Japanese Moment

While out shopping today, I order tacoyaki, which is hard to discribe. Soft gooey fried balls with octopus inside. And I was alone. I did it just cause I like them. Never thought I'd say that the first time I tried them.

Reduce, reuse and recycle

And I thought we were all about saving the planet:
Got to love Engrish

Namba Nights

Last weekend Robin was visiting Grace. Saturday we decided to see Namba, do some shopping and visit the Dotombori Canal to see the famous Glico running man. Robin was surprised that I hadn’t seen it yet. Lonely Planet highly suggests it as a huge site for the area. Steve and Tiffany went to see it last month. I had no idea what they were talking about.

Funny thing is I actually had been to the canal and see Glico running man before and just didn’t know it. Jen and I found it when she was visiting. She called in the “Time Square of Osaka”. The night was still good, we bought a great engrish shirts and I learned to say let’s go. Ikimasho!

Yeah for Namba shops!

Word Up: Ikimasho –Let’s go

Being in Hiroshima it was impossible to ignore the history. At first walking through the Peace Memorial Museum was just a disconnected reflection of facts. It was another time and a war I had no part in. It was faceless. Then came shock, sorrow, and the sober reality of the destruction and devastation. I struggled with guilt, frustration, anger, hopelessness, and despair. The pain of others was no longer faceless.

Two things made me involved a girl named Sadako and art. My fifth grade class did a unit on Japan. As a class we learned to fold paper cranes and sent them to Hiroshima to be placed around a Children’s memorial. We read the story of a girl named Sadako, who developed leukemia at age 12 as a result of the radiation left from the A-bomb. It is believed that if a person folds a thousand paper cranes her wish will come true. In hopes of being healed she folded paper cranes desperate to live. She reached her goal and still did not recover. She continued folding cranes each one smaller then the last till a few days before her death. After her death the children’s monument was built and the statue surrounded by paper cranes. A section of the museum is a tribute to Sadako’s life, sharing her story, testimony of family and classmates, pictures, personal belongingss and some of the tiny cranes she folded. Because of a class project Sadako’s story because real to me.

Art moves me. In my darkest moments I paint, it is healing. To work through the grief many of the survivors painted their experiences. A few of their works are on display with the artist explanation. The images were…I’m sorry there are no words. Just recalling there painting has a lump forming in my throat and wet eyes. I have only experienced the same depth of emotions one other time, two years ago when I visited the genocide museum in Rwanda. It’s a sense of loss, despair and hopelessness. To paint my emotion is to have a black canvas. Wars and death do not end. We seem to only find new ways to destroy each other. Our only hope in the darkness is peace.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.
Matthew 5:9

Day 2: S is for Site-Seeing, Sore feet, and Starbucks

Our lodging was the World Friendship Center. It’s a quaint bed and breakfast. If you’re ever thinking about a trip to Hiroshima I would suggest checking it out. It are co-directed by Don & Pauline Hess. Pauline made a wonderful breakfast!

We spent the morning at the Peace Park, peace memorial museum, and the A-bomb Dome. Walked along Aioibashi Bridge, which was the intended targent on August 6th. The whole experience set a sorrowful tone to the morning. It will be make a post of its own.

In my sorrow and reflection it was a group of jr. high girls that brought me hope. As I was taking pictures of the Children’s monument they just came up to me and to say hello. I was in a sea of faces. Most of the girls were the same height or taller then me so I couldn’t see Steve or Tiff. Talking with them was fun. They just made me smile, even giggle at times Their English was pretty good so they told me their names, age, here they are from, and things they like. They asked me where I was from, what I do, my name, age, and if I had been to Miyajima. Good times.

Hiroshima is famous for its own version of Okonomiyaki known as Hiroshimayaki. Normal okonomiyaki cabbage pancake kept together with flour and egg with your choice of meat –octopus, squid, shrimp, or pork. The Hiroshima difference is they also add noodles (ramen or udon). We asked directions to a good yaki shop and we were not disappointed. We arrived at a three-floor building of okonomiyaki shops. The meal was so good!

After lunch and a bit of window-shopping we stopped at Starbucks. Oh wonderful bliss. Then we rushed back to the bus terminal to catch our ride home to Osaka. I didn’t think I would have a chance to see Hiroshima Castle, it wasn’t near where we were exploring. But as the bus was leaving the city I was able to snap a picture while at a red light.

Day 1: M is for Midnight, Miyajima, Mountains, and Missing Monkeys

Okay the delay has gone on long enough. Gooey brain or no gooey brain the golden week joys must be shared before more time has lapsed. Knowing my head is struggling to form complete thoughts pictures will have to make up the difference –they are worth a thousand words.

Our voyage began at Kong station, then to Umada to catch an overnight bus to Hiroshima. Sleeping on planes or buses even in cars in not a simple task. After twisting and contorting you body only to wake with a crink in your neck and pain everywhere else. The trip to Hiroshima should only take about five hours, yet our bus stopped through out the night for twenty mintues or more each time waking us up when the fans were shut off and the stale air settled. Not the best way to achieve a restful sleep.

We arrived at 5:30 am and waited for everything to open. Its odd being up at that hour I don’t think I like it. The city was actually quiet felt very odd in an eerier way. The only people out were runners and over zealous businessmen. Ate at McDonalds’s, a few seats away from us a guy had fallen asleep at the booth and was snoring up a storm.

Around 7ish or so we hopped on a streetcar heading to docks about an hour’s ride outside the city. I am sure it would have been wonderful to take in the sites –I slept. From the docks we took a very short ferry ride to Miyajima island which is one of Japan’s "three most beautiful spots". It is famous for Itsujushima Shrine and the O-torii gate (also called the floating shrine). The gate is set in the bay and at high tide looks like it is floating on the sea.

We took in the sites. Looked at tourist shops. I came very close to buying myself a set of samurai swords. Fed carrots to wild deer. Took a nap on a park bench. Visited an aquarium. All before lunch. It is the most I’ve done in a morning since coming to Japan. We had an amazing lunch. I tried something new. I am not sure what it is called there were many syllables to remember. The dish had rice in the bottom and the tempura shrimp with a sauce on top. Super good!

It took us awhile to get motivated but after lunch we took a trail up Mt. Misen. Our goals were to reach to top and see wild monkeys. We trudged and trudged and trudged. The closer we got to the top the more breaks I needed to take. Really wanted to give up but once we got to the top it was worth the view. Each break we looked for monkeys even tried to lure them out with monkey calls. Sadly no monkeys were found. On the way down Tiffany and I raced Steve to the bottom. He walked/ran while we took a cable car. Steve beat us by thirty minutes.

We returned to the city, found our night’s lodging. They directed us to a restaurant run by an American, which meant americanish food for us. Oh the joys of a taste of home. Called it a night around 10 and slept soundly.

Thus ended the first day.

Steven and Tiff 

A five level pagoda (not sure of the spelling) 

The shrine 

Tiffany, Steve, and the moose by a large piece of dift wood. That for some reason is on display 

I climb that 

It's Nemo 

Scary 

Wonderful scenery is seen by least 

"Do not walk with having any food" 

Hiroshima City 

The bay 

Tiffany and I at great heights. Taken by Steve from a greater height. 

Flying Fish

Happy belated Boy's Day

Boy's Day was this past May 5th. With flying koi kites everywhere; the proper name is koinobori the translation I was given is "fish in the air".

It's been a week since I returned for my golden week holiday. I had good intentions to post pictures and details but it seems like my minds still on vacation or perhaps its just turned to goo permanently. Maybe tomorrow the writer's block will end.

Word Up: Koinobori -carp fish kites

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

Except when they don’t, cause some times they don’t, like when there are traffic jams, which makes a five-hour ride much longer. That small issue aside I am back from the mini adventure safe and sound. Over the next few days I’ll put up pictures and accounts. For now I’ll leave you with this discovery:


This vending machine TV plays commercials till you make a beverage selection. Then video cameras turn on in the machine so you can watch the journey of your coffee/tea/hot chocolate from the picking of the cup and brewing till you open the door to retrieve you drink.