Rome-ing Minutes: A Worthwhile Trip to Hiroshima & Miyajima

The biggest downside of the unexpectedly long journey from Hakone to Hiroshima was that we missed the last ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima, where we had planned to spend the night. This was unfortunate because:
(A) Miyajima is supposed to be a truly magical place to stay overnight and
(B) Because we had already paid for a nonrefundable hotel room in Miyajima.
Fortunately, we were able to find a reasonable rate for the Sheraton next to the Hiroshima train station. We were exhausted by the time we arrived around 11pm so this was a suitable alternative.

When we checked in, we discovered that we had reserved the room for 1 guest but that they charge per guest even when you share a room. We held firm and talked them into waiving the 2^nd person fee (which, according to the guy, is standard in Japan). We were quite proud of ourselves for that win because Japanese society is big on following rules very strictly and we didn’t experience any flexibility, freebies or upgrades (even for our honeymoon), as is common elsewhere.

In the morning, we worked out in the Sheraton gym and were keenly aware that (now that we were paying cash, instead of points for hotels) we had just fallen very far from the luxury we experienced in Tokyo. We used our JR passes to get access to the tourist loop bus which would take us to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Atomic Bomb Dome). There, we observed the remaining shell of the municipal building, almost directly above which, the atom bomb exploded. The site brought up many difficult emotions regarding the atrocities of WWII, the human loss and suffering on all sides of the war, and the morality (and practicality) of a world in which a plethora of nuclear weapons exist. We met an in-utero survivor who regularly stands nearby the dome to share his mother’s story and answer questions for tourists. He prepared a book of articles, cutouts, and FAQs, which I found helpful and informative. The Japanese people we have met don’t seem to blame America for dropping the bomb but spend their energies strongly advocating for a world without nukes.

Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima Peace Memorial

We then went to the nearby museum and saw artifacts that tell the stories of individuals, including those of many children, who were hurt or killed. Something that struck me as especially tragic about radiation poisoning from the fallout is that it robs innocent people of the ability to rebuild their lives. One story that has remained with me especially poignantly is of a little girl named Sadako Sasaki who seemed to survive relatively unscathed only to develop cancer 9 years later. From the ancient Japanese tradition, she believed that colorful paper cranes would help her recover so she folded them meticulously until she passed away less than a year after her diagnosis. Origami paper cranes have come to symbolize peace and many visitors fold and leave them behind. Overall, the visit provided me with much to absorb and even though it was difficult, I’m very glad we went.

Obama's Paper Cranes and Message from his Recent Visit

Agemomijo

The afternoon was of a very different flavor. We took the ferry to a nearby island called Miyajima, famous for the Itsukushima floating red torii gates and very friendly deer. It was extraordinarily hot and humid so we also ate a lot of shaved ice (a delicious treat similar to a snow cone but way better) and moved at a very sluggish pace. The island, with its roaming deer, beautiful temples and shrines, charming shopping street, and large mountains was lovely but the highlight of the afternoon was a famous Miyajima pastry called momiji monju, a maple-leafed variation on the common monju sweets. They are stuffed with a flavorful sweet bean paste. Wow. We categorized it wayyy up with Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon. [We fell in love with a heavenly deep fried version called agemomijo at a place called Momijido along the main shopping drag.]

Strawberry Shaved Ice

We made our way back to Hiroshima to a cool shopping area. There, we went to a “food theme park” called Okonomimura. We had so much trouble locating it as we weren’t quite sure what to look for. We asked someone on the street for directions and she was so kind as to change directions to walk us there. Somehow, we still couldn’t figure it out (even though she dropped us off right in front) and ended up in the craziest multi-storied retail mystery that seemed to be a combination of Walmart, Party City, a dollar store, a convenience store, and so many other unrelated places. We asked for help again and were once again met with such generosity. An employee left her post to take us down in an elevator back to the street and around the block to deliver us again to desired place. We finally got the message and climbed up the stairs to find tons of food vendors all selling Hiroshima Okonomiyaki. (I specify Hiroshima because there are 2 main types of Okonomiyaki in Japan). We chose one and sat down for the best culinary experience of our trip.

We sat on low stools around a massive grill that wrapped around in a circle. 2 chefs stood in the middle and prepared the crepe-omelet-noodle-vegetable dish in front of our eyes while our stomachs grumbled and our mouths watered in anticipation. We had no idea what to expect but the explosion of flavors in a filing, comforting, and delicious meal was an experience we very much enjoyed. We spent the rest of the trip trying many other places for Okonomiyaki but none were as good as the first.

We power-walked back to the Sheraton, picked up our bags, and ran to catch the last shinkansen train to Kyoto.