A-Bomb Dome - Hiroshima

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, commonly known as the Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hiroshima, Japan. It was established as such in 1996. The site is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

The building was originally designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel. It was completed in April 1915, and the new building was named the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition (HMI). It was formally opened to the public in August that year. In 1921 the name was changed to the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall, and again in 1933 to the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.

The August 6, 1945 nuclear explosion was almost directly above the building (the hypocenter was 150 meters / 490 feet away), and it was the closest structure to withstand the explosion. The building has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing, and now serves as the reminder of nuclear devastation and as a symbol of hope for world peace and elimination of all nuclear weapons.

For me, personally, the entire experience was very powerful. I did not realize that the bomb never hit the ground, and to learn that this was only 1 of 3 major buildings left standing was amazing. Coming upon the dome, I felt like I was on the set of "Saving Private Ryan". The rubble still remained around it, and there was a deafening quiet. It's hard to imagine unless you see it for yourself. It takes the politics and policy, the rhetoric and history right out of the equation. All you are left with is the human element, and that, in and of itself, is tradgic.

Nevertheless, China had reservations regarding the confirmation of the Memorial as a World Heritage Site and the delegate of the United States to the World Heritage Committee dissociated himself from the decision. China cited the possibility that the monument could be used to downplay the fact that the enemies of Japan suffered the greatest losses of life during the war, while the United States claimed that the memorial as such would omit the necessary historical context.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

According to the introduction in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum English guide: "The Peace Memorial Museum collects and displays belongings left by the victims, photos, and other materials that convey the horror of that event, supplemented by exhibits that describe Hiroshima before and after the bombings and others that present the current status of the nuclear age. Each of the items displayed embodies the grief, anger, or pain of real people. Having now recovered from the A-bomb calamity, Hiroshima's deepest wish is the elimination of all nuclear weapons and the realization of a genuinely peaceful international community."


To facilitate education, the museum was renovated in 1994 and is now divided into two sections.


The East Wing — the newest addition — explains the history of Hiroshima City before the bomb, development and decision to drop the bomb, the lives of Hiroshima citizens during World War II and after the bombing, and ends with information about the nuclear age and efforts for international peace. Included in this section is a model showing the damage done to the city.

The West Wing, which was part of the old museum, concentrates on the damage of the bomb. Sections include Material Witness, which shows clothing, watches, hair, and other personal affects worn by victims of the bomb; Damage by the Heat Rays, a section that looks at what happened to wood, stone, metal, glass, and flesh from the heat; Damage by the Blast, focusing on the destruction caused by the after shocks of the blast, and Damage by the Radiation which goes into details about the health effects suffered by humans.

Peace Park - Hiroshima

Peace Boulevard - Hiroshima

Hiroshima

Itsukushima Shrine - Miya Jima

Itsukushima/Miya Jima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to records, the shrine was established in the time of Empress Suiko. The warrior-courtier Taira no Kiyomori gave the shrine its present form. In 1555, Mori Motonari defeated Sue Harukata at the Battle of Miyajima. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a large building, the Senjō-kaku, on a hill above the shrine.

It's easily the most famous Torii Gate in all of Japan, and, most likely, the world...

Miya Jima

The island of Itsukushima, including the waters around it (part of Seto Inland Sea), and are within Setonaikai National Park.

This walkway leading to the main shrine and temple is one of the few things I've ever had to duck under in my entire life...

Itsukushima is mountainous and sparsely settled. It does have an elementary school and a middle school. There are no traffic signals.

But they do have a fire department. And, on the day I visited, it was a city-wide holiday celebrating the Festival for the Prevention of Fires (as you can imagine, when your entire city is based on historical wooden structures, and a national forrest, it makes sense). What doesn't make sense are the heads of the fire department presenting their guest of honor (a penguin in a hat and tie) with an award for keeping the town free of fires for the year. You can't make this stuff up.

And, for a little icing on the cake, I present you with Nick Bono towering over a door. I tried telling you people I was bigger over here...

What I was really excited about was running into this wedding procession while on the island. It's considered one of the "three most beautiful places" in Japan, and it is an honor to have your wedding here. An interesting side note, because the island is considered "pure", human activities are not allowed to occur. So, when a woman is pregnant she must go to the mainland to give birth, and the sick or elderly must do the same to die.

This photo shows the new couple's "victory lap" around the town:

Frequent ferry services, operated by JR West (JR Miyajima ferry) and by Miyajima Matsudai Tourist Ship, carry traffic between the island and the mainland. The trip takes about ten minutes. There is an hourly express passenger ferry to Hiroshima harbour.





Miyajima's maple trees are renowned throughout Japan, and blanket the island in crimson in the autumn. Momiji manju, pastries filled with azuki jam or custard, are popular souvenirs, and carry maple-leaf emblems. Many other varieties such as chocolate and cheese are also available. Because the island is sacred, trees may not be cut for lumber. Deer and monkeys roam freely. Deer are considered sacred in the native Shinto religion because they are considered messengers of the gods.

And the Japanese love getting photo ops with them...

A style of wooden spoon used to serve cooked rice, without impairing the taste, is said to have been invented by a monk who lived on the island. This style of spoon is a popular souvenir and there are some outsized examples around the shopping district.

And, here is a picture of me, in front of the world's largest wooden rice spoon....




The peak of Mount Misen, at 535 m, is the highest point on the island. Miyajima Ropeway carries visitors to within a 30-minute hike to the top. There are several sites related to the historical Buddhist priest Kobo Daishi near the top. The island also contains the Miyajima Natural Botanical Garden.

Tokyo Fashion Has Gone To The Dogs

Ok, so the cliche is terrible, but walking around town, it is more than appropriate. There's not a lot of space in the city, so big dogs are rare...but that doesn't mean that Japanese don't love their pets. In fact, they might love them too much.

I haven't been able to get a picture of the dog wearing the Tom Sawyer outfit, or the one dressed like a firefighter, or the one in the pig suit because they've been moving and I couldn't get my camera out fast enough; I'm working on it and will post if I ever catch one. However, I did stumble across this shop in Omotesando Mall, catering to the latest in high-end puppy fashion.

Seriously, this stuff is the norm, not the exception.

Shreddin' Powder in Echigo Yuzawa

Clearly this trip has served many purposes, but as I've explored more of Tokyo, and Japan, and immersed myself in the culture, I've been excited to see everything that the country has to offer. And you can't do that without snow.

While a lot of my classmates have made plans to travel to various parts of Asia, I've decided to see as much of Japan as possible...and you can't do that without snow. Japan is host to the largest number of ski resorts in any single country. And for good reason. While Tokyo gets almost no snow, other parts of the country (especially the northern island of Hokkaido) get dumped on what becomes an extended ski season.

In every part of the world where snowsports are possible, each offers slightly different conditions. Just like making a trip to Central Europe is different from skiing the Andes, and just like the Catskills are different from the Rockies, visiting north-central and northern Japan offers a unique experience...namely snow. And lots of it. Japan does not have the largest mountains, but it is ranked as the best skiing country in the world. It has an excellent mix of tree runs, varying levels of slope difficulty, and, of course, world famous amounts of snow.

So there was no way I was going to spend 4 months (during the winter) in Japan and not see what all the hype was about.

Of course, before you go, you have to visit Jimbocho in Tokyo to check out all the latest gear. It's home to scores of department stores dedicated solely to snow and ski and outdoor activities. The entire district is about as big as downtown Kansas City, and it's amazing to me that enough people shop for this kind of stuff year-round to keep these places in business...

What made it even better was that this was my first ski trip. Because I'm cooler than most people, I elected to snowboard...risking certain death. A group of 6 of us booked a long weekend to the city of Echigo Yuzawa (about a 2 hour bullet-train ride north from Tokyo).

We stayed a pretty nice Ryokan (I'm not even going to try to describe how to pronounce that), that treated us to full breakfasts and dinners (although they could have been interchangeable since essentially the same food was served at both). That's right...imagine waking up to a huge spread of raw fish, salad, tofu, and other things that I would never voluntarily substitute my pancakes for.

They also had indoor and outdoor onsens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen), basically hot springs that are the Japanese equivilent of a hot-tub. These were key because after a long day of snowboarding (or picking myself up off the ground), I needed it.

...Which brings me to the snow...and the snowboarding. We visited two mountains, Karuga and Hakkaisan, both famous within Japan. Honestly, no matter how blown away or amazed I seem by any one thing this entire trip, nothing will compare to seeing that kind of snow. I'm talking drifts that are taller than cars, busses, homes, and businesses. I'm talking about so much snow that overnight a clear sidewalk is covered in knee-high snow. I'm talking about so much that if you get off track on the slopes and venture into the powder that you literally get buried. Long story, short: there was a lot of snow.

These cars were clean the night before...

And Mike is 6'2", with an umbrella over his head...

To keep the streets driveable, there is a network of sprinklers that run 24/7...built into the roads to melt the snow...

This, my more experienced friends told me, was good for me...because it meant that I probably wouldn't seriously hurt myself. I was still pretty sure if I fell off the ski lift from 60 feet in the air I might, but I had to give it a shot.

...and I'm glad I did. I picked up snowboarding after about 6 runs down the mountain, and I'm hooked. If anyone wants to plan a trip next winter, let me know. Sure, my neck hurt for like 4 days after we got back because of some of the epic wrecks I had...but it was totally worth it.




One famous fall occured on my first run down Karuga. I hadn't figured out the idea of staying on an edge to keep my speed down and my control up, so I was just coasting down the mountain on the middle of my board. Turns out, that turns you into a missle, and I found myself blowing past people at what I figured was about 80mph. Knowing I was out of control (and bound to run into someone, most likely a family teaching their kids how to ski), I decided to try and bail out. But I did it all wrong, hit my frontside edge, and launched myself into the air about 20 yards, cartwheeling to a halt. Fortunately for my pride, there is no footage of this wreck. But after that it was all downhill...so to speak.





And, if nothing else, I can say that I boarded some of the world's most well-known mountains....and managed to look like Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe in the process. Because everyone knows that if you can't do something well, you may as well look good doing it poorly...