Himeji and Hiroshima
Friday 2004-11-19
I spent my last day in Kyoto traveling to Himeji and Hiroshima. I've wanted to go to both cities all week, but haven't. So this was my chance. I took the 8:21 bullet train bound for Hiroshima. I can't praise the bullet train enough. It's fast, very comfortable and it runs all the time. And with my JR pass... it's 'free'! It took about 45 minutes to get to Himeji. The largest wooden castle in Japan is located in Himeji. It's yet another World Heritage site. It's very famous and I instantly recognized it. It's a spectacular structure. I spent at least a couple of hours there. Then I caught another bullet train and one hour later I was in Hiroshima. I've always wanted to visit Hiroshima. The A Bomb Dome is stark and very thought provoking, as are all the memorials in the Peace Park. The Peace Museum is especially moving. I spent a very long time there looking at the exhibits. When I get home I want to read more about Hiroshima. I got back to Kyoto at 9 pm and had a very simple dinner - a big bowl of instant noodles and vegetables that I made at the hostel. Later in the evening I talked with some of the other guests at the hostel and exchanged email addresses.