Around dinner time, my friend Mike sends me a text message: "Want to go to Hiroshima with my host mom and me?"
"When?"
"Thursday through Saturday. It's $200." (The first three days of break.)
I mulled it over conveyor belt sushi with my host family, but finally said yes. Over dinner I had an actual conversation with my host sister about independent comics (turns out there's a small convention in Nagoya this Sunday, but I'll be in Kyoto.)
Both Mike and I thought it would be just the three of us traveling down to Hiroshima. Turns out it was actually a three-day bus tour down to Hagi (the southern tip of Honshu, the main island of Japan) and back.
Day 1: Himeji and Hiroshima.
Himeji is considered to be the most beautiful castle in Japan. Want to guess why?
It's especially known for the way the roof curves upward on at the edges and is popularly known as the "Crane Palace". It's one of the few castles in Japan that wasn't destroyed during the Meiji Restoration or World War II and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Next stop was Hiroshima. I had some mixed feelings about visiting the Peace Park. Most of the Japanese people we were with took pictures of the A-Bomb Dome. After working at the NMAI, I've realized that photographs really do take on a meaning and power of their own. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, it seems to me that a photograph cheapens the experience you had while taking that pictures. Himeji was gorgeous, but I spent most of my time looking for a nice shot.
Furthermore, it really pisses me off when tourists visit Ground Zero in New York. It's not fucking Disneyland; people died there.
Fortunately, I did not have to leave Hiroshima without a picture of the Dome. While I was in the park, a Japanese (I think) guy walked up to me and asked me where I was from in English. When I told him, he pulled out a picture of the Dome and of Sadako out of his fanny pack and asked me to tell everyone back home about Hiroshima. I kept my promise.
The city itself is beautiful. Since it's built on a river delta, you don't have to go too far without seeing some water or a mountain. Compared to Nagoya, Hiroshima feels like a very livable city. If I do JET I might request to live there.
Day 2
The next day was probably the coolest day of my life. First, we went to Miyajima, arguably the most beautiful place in Japan. Mike and I wished we had had more time on the island (there were some mountains there just waiting to be climbed.) Some other time. Deer roamed the island, and the tori that Miyajima is famous for did not cease to amaze.
And that's not even my favorite shot of it.
Next stop -- Iwakuni. A charming (yes, I used that word. I don't really want to believe that I did) mountain town famous for this bridge:
And can boast 100 ice cream flavors:
As if the day weren't already full, we moved on to a limestone cave that was way the heck up in the mountains. At first, the cave was narrow and twisty. There were a few interesting stalactites, but they didn't compare to Howe Caverns or Crystal Caves back in the states, so Mike and I weren't too impressed.
Then we rounded a bend that opened onto an impossibly large cavern. We could see a tour group that had entered before us filing along all the way on the other side of the cavern. I took a picture, but it just doesn't do the sight justice. It looked like my conception of Hell. Which, of course, made me think about The Inferno. Dante as tourist: guided by the well-meaning but long-winded Virgil; stopping and gaping at the regional curiosities; collapsing when he can't take it anymore. I think I could write a master's thesis on that.
We spent the night in Hagi, which is famous for its blowfish. That's probably the most fugu I will ever eat in my entire life, which is a shame because it was delicious. (Don't worry mom -- it's only the organs that are risky! The meat is fine!)
Day 3 - We rushed through a couple of historical districts through towns whose names I never learned, but they were pretty. I'll put those pictures up (along with many more) on Facebook. Most of the day, however, was spent driving north and getting on the bullet train for Nagoya.
I'll write about Nara in the next entry (maybe I'll write that tomorrow) but I'll close with this: as for the chili? I made some pasta sauce and guacamole tonight using pretty much all of the chili ingredients except for the chili powder. For some reason it came out really watery (thoughts, Mom?) My host mom tried putting in some chili pepper and liked it a lot. I convinced her to try the actual chili seasoning and she loved it. I'll probably make it within the next few weeks.
It's always worth trying new things.
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