Day Six: Thursday, July 2, 2009: Hiroshima and Kyoto

Day Six: Thursday, July 2, 2009
Hiroshima
Honkawa Elementary School
Peace Memorial
Bullet Train to Kyoto
Kyoto

I woke up at a little before six after having slept well and I got up to blog. I thought about running and really wanted to, but I decided to see if I could at least get most of the pictures in for the complete day on Wednesday.

Shots out my Hiroshima hotel window.








No need for individual shampoo and conditioner when someone will take the time to fill these.

Today we were on the 7, 8, 9 plan. Wake up call at 7, breakfast at 8, leave the hotel at 9.

I actually showered at about 20 to 8. I was so close to getting the blog done. The shower no doubt has the MOST water pressure I have ever felt in a hotel shower, maybe the most pressure ever. I was like a fire hydrant.


I still made it down at eight and tried a few different things for breakfast after Christine had teased me about eating the same thing every day. The tuna croquet was interesting and I eventually had miso soup. No omelettes today.

We checked out and left our luggage at the hotel and were picked up in another cute taxi/minivan. We had a local woman from Hiroshima as a guide named Akiko. Her name means autumn girl. She has been giving tours for over twenty years and has worked with the CaToy trip for the past seven years.



Our first stop was at the Hiroshima Castle.






Leaving the Hiroshima Castle area.


Akiko.


Honkawa Elementary School.


Next we drove to the Honkawa Elementary School which still has a part of its building that was standing after the August 6, 1945 A-bomb blast. From what I am gathering, we got more of a tour than normal. We met the principal and had the opportunity to talk with him in his office And then go out and peak in a number of classrooms even though we never actually went in to any or had the chance to interact with the kids. At the end of the tour we got to go into the museum on campus where they had a display of peace cranes and a cool diorama map of the downtown area on the day of the bomb blast.












The location of the school on a map from August 6, 1945.




Mitzi and Akiko




I love morning glories























After we left the principal's office we went to the Peace Museum in the school building that was left after August 6.











The school building around 1935.


The school building after the Atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945.
















Relief map of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Being at this school was very meaningful to me. It felt it was a great honor an privilege to be there. I believe strongly that we must visit places like Hiroshima to pay tribute to those who died. If we remember them nearly sixty four years later, perhaps we can be a part of beeing sure that it will never happen again.

Peace Memorial
After leaving the school next we went past the “hypocenter” of the blast which was over a surgical hospital and then got out right at the peace memorial which is a the only building that was left as it stood after the blast. We got out of the van there and walked around the building toward the river to see the T bridge that was the original target of the bombing. There was also a monument to the children who had died.


This building is such an iconic part of world history that it was surreal to actually be seeing it. But I wanted to be sure that I focused not on seeing a site, but remembering the people who died here.

After the blast August 6, 1945









A bit odd to be smiling in a group photo at a site of such devastation.


Mad camera skills from Akiko.


It will be difficult to choose my favorite photo.



Children's monument


We are on the move.






Shot from the bridge.

Then we walked across the river into the Peace Park. And finally wound up at the museum.



This is the monument to the young girl, Sadako, who at age two had survived the blast but got leukemia what she was 12. She folded a thousand paper cranes to try and get her wish to be cured.


















At the Museum



Remembering Laura. Still imprisioned in North Korea.

At the entrance












Some of the actual cranes folded by Sadako.








Jose actually ran into one of his students, Jasmine, and her husband who is stationed here.

Reflections on Hiroshima
If I could get away with it, I would assign a writing topic to the group to get them to reflect on what they saw today. As Elizabeth Berg might say, "If I really what to know what I think about something, I have to write about it."

Today I was filled with many conflicting emotions. First at the school I was overwhelmed by the thought of what a privilege it is to be able to be here at this exact moment. I thought of my mother and the fact that she had been just six hours away on the island of Tinian when the Enola Gay took off on that morning of August 15, 1945. Incredible to think that nearly 64 years later I, her son, was standing in Hiroshima paying tribute to those who died here. I felt so blessed and I could almost think that I have worked the 32 years of my teaching career, just to be able to be here at this exact moment.
I have never had such a profound sense of the horror of a war, but even though I also believe that this bomb actually saved lives, it still does not make any sense. Had Japan never went to war none of it would have had to have happened.
It also made me even more critically aware of what is going on it in North Korea. It is less that two hours away by plane. With crazy Kim Jong-il in charge any thing could happen now. Using nuclear weapons really does not make any sense.


Lunch
It was after 12:30, so it was off to lunch near the Hotel Granvilla in the train station. We were having Okonomiyaki, a traditional Hiroshima delicacy. It was cooked teppan style on the hot plates on each table. It reminded me of Mu shu pork. It was like a layered pancake on which was piled bean sprouts, egg, pork, cabbage, and other stuff. Then they set it on our hot plate and we had to use a cute tool to cut it and serve it.





Back to the hotel area.

Okonomiyaki Lunch
I copied this from the SF Examiner web site. Okonomiyaki owes its popularity to the fact that rice was scarce in post-war Japan. In contrast, the U.S. occupation meant that wheat flour was relatively plentiful. While wheat was not totally unknown in Japan, it did not form part of the typical Japanese diet. Rice, buckwheat and root vegetables were the main starches in traditional Japanese cooking. Okonomiyaki is sometimes translated into English as "as-you-like-it pancake". This is, however a bit of a misnomer. While it does consist of batter cooked on a griddle, okonomiyaki is neither sweet nor fluffy, not to mention that it is usually filled with octopus, shrimp, pork, yam or kimchi. Because of this, perhaps a more accurate comparison is between okonomiyaki and pizza. In Japan, people usually eat okonomiyaki at restaurants that specialize in the dish. The dish is prepared on a “teppan”, or open griddle and enjoyed immediately after preparation.




Start with a delicious cold salad with the tasty rice vinegar dressing.




Making the okonomiyaki














Bullet Train to Kyoto







Our car, number six will arrive EXACTLY at this spot.


A gift for Akiko.


Sayonara, Hiroshima.





Finding our seats.


Super flush.




Jim and Kevin


Alastair and Mitzi.

Kyoto

Arrival in Kyoto


We had to split up in to two cabs. Mitzi gave Deb the money to pay. Along the way I opened the window to get a better look and let some fresh air in. After a couple of minutes the cab driver doesn't even flinch and says in a very scary voice, "Shut the Window." So I immediately shut it so he wouldn't through us out of the cab.


Walking to dinner. Shopping in Kyoto.


We shopped in this cool covered arcade mall.




Walking to dinner.


Cool Kyoto sign. Kevin and I waited for what seemed like forever waiting for it to read 2009, but it never did change.


A cool stream next to the street our restaurant was on.







Traditional Japanese Dinner
Again Mitzi set up for us an amazing dining experience. This was the one you have always seen or read about. Sitting on mats in your own private room with a garden attached.
Next to the restautant was a garden that was something like 700 years old. We took off our shoes and they gave us special sandals to walk around in.

The garden












Dinner

Hey I was there.


The treasure chest.


Look what was inside!








Sushi! Enjoy it. This was it.






Making tofu









Dessert. Yogurt like substance with oranges.







After dinner walk.







The famous 100 yen store where the legend of "Straight Outta Compton" Sigman was born.

What an absolutely amazing day.