For the sake of brevity, keeping things on track, and because both days were relatively simple, I've decided to combine the two final days of Hiroshima into one post. It's easier, and I feel like it won't have anything missing.
Day 8 began as heavy as the other two days, this time with a very special meeting with a very special lady. We were lucky enough to meet and hear from a Ms. Tadaome (I think, my memory fails me with names), a survivor of the A-bomb. She was 500 meters from the edge of the hypocenter, that is, the point of impact on the ground. The stories she recounted from when the bomb went off to how everything was afterwards for years onwards were shocking and vivid. I felt like crying, but the tears failed to reach simply because of how attached I was to listening to the story. She had been left with a hole in her face bigger than her fist, taking out her left eye and a majority of her mouth. Surgery was performed much later on to help alleviate this issue, but the issues she had later (skin, breast, and stomach cancers, to start) were much more difficult to handle. We got to hear how angry she was initially after the event, but how eventually it dissipated and now she works towards being a model to everyone else on the damage bombs can do. Everyone always assumes that as soon as the bomb goes off, people just vaporize and are instantly gone. But really, that's all a misconception. The majority of people die from the hours, days, weeks after the event as their hair falls out and the skin all over their bodies melts and peels away. It was a very moving story and I definitely was sad to see her go, as I wanted to learn as much as I could about her own opinions and thoughts regarding the event.
Thankfully, we got to follow up that very serious conversation with a field trip to Miyajima Shrine, one of the most iconic images in all of Japan. It has the giant torii gate that "floats" on the water. Just googling "torii" gives you images of the gate itself, but in case you don't know of it, you can find it in the pictures now uploaded on my flickr! Look at the bottom of the post for the link, in case you haven't seen it yet. The island itself was grand, though it was a SUPER tourist spot. The island is inhabited by many, many dear that roam the streets chasing after any random passersby with food. The many stands there that sell squid and pork kabobs only contribute to the deers' attraction to tourists. There were LOTS of souvenir shops and places to eat overpriced food, but we were able to find somewhere that wasn't terribly pricey for what it offered. It was neat because there were also tables on tatami mats, so those who sat at them had to take off their shoes (like how people take off their shoes before entering a house). I had beef udon, one of my favorite dishes in the whole wide world, and was quite pleased with the results. We visited the many shrines on the island, including a giant five-story pagoda building (reminded me of Pokemon Gold and Silver. You know what I'm talking about!).
But without a doubt, the best part of the trip was climbing Mt. Misen. The island held a mountain range, but right above the main village was Mt. Misen, a major one that had a path kind of etched up it. At the foot was a sign saying it takes about 90 minutes on average to climb to the summit, as well as warnings not to start late in the day because there are no lights and climbing down in the dark is very dangerous. Lucky for us, we started around 3PM.... just as the clouds started to roll in and rain began to drizzle down. The way up was hellacious, to say the least. Some stairs were okay. Others were super-thin and difficult to get a footing on. The rain didn't help much either, and by the end of the journey, it A couple thousand stairs, not to mention some very few flat-ground areas, later and we were able to reach the summit. And we hit it before the average mark, making it there in a meager 70 minutes. So. Out. Of. Shape. URK. The rain had drenched us completely, but we'd found the oasis: a tiny three-story shack that sold instant noodles and shaved ice and offered a simply stunning view of everywhere around... Except the rain made everything foggy, so the view wasn't clear. But it was still to die for, even through the obscured view. The way down was perilous, leading my climbing buddy to slide not once, not twice, but THRICE, scraping up knees, arms, and buttocks alike. Poor thing =[ Being without first aid materials killed me! I just had to do my best, carry the backpack with all our soaked stuff, and do my absolute best to not fall myself.
We eventually completed the climb down in the pouring rain, without umbrellas (it was useless in that weather. You're screwed with or without lol), and randomly came across the others around high-tide time after trekking through the most AWESOME algae field ever. We had to climb up rocks quite literally to reach them, since there was no way up without taking about 15 minutes to walk all the way around. Trust in me and I shall deliver you to your destination, no matter what! :D We got to watch as the Miyajima Shrine lit up and it began to "float" on the water as the tide came in. Before that, we went around the souvenir shops before they closed and snagged up a couple goodies. Momiji Manju, a cake-like treat in the shape of a maple leaf, is the hot-ticket item on sale Miyajima is known for, so we split a box. So many flavors, like chocolate, cheese cream (cream cheese? o_O), and red bean. They remind me of twinkies with different fillings. I'm still working on eating them all.
Freezing from being drenched by the rain, we headed back with the group to the mainland to head back to the hotel and end a long, lovely day.
The next day was spent going to Kure, a nearby naval town that hosts a large variety of facilities involved in the production of sea-based vehicles. It is actually where an old friend of mine went to do a homestay when she first went to Japan, so I thought of her, though no longer in contact with one another =/ We got to hear about Kure's role in the wars, the battleship Yamato, and go into tunnels made inside part of a mountain. We turned out our flashlights at one point and sat in total darkness, hearing about the working conditions of the people who worked in the tunnels so long ago. It was so dark, I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. My shirt was a tiny bit visible, being light beige, but otherwise, not a thing. I'd have liked to have been able to stay there and just sit, ponder life, meditate, and reflect on what we'd seen and heard over the weekend.
So then we began the long trip back to Totsuka, beginning with a 4 hour ride on the Shinkansen bullet train once more. I think we were all totally spent, physically and emotionally, after such a long and busy weekend. When we finally got back to Totsuka, before going back to MISH, our apartment building, four of us found a ramen shop still open. And mein gott. Maruchan instant ramen simply doesn't exist anymore to me. There is no such thing. No comparison can be drawn between it and true ramen from a store. To. DIE. For. Yeah, I like food. Can you tell yet?
Pictures can be found here! http://www.flickr.com/photos/djmarmar/sets/72157631499693054/
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