Himeji / Hiroshima
Sadly, it is again time to move on. I say sadly, because over the last few days Hiroshima has somewhat felt like a home away from home. I currently sit in the coffee shop across the road from our Airbnb, hanging out till it is time to head to the train station where I shall be making my way to Kyoto.
But let’s go back to where I left you last time. We had left Osaka and were on our way to Himeji for the day before going onto our stay in Hiroshima. The start of my time in Himeji was an event in itself! I was on the bullet train from Osaka with my things spread out in front of me and suddenly my group was departing the train. In a blur I grabbed everything and jumped off the train only to put my hand on my pocket. Something was missing. Where my wallet usually was, only emptiness was found. Heartbeat increasing I jumped back aboard the train that was about to leave. I ran to my seat and nothing. No sign of what I was looking for. Jumping off the train I felt my stomach sinking. I only prayed that my wallet was not about to go on an adventure without me. It turned out that amongst the chaos of disembarking the train, I had thrown it into my backpack with the rest of my stuff. Disaster had been avoided but a near heart attack had been encountered!
Anyway, on to our time in Himeji! After leaving the train station, we dumped our luggage in lockers and made our way to Himeji Castle. A giant, looking over the land. We removed our shoes, put on slippers and climbed to the top. It was nice, to see a bit of history and walk among stories of the past. After the castle we walked the Botanical Gardens. From one section to the next, everything was perfectly kept by the army of Gardeners! For lunch that day I tried Curry-Udon. It was very good! By then, it was about time for us to head to the station, leave Himeji in our rear view mirror and make our way to Hiroshima.
In Hiroshima our group of eight was split into two separate accommodations. This made everything over the next few days considerably more relaxed. I didn’t feel like I was stepping on peoples toes every other moment.
Our first day In Hiroshima started at the Coffee Shop across the road from our Airbnb. Something about the cafe reminded me of home. We would go on to spend every morning of our time in Hiroshima at this Coffee shop. We had found a routine. After our caffeine fix, we grabbed some breaky from a near by bakery and then headed on our way to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It was a confronting, but eye-opening experience. Once we had completed our way through the museum, we went for walk along the river to The Atomic Dome. One of the only buildings to survive the blast. Interesting, that something man had built managed to survive something that man had designed to destroy everything. I spent the rest of that afternoon resting and phoning loved ones, while the rest of the group checked out another Botanical Garden. That evening I tried Okonomiyaki and It was incredible!
As you already know, the next morning started the same as the last. With coffee from over the road. The group decided to split up for our final day. Half of the group were keen to go and explore Mijiyama Gate, while the others preferred the idea of having a chilled out day moseying around the shops. I was part of latter. I guess I slightly regret not being more proactive and going to explore Mijiyama, but I definitely felt better after a restful day.
That evening, my friend Matt and I managed to find a bar that had the tennis on. After ordering a pint of Sierra Nevada we soon realised that they were roughly $20 each! We felt robbed, so we left the bar and ended up in an Indian restaurant. The amount of food that was placed in front of us was insane and it made us not feel quite so bad about the thievery we had just been victim to. After eating our weights worth in Chicken Tikka, we ended the night where we had ended every other night in Hiroshima, at Uncle Sam’s! Routine. Theres that word again! The reason we kept coming back every evening to the same bar was because we loved the relaxed atmosphere. Not to mention the free Popcorn! But seriously, the main reason was that the owners were so kind and friendly. So on our last night in Hiroshima, it felt only right to go for one last drink and say thank you and goodbye.
And here I am in the coffee shop about to say goodbye to Hiroshima. I think the routine I had created for myself was the reason I enjoyed Hiroshima so much. As mentioned before, it felt like home away from home. Hopefully I will be able to come back here again. But for now, onwards to Kyoto!
Sorry this ended up being so long. I realised at the end of writing this that Himeji should have been its own post. Live and learn I guess! Anyway, I hope you are well, thank you for reading.
Till next time.
Charlie.
