Hiroshima

On Wednesday, after four amazing days in Kyoto, we left first thing in the morning for our next adventure in Hiroshima. Although we had an early train, we still made time for breakfast at the ryokan - again served to us in a private dining room. Fiona and I weren't brave enough to order the Japanese-style breakfast, so only Jason experienced that. While Fiona and I ate toast, yogurt, and fruit, Jason feasted on this:

There was rice, beans, miso soup, pickled veggies, tofu in broth, and a scrambled egg loaf. I can't say I envied him. First thing in the morning is just too soon for a lot of that!

Also - there was a small plate of crispy baby eels...yum!!

As is the tradition, shoes were not worn inside the ryokan. We were given slippers for wearing in our room and wooden soled house shoes for wearing everywhere else inside. Jason struggled...

Joking aside, I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed our stay at Kikokuso. The proprietors were so kind and hospitable! If you ever have the chance to stay there, do it!

For the trip to Hiroshima, we weren't all able to get reserved seats on the same train, so Jason took a train that left 15 minutes after Fiona and mine (yet arrived only 5 minutes after ours because he had access to the super bullet trains that Fiona and I couldn't ride with our Japan Rail Passes).

Traveling by Shinkansen was dreamy - this is one of the things I'll miss most about Japan. It was a fast, smooth, relaxing way to travel. How often do your see the words "relaxing" and "travel" in the same sentence?! Japan's entire rail system was actually really great with one big exception - all bookings have to be made in person at a Japan Rail ticket counter. It's a really inconvenient and inefficient system given today's online technologies and made me crazy on more than one occasion, but I suppose it was a small price to pay for the ease of the rest of it.

Fiona was so excited that we "beat" Daddy to Hiroshima and waved his train in the entire way.

After dropping our bags off at the airbnb apartment we'd booked, we made our way over to the Atomic Bomb Dome. Our entire afternoon in Hiroshima was...I'm not even sure what word to use here...it was certainly moving. Also hugely educational.

I had anticipated there would be questions from Fiona, but I wasn't quite prepared for just how many and how in depth they would be. Once again I was fascinated to see something through a child's eyes. At one point, as she began to grasp what had happened in Hiroshima and who was responsible for it, she looked at me and said, "Mommy, do all these people know we're from USA? They are probably looking at us and thinking how bad we are and how mad they are at us." I can't say the thought didn't cross my mind as well.

We also visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum which was undergoing renovation and so was a little packed, but nonetheless very impressively done. I hadn't actually planned on visiting, but Fiona was so determined to learn all that she could, we couldn't really turn her down. The way the exhibits were laid out definitely allowed for maximum impact - everyone should have the opportunity to visit in order to fully understand the reprucusions of nuclear weapons. I can't imagine many would support their use after seeing what we saw there. I left feeling humbled, saddened, and I'd be lying if I didn't also include ashamed.

Eventually, we'd seen enough and were in need of a serious pick me up, so we decided to take a walk through Sukkei-en - a historic Japanese garden.

At the entrance, Fiona bought a bag of koi food - boy were these guys hungry!

The gardens were beautiful with lots of paths to explore.

The highlight for Fiona was finding some turtles to feed:

Many of the places we have visited are famous for being beautiful in the fall and the leaves in some of them are already starting to change. I can't imagine how stunning this place would be in October!

On our way back to the apartment, we passed the Memorial Cenotaph - a saddle shaped monument that covers a cenotaph (empty tomb) containing the names of all those killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Its arched shape is said to represent a shelter for the souls of the vicitms. The cenotaph is inscribed to with, "安らかに眠って下さい 過ちは 繰返しませぬから" which literally translated means, "please rest in peace, for [they/we] shall not repeat the error." Because of the extreme politeness typically found in Japanese speech, it is not uncommon to (as is done here) omit the subject of a sentence. The statement's author has said it was written this way as a means of memorializing the victims of Hiroshima without politicizing the issue. Due to the ambiguity in the way the inscription was written, the author eventually provided the following English translation, "Let all the souls here Rest In Peace for we shall not repeat the error." He further clarified that "we" refers to "all humanity" and "error" to "the evil of war" carried out in Hiroshima (i.e. the use of nuclear weapons). The Memorial Cenotaph aligns directly to frame both the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Flame -  another monument to the victims of the bomb which also carries a symbolic purpose. The flame has burned continuously since it was first lit in 1964 and will continue to burn until all nuclear bombs are destroyed at the earth is free from their threat.

It was a full day in Hiroshima - and an emotional one - but I am so glad that we made the trip. It was definitely an educational experience for all of us. By the time we left, Fiona's questions had aptly highlighted just how much I have forgotten from my history classes and motivated a lot of brushing up. In the course of two days I think we covered WWII, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. A lot of deep conversations for a six-year-old!