Day 5

Last night we ended up wandering around Kyoto in a group of 9 looking for a restaurant on a side street. We finally found one that might have been closing, but they served us anyway and were very polite. We didn't understand any of the menu, so we managed to just order "what was popular" there. It turned out to be some kind of Japanese-style omelette, and it was very good. I turned in for the night afterwards because I was pretty tired; what with all the power walking and running around getting to buses and trains, I'll be in better shape than ever when I get back home.

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Today we left at 7:25am to go to Himeji Castle. It was pretty impressive, moreso than many European castles I've seen (on the outside, anyway). There were some artifacts on the inside, and we climbed to the top (the 6th floor) where we made offerings at the Shinto shrine there. On the way out, I noticed that some cherry blossoms looked ready to bloom; hopefully we'll get to see some before we leave.

After that, we left for Hiroshima. It started to rain just as we got to the atomic bomb monument, which was the remnants of a town hall that was decimated by the explosion. We then went to the museum, and it was a very depressing experience. You really don't think much about what happened when those bombs were dropped, but this museum showed the true horror that nuclear weapons unleashed. Particularly haunting pieces were a chunk of stairs with a "human shadow" imprinted on it, as well as some watches stopped dead at 8:15am, the exact time the bomb went off.

From there we took a train ride and then a ferry ride to the island of Miyajima. This is where the famous red Shinto torii is that you see in all the pictures. It was low tide, so we didn't get to see it submerged, but it was still impressive.

The town there was filled with Shinto shrines and temples and such; this really felt like a look into the old days of Japan in this place. We went to the famous Shinto temple of Miyajima, which is called one of Japan's greatest treasures. Afterwards, some of us went wandering the town and ended up getting steamed beef buns at a small restaurant. The service was great and the food was crazy delicious. One of the most interesting aspects of this town was the fact that a whole bunch of deer wandered the streets and everything, not bothered by people at all.

We left Miyajima and took a long ride on the Shinkansen back to Kyoto, arriving close to 10pm. I walked a little ways from the hotel and found a noodle bar, where I ordered a particularly good beef curry udon soup. From there, I went back to the hotel.

This might be my last blog/picture post for a while. Tomorrow we're staying at a ryokan, which is a traditional Japanese inn, and I highly doubt they'll have internet service there. I don't know what the internet situation will be with our other hotels, but I will attempt to update whenever and however possible.

Tomorrow we check out at 7:50 and leave for Iseshima, where we will go and see the famous Ise Shinto shrine, which is the most important Shinto shrine in all of Japan.