Hiroshima Day 3 (June 25)

Today the rain was back in a big way, so we decided not to tour, but rather just to shop. After eating breakfast at Dormy Inn, we packed up and checked out just before 11:00, asking the hotel to keep our carry-ons until later in the day. They were happy to do so. I was also thanked for my assistance the previous night...

I had gone down to the front desk to get another pillow and to my left was an American woman who looked at me in a puzzling way. She finally asked me if I was Japanese, since I had requested the pillow in Japanese and was wearing my after-bath yukata. I'm sure I blushed, as it is usually the Japanese who give faint praise to my language ability. I assured her I was not and explained that I was only visiting from Massachusetts. I asked where she was from and, pausing a moment, she said, "Hiroshima." To which I am sure I responded with a puzzled look. It seems that she was on her way home from work (English teacher, I'm guessing) and decided to stop in what seemed like an inexpensive hotel to ask if they happened to know how she could get a package deal to Kyoto. The staff was trying but was unable to understand exactly what she wanted. They had apparently gotten far enough to recommend another hotel in their chain, but the "package" part threw them. I suggested she try JTB (Japan Trave Bureau) in the morning. The staff drew the location on the map and when I thought things were settled, I grabbed my pillow and headed back up to the room. I have to admit, although the woman was polite, she seemed to still have a bit of FOB syndrome. I don't know how long she's been in Japan, but it did not seem like long. Bless the hotel staff for trying to help the casual drop-in gaijin off the street.

...With umbrellas in hand, we walked quickly over to the Chudenmae platform and waited for our streetcar. We rode the #1 to Tachimachi, where we crossed the street and ducked into Tokyu Hands to escape the rain. Tokyu Hands has got to be one of the best chain stores, and one of the stores I would dearly love to see arrive in the states. Although it would be easy to describe it as a department store, it is a bit more than that. It seems to be a cross between AC Moore (for craft supplies), Ikea (for specialized, take-home-in-a-box-and-assemble furniture), and a DIY center. We spent two hours idling through the 7 floors of the store. I was impressed with a number of sections. Craft stores in America always remind me of crafts in the 70s. I don't how to describe exactly what I mean, but they somehow seem "low tech." Japanese crafts somehow feel "high tech" by comparison, and I don't mean in the "geeky, nerdy, computer chip" way. Here are some examples.

For "miniatures," the kits available are metal reproductions of aircraft skeletons. Imagine the Spirit of St. Louis without the canvas skin. Now imagine the kit comes with all the parts on "trees" like plastic model kits, only all the parts are thin pieces of metal.

Other "craft" supplies included silver clay jewelery making, home T-shirt silk-screening kits, leatherworking, and lots of Japanese paper (washi) products. Another floor had home brewing supplies from New Zealand.

Another floor was devoted to stationey supplies that seemed to show greater specialized variety in a smaller space than what is generally available in any Staples I've been to. Yet another floor had furniture that F and I were almost in tears over. The designs were fun, but more importantly, the sizes seemed to be a much better fit for our small 1400 sq. ft. colonial home. Why is contemporary U.S. furniture so freaking big? I know that American body sizes are larger and that the big McMansions need puffier furniture to make them look "filled," but where are the stores catering to the smaller home owner? Aargh!

Anyway, a big thumbs up to Tokyu Hands. If you come to Japan, seek out one of their stores!

Next, we headed back to Yamada Denki for a more casual browse. Once there, we split up for an hour. While K headed to the game floor, and F headed...I don't know where, I meandered through the digital cameras, then the large selection of plasma and LCD televisions, then through the "pasokon" (PC) section, where I was finally able to take a look at the new MacBooks. Nice machines! I'm sure F will get one by the end of the year, maybe the black one. I was able to find a suitable iPod Shuffle charger among the cell phone chargers for only about $12, much cheaper than the $30-$60 specialized chargers. In the end, though, I only bought a brushed metal Shuffle skin and a Nightmare Before Xmas tatoo for K's shuffle. K picked up the PS2 game "Okami," which is a beautiful game to watch him play. Before leaving the building, we had "lunch" at the on-site Mister Donut, where we had enough "point cards" to take a two-pack of glasses with us.

We decided to walk back to the hotels, and they turned out to be pretty nearby. We grabbed our carry-ons from the Dormy Inn and re-checked in to the Comfort Hotel. I hooked up K's PS2 to the TV and he began playing Okami. F and I checked e-mail and continued to improve our "Brain Age" with K's DS. At 5:30 we set out for dinner.

Our intention was to grab a quick bowl of ramen at a restaurant on the street behind our hotel. It was still closed when we walked by so we kept walking and ended up locating first our dessert and then our dinner. We ate dinner, first, at Bakudanya, which specializes in a spicy version of Hiroshima's local "tsuke-men," where noodles and veggies are served on a plate with a bowl of broth on the side that you dip your noodles in before eating. After we ordered, we were asked what level of spiciness we wanted. It was then we noticed a small scale on the "bar" with values from "0" to "20." K and F had level 1, while I settled on levle 5. While the young part-timer mixed our broth with spoonfuls of a bright red pepper paste, we noticed wooden name plates on the wall in groups next to spice levels starting at 20 and going up to 100. My level 5 had a pleasant zing to it and required three refills of water to get me through the meal, so I imagined what tears were shed at the higher levels. When the order arrived, the plates held our order of noodles, shredded negi onions, long thin strips of cucumber, blanched cabbage, and 2 thin pieces of roasted pork. It was a tasty meal that we quickly devoured.

After paying, we walked another half-block to Mario Dessert, a nice little cake shop adjacent to the larger Mario Bar and Dining in Fujimi-cho. We each selected a dessert, which was cheerfully packed up by the staff, and headed back to the hotel. We took coffee from the lobby's "Welcome" brew station and headed up to the room to eat. Unfortunately, we discovered we did not have any silverware, so we made do with lots of small bites using our stirring stick/spoons.

Now we are tired from walking and with full bellies we are likely to crash any moment. Another day is done.

Hiroshima Day 2 (June 24)

The weather was much more cooperative than we imagined it would be based on early forecast. Unfortunately, we also had to change hotels today, so after waking up, we went downstairs to the breakfast buffet offered by the hotel. It was actually quite good to be included for free in the cost of our stay. There was fruit, cereal, 4 kinds of bread, orange juice, miso soup, yogurt and coffee. It was enough to fill us up.

Back up in the room, we packed and prepared to leave. The plan was to leave our large suitcase here, and take our carry-ons over to the next hotel to hold until check in later in the day. And that is what we did. We wheeled our bags just around the corner to the Dormy Inn, then we crossed the street to the ANA Hotel where I purchased day passes for the streetcar. Passes in hand, we actually headed across Hondori to the Book-Off discount and used bookstore, where we killed about 30 minutes looking at books. Finally we crossed back to the middle of Hondori to the streetcar platform and waited for the #1 line bound for Hiroshima Station.

We were able to board one of the very modern eco-friendly streetcars and rode it to the end. At Hiroshima Station we quickly changed over to a #5 car bound for Hiroshima Port, but we would be getting off at the third station. Our destination was Hijiyama Park, wherein lies both the Hiroshima City Manga Library and the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art. From the streetcar station, the entrance to the park was just across the street, but it was an uphill walk to get to the park area. The walk wasn't really that bad, about 10 to 15 minutes up a leisurely incline. The overcast sky and the greenery of the park made for a pleasant, if just a little humid, walk. At the top we headed to the right to the Manga Library.

The building is not that large and the collection is on the second floor. We climbed the stairs and entered the busy room. Racks and racks of shelves held the large collection of manga (over 77,000 volumes) and, since this was a Saturday morning, we shouldn't have been surprised to see so many people already in the space. What was surprising was the mix of both children and adults of all ages perusing the shelves or sitting quietly reading. The other surprise was the quietude. Yes, it was a library, but it seemed almost incomprehensible that so many people (maybe 50 or so) could fill such a small space and not generate much noise. F selected the first half of Candy Candy, K picked up a KeshiKasu-Kun lying on the table when he couldn't locate the One Piece volumes. I browsed through a number of research volumes until I found my way over to the monthly section and found that the library had a subscription to Mad Magazine. We ended up staying there for an unbelievable two and a half hours. In the end, we were waiting for F to finish her Candy Candy. As we departed, she even commented that she didn't mind coming back to finish the second volume.

We next headed across the plaza to the Museum of Modern Art. The main entrance, a space-age'y semicircle, was up a few steps and through a metal and glass automated portal door. After paying our ¥360 x 2 (K was free) we headed to the first of four exhibits. The first was a collection of local artists. Then down the stairs to a more permanent collection of works under the banner of "Warau" (laugh or smile). Back up to the first floor and down to a temporary video installment called "Hyper Links for Dead Links" produced by the Candy Factory. Then back upstairs to a second video installation, a collection of three surreal pieces by ???. Outside the museum we took a brief look around the outdoor installations before heading back down to the streetcar platform.

When the #5 came back we boarded, then transferred to a #1 at Matoba Station. We got off at Tenmaya department store, but headed down the street a block or two in search of OkonomiMura, a collection of Okonomiyaki restaurants occupying three floors of building. We detoured to Yamada Denki to make sure the cell phone we bought last year was still active (it was!). At OkonomiMura our preferred stall was full so we decided, tired or not, to walk a few more blocks to locate the Mitchan Okonomiyaki restaurant.

After dinner we stopped for a small shake at MOS Burger for dessert. Bellies full, we made our way back to the Dormy Inn to check in. We settled into the room, then K and I went up to the onsen on the eigth floor. It was a very nice bath and was a very relaxing way to end the day.

Hiroshima Day 1 (June 23)

So, the bags are now safely with the staff of the hotel and, despite being overcast, it looks like we will be spared from rain for the day. We decided to wait around in the lobby for a while before going out too early, since everything is closed until at least 8:30. Just before 8:00 we finally hit the streets and decide to walk over to Peace Memorial Park, home to the A-Bomb Dome, the "Memorial Monument for Hiroshima, City of Peace," the Peace Memorial Museum, and other small sites scattered throughout. Luckily, it turns out to be extremely close to the hotel, so we are there in a matter of minutes.

It is still early, so we head to the middle of the park to the Memorial Monument. This monument is actually a cenotaph, which according to the Wikipedia entry, is a "...tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere." It is estimated that the A-Bomb dropped on Hiroshima was responsible for the deaths of 300,000 people. Enshrined here are the names of the known victims, including those who have died over the years from complications resulting from exposure to the bomb and its fallout. Every year, on August 6, there is a ceremony held to remember the victims and to present the annual "Declaration of Peace," which also renews the call for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The monument is somewhat saddle-shaped arch which aligns with the perpetually burning Flame of Peace and the A-Bomb Dome itself. After snapping some photos and spending a little time in meditative silence, we walk back toward the East Building of the Memorial Museum, our entry point to the permanent exhibit.

Admission to the museum is less than a pittance, and all three of us are in the door for less than a bottled water or two. We pay a couple hundred yen more for an audio guide for K. The exhibit in this East Building sets the stage by giving some of the historical background of the city leading up to the war and, ultimately, the dropping of the bomb. I was glad to see that it was a fairly balanced view of events. The exhibit clearly pointed out that, yes, the city of Hiroshima had served as a prominent military center through several wars prior to and including WWII; that Korean laborers were forcibly brought to Japan to work essentially as slave labor; that the war effort had conscripted boys and girls from junior high up to work in factories; that military training was being carried out in even elementary schools and that teachers and students in elementary school were used as labor for farming endeavors taking place on school grounds; that, as in the U.S., women played significant roles in the workforce since most of the men were gone; and that a number of treasured artifacts were melted down for their scrap metal value. The exhibit includes a number of photos, maps, and artifacts from the period. In the center of the building is a 1/25 (?) replica of the A-Bomb Dome's roof. Nearby are two large dioramas of the city architecturally before and after the explosion. The second floor of the building deals with response and rebuilding the city over the last five decades and a section on nuclear proliferation.

Outside the second floor exhibit, there is a small souvenir shop, some video on demand carrels, and an hour-long documentary about the project to have survivors give witness to the events through paintings. It is actually quite moving as an oral history project.

Then, a corridor leads to the West Building housing the primary artifacts from the explosion. The exhibit opens with a number of photos of the mushroom cloud from 2-3 sources stationed outside the city with the bomp went off. The next section deals with the immediate aftermath and includes a somewhat gruesome set of three wax figures, a schoolgirl, a mother, and a child, shambling zombie-like with flesh ribbons danglish from their outstretched arms. Most of the rest of the exhibit is comprised of tattered clothing recovered from victims, walls and other architectural structures damaged and deformed by the blast, a discussion of radiation sickness (including preserved body parts), a section on Sadako (of the 1000 Cranes story), and everyday objects transformed and/or fused by the explosion. The west wing journey ends with paintings and videos from the oral history project. We watched a couple, and headed down and out of the museum.

Back outside, we walked toward the dome, detouring only to spend time at the Children's Peace Monument, or what I refer to as the Sadako Memorial. This monument is dedicated to the children lost and affected by the bomb. Around the monument are protective cases containing quite a lot of senbazuru (1000 cranes) offerings. The story of Sadako is world famous and people still make and bring these collections of origami cranes to the park, either to her memory and to that of all the children, or as an effort made to help a sick friend, relative or classmate. Ten years ago, when I visited last, these paper cranes were all over the park lying in heaps. Then a few years back, there were a series of arson fires which resulted in the protective cases today. Closer to the dome, I also took some pictures at the Monument dedicated to the Mobilized Students.

Finally, we were up close and personal with the A-Bomb Dome, at least as close as we could get since the area is posted. Even now this is still an impressive site and words alone can't express the proper sentiment.

After some time, we pressed on and out of the park and decided to lift our spirits with a bit of food and shopping. Not far away was the SunMall, where we spent some time at Mister Donut for lunch, followed by windows shopping at Uniqlo and HMV. After that it was time to head back to the hotel to check in, and catch up on our sleep.

If you want more information about Peace Memorial Park, visit the official website at:
http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/top_e.html

The Value of Time

So it is now about 47 hours since we actually left home to begin our Japan trip. We only checked into our hotel about an hour and a half ago. Japan time is 5:03 pm, Friday, June 23. Usually it takes about 24 hours door-to-door, but this time we've done something different. Instead of heading to familiar grounds, such as to my mother-in-law's in Sakaiminato or to see friends in Akita, we've begun our stay in Hiroshima. To save some money on the trip, we decided to take an overnight bus from Osaka. That's where the value of time comes in. We've had a lot of it to kill.

The flight from the U.S. was pretty uneventful, Chicago weather delayed our leaving Boston by about 30-40 minutes and there was no delay in Chicago. We arrived at the Kansai International Airport around 3:00 pm, but our bus to Hiroshima wasn't set to leave until 11:30 pm from the OCAT in Namba. Getting through customs and baggage was a breeze and we were able to send our bags ahead and catch the OCAT bus right around 4:00. By 5:40 we were at OCAT with 6 hours to kill. We spent a while looking around Maruzen bookstore then decided to find some food.

The food venture could have been easy, but we had nothing but time so we headed to the Namba Walk, an underground passage of several city blocks in length with shops of all kind, including a number of eateries that only made us hungrier. We were tempted by curry shops, udon/soba shops and ramen shops, but decided to press on to find the famous river where Hanshin Tigers fans are knows to get a little crazy during playoff season, either by jumping in the river or by unceremoniously sending the nearest Colonel Sanders statue into the drink. When we found our way to the surface, the rain, not to mention our fatigue and hunger, kept us from pursuing any sightseeing. We did decide to kill about 20 minutes looking at cell phones, digital audio players, and the like at Bic Camera, though. Then we headed back underground and back to OCAT where we ended up eating Teuchi (handmade) Udon.

When we finished, it was still 8:00, so we browsed the bookstore for another hour, till it closed at 9:00. Two and a half hours to go! Thank goodness for podcasts! I had the foresight to load up a few on my Shuffle before the trip, so I was able to pass the time listening to a couple of Leo Laporte's shows. K stayed busy with his DS and F worked on Sudoku puzzles. At 11:00 we took our bags out of the locker where we had stowed them while traipsing around the Namba Walk, and moved closer to our bus' departure gate. Tick-tock, tick-tock. 11:30 and our bus finally arrived and we departed.

Japanese long-distance buses remind me of grounded airplanes. The seats recline like airline business class seats, but are decidedly narrower side-to-side. I am usually able to sleep, but it comes in bursts of 1-2 hours at a time. They are more comfortable than coach class on the airlines, and a lot quieter, but they still are not a bed, and my age is creeping up on me, because I think I want to travel by night bus less and less now! Get thee to a hotel! So, after three or four fits of sleep, we arrived in Hiroshima around 6:30 am. We are all travel-weary, but persevering. We sit on a bench just inside the bus terminal and make a light breakfast of three croissants we purchased at Logan Airport before leaving Boston. Next, we get to play "Which way do we go, George?" as we try to figure out where we are and how to get to the hotel. We know we can't check in until 3:00 pm, but we can at least dump our carry-ons. At last we decide to hop on a streetcar and discover that we are only three stops away, so in short order we are in the lobby of the Comfort Hotel.

Still ahead is spending another eight hours before we can finally drop onto a bed. That, for now, will have to wait till the next posting.

End of Days

Today K finished elementary school. I attended the awards ceremony and watched as he traipsed up and down the gymnasium bleachers to take ten different certificates, including the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence and four terms on the high honor roll! The boy did well! It was not really a surprise for him to collect certificates for music and band, but for him to get an art award two years in a row is astonishing. He claims to hate art! What's up with that? Anyway, like any parent, I'm proud of his achievements. He really is a good kid, and he's come a long way since starting school in America four years ago. He didn't have the language arts skills back then, but has risen to the challenge. Way to go, K!

After the awards ceremony, he headed back to class for a final ice cream party with classmates. His class won the school spirit award for their overall participation in spirit events throughout the year. I headed in to work, arriving around 10:50.

Lunch hour was racquetball time. First I played with Jim, losing barely in a 19-17 finale. Then I played with Joe and won 16-14. Overall, a good day.

Now, we are moving into the last day before our Japan trip. F is tired and exhausted. A lot is done, but the final day before leaving is usually her most stressful. Nothing new, just roll with it, and try not to forget anything.

Strewn across the lawn
Like battlefield warriors
Severed blades of grass

Will this be the one?

So, I've made several attempts at blogging before, but nothing has "clicked" for me quite yet, though I am happy with what I've started on my Google Pages for Haiku. I may transition that over to here since this is clearly the place for it.

Father's Day is drawing to a close. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that Father's Day does not mean a "day off" for dear old dad. Nope, I was up by 8:00 preparing waffles, a regular Sunday breakfast for the regular Sunday chef. Hardly had I poured the first batter on the griddle when the phone rings and K is calling for a ride home from his overnight stay at a friend's house. Why so early? Who knows. With K back home, we all sit down to breakfast.

Next up, I turned on CBS Sunday Morning, another regular. Of course, during the summer, many of the segments are "classic" rather than new. Today, though, there is a good triple bit about contemporary dads in U.S., Italy and Japan. I hit record on the Tivo and went upstairs to check on K, who was already booting up the computer to play Half-Life 2: Episode 1. I switched on the Spanish channel to watch the start of the World Cup game between Japan and Croatia. I didn't get to watch it all, but heard it ended in a draw.

10:00 and I'm heading outside to tackle the lawn. Four hours later I finally find my way back in. In the time outside, I lost $10 to K when he decided he wanted to make some money. I gave him most of the backyard to mow after I finished mowing and hedge trimming the front. When the lawn was done, I thought I'd finally unpack the pressure washer I bought at the end of last summer. After setting it up, it took a bit to get the engine to kick in, but when it did I started spraying the deck and the siding to see how well it worked. Naturally, the noise brought K back outside (he went in as soon as his money was made) and he was trying to wrangle more money from me. I told him no, but we did move the pressure washer to the other side of the deck, only to have it refuse to turn on! Jeez! Are they usually this fragile and finicky? I'll troubleshoot more another day.

Coming in at 2:00, I showered and had a late lunch of Thai curry then relaxed a little. At 2:50 I convinced K to walk down to the Father's Day Block Party. It was a scorcher outside. Too bad for the block party. I think they were actually the victims of the weather being too nice. Not much was happening, so K and I made a quick round trip through the block, then headed to the video store (nothing new to rent), grabbed frozen drinks at Cumby's and headed back home.

4:00 - 5:30 I finally got a little "me" time, fighting with my computer to play Half-Life 2: Episode 1 on my own. I'm convinced my memory is bad as I get nothing but freezes/crashes whenever I try to play a "Source" engine game. Bummer. Another item for the summer shopping list.

5:30 - 7:00 Grill time! I fired up the grill and cooked a London broil we had in marinade for about an hour. While the grill was heating I also decided to pull out the ladder and clean the drain gutters on the low side of the house. Foul-smelling muck! Thankfully, dinner turned out good.

7:00 - 9:00 Flipping channels I found Blade on SpikeTV. I had never seen the first movie, so it seemed like a good waste of time. K and I watched it while playing a cheap game I bought yesterday called Hack Attack. Essentially, it is a little like an advanced form of Tic-Tac-Toe. I won the first couple of rounds pretty quickly, then the movie distracted me and K was mopping up. When the movie ended he was off to bed, which is where I'm heading soon.

Tomorrow is K's last day at elementary school--awards ceremony and a half day. Then on Wednesday I'm off to Japan. How the time does fly.