Hiroshima - The Big Bang Territory and Okonomiyaki Cooking

Community Highlights Asia Hiroshima - The Big Bang Territory and Okonomiyaki Cooking

Travelling

Yesterday was a travelling day. Got on the local train for 1.5 hrs back to Kagoshima before boarding the bullet train for Hiroshima - a 2.5 hr journey. At 300 k/hr, that equates to 750 km! Bloody amazing. If we had one of these things in Bunbury, we'd get to Perth in 40 mins! Imagine that. Well, in your dreams....

Hiroshima

Arrived at Hiroshima station. By now, the culture shock is slowly fading and we found it a lot easier to find our way around. The station, as usual, was enormous. It was coupled with shops and restaurants, basically a small town in itself. As it was already 1600 hrs, we just unpacked and did some laundry as we are in Hiroshima for 3 days.

Soon it was time for hunting and gathering. I had read that the local specialty is Okonomiyaki and one highly rated place was only 5 min walk from our hotel. Google map in hand, we set off. It may have been just 5 mins on the map but with the numerous roadworks and diversions, it took a bit longer. finally found the place - the Minami. This was a tiny place with a seating capacity of 8 and operated by a tiny grandmother cooking the food on a steel griddle. More about the cooking later. There was no place for us and we were politely turned away! WTF!!

To get backl to our hotel, we had to walk through the train station. We decided to stop at this Japanese steak place. I can tell you that the Japs know how to treat beef. The fillet steak I ordered was perfect - delicious and perfectly medium rare. Great searing. What can I say. Heaven for a carnivore like yours truly! Debbie's roast beef salad was yummy as well. Fed and watered, we retired for the night. Too tired to blog and so you are now going to suffer through a long blog.

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Traditional Japanese Breakfast at the Ibusuki Onsen

My Spa Bath outfit

Average buffet breakfast at the Daiwa Roynet Hotel[/b]

Decorative manhole cover (or should I say personhole - wouldn't want to be cancelled)

There is an erection oops, Election coming. These are politicians husting for votes, Blah blah blah, Vote for me and then bugger off

Afternoon treat. Doughnuts from Mr Donuts which is the Japanese Krispy Kremes

My jelly coffee with cream - bloody delicious

Gophers for hire. If you are immobile, how do you get to the gopher to hire it?

Elevator bike racks

Sunset from our window - I like the black and white - makes me feel like a real photographer

Japan seem to be a country of office workers - all filing into work at 0900 hrs

Japanese work clobber. With our occupational Health safety regulations, those business shirts would be hi-vis and the shoes will have be steel capped.

Oysters for Jenny Mac. Paradise for you. Oysters any which way.

Lovely wall clock

Our beef dinner - as good as any BBQ I've had

The green thing looks quite rude

Atomic Peace Dome

Woke up and got off to an early start. We had the inclusive buffet breakfast which in this 3 star place was average. the best thing was the orange juice. Before you say how can any one stuff up orange juice, let me tell you - you CAN. In Taiwan, they watered down the orange juice which made it pretty ordinary.

Perfect tourist weather. 22 degrees and no humidity to speak off. Bliss.

Managed to get on the right tram to head out to the Atomic Peace Park. I expected it to be a beefed up version of the park in Nagasaki. I was right. First thing we say was the Peace Dome. This was a western style building which was only metres from the hypocentre of the bomb. The shell you see is what was left standing. It had to have 3 lots of stabilization in order to preserve it and stop it collapsing. It is a bit eerie to see it in the bright daylight and blue skies.

The student army! good behaviour and respect is the first step to education.

The Peace Dome

A couple of happy locals

Peace Park

Across the bridge was the peace park. There wasn't as many sculptures as the park in Nagasaki. There a peace mound with covered the ashes of the people who died. When you think that 140,000 died, a pretty big pit and mound is required.

There was a Peace bell which had a very sombre note when rung.

There was also an eternal flame with the water feature. There was a tunnel like structure they call a cenotaph. Was that Chinglish again? I thought that a cenotaph was an erection, so to speak. Through the cenotaph, you can see the ruins of the Peace Dome.

The peace mound of the ashes of the dead

The kids showing respect for the dead

The Peace Bell

These origami paper cranes seem like the motif of peace

The Cenotaph

The Peace Clock - the twisted girders reflects the melted steel from the heat

Teach em young

My flag collection. This is the only 3rd flag I have seen. I find that unusual as flags were everywhere in Taiwan. Maybe nationalism is still a dirty word here

The eternal flame

Bell ringer in the shape of a paper crane

Peace Museum

Next door was the Peace Museum. This was 3 buildings connected with 2 walkways. As usual, it was dark and sombre inside. Unfortunately, we were ambushed by an army of school kids. All impeccably behaved, attentive to their teachers, polite but still a problem due to the sheer numbers.

There were also a truck load of whiteys. So many that at times, I couldn't find Debbie. I wonder if they came to see the extent of the damage from the monstrous invention and did anyone felt any guilt. But then why should anyone feel guilt for something they did not do! Being a true psychopath, guilt is not in my vocabulary. I did wonder at the nature of men that such things could occur. The Americans lost the moral high ground as they could have warned the Japanese and allow them to evacuate the target cities! Anyway, it was very moving, especially the stories from survivors.

Melted Buddha from the bomb

Memorial hall

More of the student army - getting ready to move out

The Peace Museum

Inside the Remembrance hall

I think that this is supposed to represent the radioactive core

Finally found one of these giant drums

The Hiroshima Castle

The last main attraction in the vicinity was the castle. It was only 20 mins walking in the very pleasant weather. This castle, built from wood was completely demolished by the bomb. The tower and turrets were painstakingly and lovingly reconstructed. The tower was a 5 story structure and was filled with medieval Samurai artefacts - armour, swords, paintings etc. All very interesting especially if you have watched the series Shogun.

By now it was 1600 hrs and we had been out for 7 hours. Enough is enough. This tourism gig requires a fair bit of walking! No problem doing 10000 steps every day.

The Castle - impressive

The Samurai wear these when fire fighting

The Peace Stadium

Deadly samurai swords - apparently Japanese steel is almost legendary in quality

The amour for the pokemon mascot

Love the colour. don't know what is being written

Okonomiyaki Cooking

1800 hrs and it was time for our cooking class. I thought it shouldn't take too long as most of the Japanese food is raw so not much cooking required. I soon found out that it wasn't a sushi class. Short walk to the place called Okatsu which is an Okonomiyaki place. There were 8 of us, 2 frenchies, 4 sydneysiders and us. Aprons and funny hats were the attire. We were seated around a huge table with a griddle in the middle. Basically it is like one of those BBQs at the parks and campsites but much hotter.

Okonomiyaki is a specialty of Osaka and Hiroshima. Basically it is a cabbage pancake with toppings of your choice. I went for the jalapenos while Deb opted for the cheese. The cookign was done with paddles like paint scrapers. Not very difficult, especially for a master chef like myself!

The we got to eat our creations,. It is a huge meal. Mainly cabbage. Tasty enough but not my favourite. I was glad that I was rejected from the Okonomiyaki place last night and didn't get to pay money for it. We were also given a steamed oyster each. Debb passed so I had her oyster as well. Being steamed, it was quite firm, like a mussel. Don't think I could have had it if it was oyster au naturale. That would be like swallowing snot like having a post nasal drip. Oysters are also Hiroshima's specialty. Apparently 75% of domestic oyster consumed in Japan comes from Hiroshima. The whole experience took 1.5 hours.

Deb with the 2 Frenchies in their honeymoon

My perfect Okonomiyaki

Deb's effort