundings.

It was wall to wall people as we went through the displays about the devastation. I am glad I went. I didn’t really learn anything new, but it helped make it seem real. It is still hard to grasp.

We walked around a shopping area afterward, quite a departure. We all had ice cream. We walked back to the train.

Mike and Kristine had already experienced the craziness that is a Don Quixote store. It is filled (FILLED) with stuff. There is loud crazy jingle music playing. Aisles go every which way. It sort of defies description.

When we got home, we went to see Mike and Kris’ tiny room. You have to tap your room key in the elevator and it only lets you go to your floor. That is a first for us.

Here are some random Japan shots from the day.