As my time in Japan was coming to an end I had two last stops to make in Hiroshima and Miyajima. I left Osaka in the morning and was excited to be in Hiroshima by early afternoon, but not before taking a few hours to spend on the island of Miyajima.
Miyajima is a tiny little island most well known for The Great Torii, an orange shrine that stands alone in the water, though it should be just as well known for its wandering deer population. As I disembarked the ferry that took us to the island I was greeted by a sweet little deer that was curious about the people it was seeing, as well as what snacks they may have to offer. Soon enough one deer became three, and they were not afraid to nibble on whatever someone had in hand. As I wandered there seemed to be countless deer throughout the island who were happy to be amongst the tourists and not at all bothered by the selfies everyone was excited to take.
After taking in the deer and the natural scenery of the island, it didn’t take long to come across the beautiful Itsukushima Shrine that the island is known for. There it sat beautifully in the water as if it was floating.
I decided to take some time and wander through the parks and side streets of the island. Between the lush greenery, endearing wildlife, and beautiful wooden architecture, I couldn’t help feeling like I was in Snow White’s back yard.
A few hours later it was time to make my way back to Hiroshima.
Hiroshima became one of my favorite cities that I visited in my time in Japan. It’s quaint but still convenient, and as always the people were absolutely lovely. I started my first full day in the city visiting Peace Memorial Park, an experience that was 100 times more moving than I ever could have anticipated. Perhaps it was because of the growing tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, but every monument and every plaque seemed to hold so much relevant significance. Throughout the park there was an overwhelming feeling of peace and hopefulness that was really inspiring.
One of the moments that brought a tear to my eye was when I went over to the Children’s Peace Monument which was built to memorialize all of the children who passed away as a result of the bombing. As I crossed the street I noticed a few bus loads of children quickly filing in for a field trip. They all came in quietly taking a seat around the monument and removing their hats before their teacher led them in a moment of silence and started speaking about the monument.
There seemed to be field trips all over the park that day. Some classes had clip boards and were taking notes, some were split into smaller groups listening to a tour guide who would show them pictures and documents, but each group stood at every monument and took that moment of silence. I couldn’t help but be curious as to what Japanese students learn about that day in school. What were their teachers telling them? I have to imagine that their history lesson differs from the U.S. version in some ways.
After spending many more hours in the park than I had anticipated, taking in all of the history I decided it was time to get lunch. I found a tiny restaurant and treated myself to the most delicious pork cutlet and rice. Then I was off to find the Hiroshima Castle. It was gorgeous, sitting in the middle of a park surrounded by a lovely moat. I’ll never get sick of those Japanese castles.
Post Hiroshima I was off to Hong Kong for the weekend before continuing my travels on to Cambodia. It was a fantastic two weeks in Japan that I feel so lucky to have had.
. . .
After spending a day in 
The previous day I’d read on a few blogs that there was a budget friendly food stand selling delicious Kobe beef for about $15, perfect for a backpacker’s budget. Following the blogs’ directions, I found myself right in the center of the market ordering a plate of Kobe beef which came with a little side of corn and green onions. Not being much of a beef eater, I hadn’t been expecting a whole lot, but, oh. my. gosh. was it divine. Unbelievably tender, and the sauce that they add on top is incredible as well. It turns out that the stand is a small street branch of a larger restaurant which, I’m assuming, is how the quality is so good.
I arrived safely atop the mountain and took an hour to explore the gardens and greenhouses. My favorite was the rose garden which still had some delightful garden roses in bloom and smelled just wonderful.
Before doing some research I had no idea that Kobe, or Japan for that matter, had a very popular European district dotted with western architecture. The Kitano district of Kobe is filled with colorful, colonial-style homes and buildings, and the streets actually remind me very much of the historical part of my own home town in the suburbs of Chicago. Definitely an interesting surprise to find in central Japan.
I made it to the harbor just as day turned to night and was able to see the skyline all lit up. Again I couldn’t help associating the pier with home as it reminded me so much of Navy Pier back in Chicago. It was built up to include a museum, lots of shops and restaurants, and a giant ferris wheel.
The acupuncture in Japan was much different than what I’d received in Korea. She put a few needles on my back then after 10 minutes took them out, asked me to turn over, and repeated the process. She also spent about 30 minutes helping me to stretch, which I had never experienced before. That said, it was really helpful. Even now weeks later, I’m still feeling better.
I spent the next two hours walking around the gorgeous white and green castle and the part that surrounds it. Everything about that castle made me feel like I was living in a fairytale. The Japanese architecture was so beautiful and perfectly complimented by the lush part that surrounds it. There were even people sailing in gold canopy boats through the moat to get a closer look at the structure.
Right through my walking path was Dotonbori, another place I wanted to cross off my list. It took nearly two hours, but I’d made it to the flashing lights of the tourist strip. Dotonbori sits along the Dotonbori Canal is filled with shopping, restaurants, street food, arcades, and casinos. It’s most well-know for takoyaki which is kind of similar to a little pancake ball that is filled with octopus and then covered with delicious sauces. I decided to grab a plate from a little mother/son run cart and sit next to the canal to eat. It was interesting just to do a little people watching on this busy strip in Osaka. The perfect way to end the night.
After a quick and adventurous weekend in Beijing I flew into Tokyo for a two-week tour through Japan. I started with two days in the capital city before moving down to Kyoto for the rest of the week.
Himeji is a city in Japan that lies just a few hours train journey away from Kyoto or Osaka and is home to this centuries-old gorgeous white castle. I caught a late morning train which put me in Himeji in early afternoon; perfect timing for exploring. After buying my ticket I took a self guided tour through the six-story castle climbing up the steep staircases with the rest of the visitors.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with cherry blossoms and have been since I was very young. I remember visiting my grandmother’s house growing up and staring out the window into her backyard each spring admiring the beauty of the blossoming trees in bursts of pink and white wishing they could stay that way all year round.
The following day we went straight to Nishiki Market to pick up some souvenirs and a little breakfast, and then we were on our way to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. While the shrine didn’t have many cherry blossoms it was definitely a priority of the weekend.
As our trip to Tokyo was coming to a close the Asakusa Sensoji Temple was at the top of our list for our last day in the city, and we began our venture to the other side of Tokyo.
One of the most memorable parts of visiting the temple was a small area to get your fortune. This was especially exciting to see as it was the start of the Chinese New Year. They had instructions set out in English and the process began.
One of my favorite aspects of living in Korea is the access I now have to other parts of Asia. While I have to say that Japan was never on my bucket list of places to venture off to it turned out to be one of the most fun traveling experiences I’ve had abroad thus far.
bbm travels 