HIROSHIMA: A DAY OF REMEMBERING...

When I decided to finally book this trip to Japan, there is one place that I would not dare miss for the world. -HIROSHIMA!

It is the site of the very first atomic bomb attack on August 06, 1945.

I have learned about this in High School and ever since, I've got my eyes set on visiting this place,

The opportunity came on our Second day in Japan.

From Shin-Osaka, we boarded a SHINKANSEN ( Bullet Train) that would bring us to Hiroshima.

Shinkansens are awesome.  They are like airplanes only they are not flying. Hehe
You could get to far places in such a small amount of time.
I wish we have that here in the Philippines.
Imagine a trip from Manila to Tuguegarao which would normally take 12-14 hours by Bus, it is just going to be three hours (or less) via these Bullet Trains.  Hanep di ba?

The Shinkansen Central Gate is literally a few steps from our Hotel.
Talk about strategic location, eh?

The way leading to the Platforms are clearly marked making it impossible for one to get lost.

Our train is arriving soon!

Transportation in Japan is very efficient.
Trains (as do buses and ferries) arrive and leave as scheduled.

There goes our speedy train!

This is how it looks like inside.

The seats are soft yet firm, the legroom is sufficient and best of all, it was squeaky clean!

Food is available inside too.

Coffee anyone?  Naku, tulog na tulog pa si Sir. Hehe

I have not fully enjoyed the ride and already, we were at our destination. Pffft.

Notice the signs.  They are everywhere!  Very Tourist friendly.

On our way out, we saw many students on a field trip.

Naturally, Hiroshima is the center of History in Japan.

They look so cute!

We decided to have breakfast first at a Mc. Donalds inside the Station.

OMG! These cost a whooping 2500 yen!

When we ventured outside the station, I liked what I saw agad.

It was a picture of discipline and orderliness.

Walang pasaway eh!

There was just one thing that caught my eye.

Nagdadasal ba si Kuya o nanglilimos?

We bought a Hiroshima Day Pass for each of us and rode the Street Car.

Streetcars are different from Buses.  Both are efficient and friendly.

On our way pa lang, nakaka hyperventilate na ang colors ng leaves.

Whoa!

Gusto kong pumara nang makapag pa picture. LOL.

After a few minutes, we arrived na sa area ng Atomic Bomb Memorial.

All too suddenly, we got a bit serious and nervous at the same time.

Kahit na it happened more than 60 years ago, you could still feel the eeriness of the place.

More than ten thousand people perished here in just one bomb explosion.

Call me "maarte" but my heart was beating faster and faster in every step that I make.

Okay, I do not wish to recount here in this blog what exactly happened.

You could easily research about it on the internet.

But for "storytelling" purposes, here are some pictures for you to visualize the extent of the devastation.

On the morning of  August 6, 1945, a sunny day in Hiroshima, People were going about their daily duties.

Ito yung scale model ng aerial view ng Hiroshima circa 1945.

At exactly 8:15 AM, a deafening sound was heard.

Instantly,Hiroshima looked like this na.

As in only a few buildings were standing.  The rest were burned to ashes including people and animals in it.

For those who survived the blast, this is how it looked like thirty minutes after the explosion.

One of the building that was still standing was this building with a dome.

How it looked like after the blast

Eto na sya ngayon after 60+ years.

Took a photo with us on the foreground for remembrance.

The view of the building from afar.

On our way to the next site, we passed by a Japanese guy who spoke English fluently.

We later learned from the signboard he made that he was 3 months inside her Mother's womb when the Bomb was dropped.

 

He told us his story from the accounts of his Mother and from relatives.

His grandfather who died a few months after the blast.

Those who did not die instantly, later died pa din because of the atomic reaction.
Their skins were decomposing, they could not walk na, etc.

They said that they were turned into "guinea pigs" by the Americans.

Those who were pregnant at the time of the blast gave birth to babies who looked like these.

It was indeed very touching hearing it from a survivor himself.

We shook his hands and left with a heavy heart.

He was not there to collect fees he said.
He was just there to tell a true story.
His story was even featured in Time Magazine, we were told.

Another structure that did not collapse entirely was this building.

It was since converted to the Tourist Center and Souvenir Shop where Tourists could seat and contemplate.

Probably recover from the shock too. Hehe.

Teka, souvenir shopping ba ikamo?

Aba eh natural, nagka milagro na naman at nakalakad na naman si Madir. Hehehe

I push mo yan Mother! LOL

After some time, we continued our walk and arrived at the Paper Crane Memorial.

It is the story about a little girl who survived the blast but later developed Leukemia.

She wanted so much to live and as one of her therapy, she would make paper cranes.

She died a few years after and since then, children from all over the world send paper cranes in her memory.

DH was very touched too. I saw him scribbling on his Travel Journal...  

Photoshoot by the paper crane display panels.

A few steps away is the ETERNAL FLAME.

The fire was burning for years already in memory of that fateful day.

A closer view of the flame.

Then we saw the Cenotaph where ashes of some of the people who perished were entombed. 

Our last stop that morning is the Museum where hundreds of items from the blast were on display.

It was touching to know that the Museum was also holding a fund raising for the Philippines.

Thank you Hiroshima.

We spend quite a long time looking at each of the exhibits...

And, the most touching article I found there was this watch who stopped at the exact time the bomb exploded.

Let me leave you with these words most probably uttered by a little boy who was playing that time the bomb exploded.

He could be as old as my boy....

His future was robbed off him.

LET US SAY NO TO NUKES!

ENROUTE TO THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN

I booked the tickets for this Japan trip of ours a year ago.
I was lucky enough to score 3 roundtrip tickets for just 17K.  Roughly, 6K each person.
This is really a steal because a round trip ticket for 1 that is booked the last minute could go as high as 25k.
Thank you once again, Cebu Pacific!

Except for a brief stop over in Nagoya on the way to the United States a couple of years back, it was our first time in this country.

For those who know me personally, you could attest that my stress reliever after a hard days work is to prepare for a trip.

It is also my instant "upper" whenever I am sad or feeling under the weather.

So, that being said, I had 12 months to prepare for this big adventure of ours.

And, by the time we were scheduled to leave, everything was all set down to the minute details.
The hubby was thrilled to bits how I could pronounce Japanese sounding places with ease and familiarity.

It was as if I have been to Japan already what with the details all nailed down in my travel journal.

We left around noon time for our 3:40 flight to Osaka.

Since we had plenty of time, we decided to have a very early dinner at the airport.

Burp! That was filling.  Hope it lasts us until touchdown.

The airplane left on time.
And it was smooth and turbulence free.  Hooray.

The little one even got "comfy" on the floor.

And, after almost four hours, we were already touching down on Kansai International Airport.

It wasn't that late really but the airport seemed deserted.
There were hardly any crowd at all.  

We are not even five minutes in Japan and already, we were impressed by the kind of attention they give to passengers especially to my Mom who was on a wheelchair.

In lieu of an elevator in the Arrival Tube, their elevators could carry guests on wheelchair
with just a push of a button. Amazing!

We landed on Terminal 2 and we all had to transfer to Terminal 1 for immigration and to get our bags.
Ate Lyn was thrilled to bits when she realized that we had to ride a monorail in between Terminals.

Her exact words were " Wow, may LRT sa loob ng airport!"

When we arrived in Terminal 1, our bags were already out of the carousel and were already wating to be picked up.

All accounted for:  Four bags and a baby!

And Oh, it was worth mentioning that the moment the doors of the plane were opened upon our arrival, Mom's own wheelchair and Rocco's stroller were already by the tube.

Now that is one for the books for us. We have traveled many times in both domestic and international destinations, but it is only here where this happened.

Very convenient especially for physically challenged seniors and babies.

This was already Terminal 1 but already, para pa ring walang tao at 9PM.
Most likely it was because it was orderly and HUGE!

We then proceeded to the office where we had to exchange our JR Pass Vouchers into the actual Japan Rail Pass.

Ginto ang presyo nito.  Pero sulit din naman pala in the end.

I will tell you more about this Rail Pass in succeeding posts as this is one of the most essential thing you should have in your possession when traveling in Japan.

You have to buy it BEFORE you step foot in Japan and it was rather EXPENSIVE!

The Office was easy to locate and was just beside the Train Station going to the City.

Armed with our rail passes, we can literally go anywhere without worrying how to get tickets or tokens, etc.
So, off we went to our hotel in Shin-Osaka.

Easy to find as all signs are with English translations.

We noticed that it was a bit cold while we were standing on the Platforms.

Our train is approaching. It was on time.  

First time!

We boarded the Airport train and even there, and we noticed immediately that there weren't much passengers too.  Where have all the People gone? Hehehe.

Mommy and Ate Lyn were obviously tired but that did not stop them from
having their picture taken.  Such camwhores. Hehe

The trip to the city was around an hour long.
It was almost ten in the evening already by the time we reached the Shin Osaka Train Station.

At around that time, we were already very hungry.
Unfortunately, most of the shops were already closed.
Good thing we found this store which turned out to be the counterpart of 7-11 and Mini Stop here in the Philippines.

So much for "authentic" Japanese fine dining the moment we step foot in Japan
like we planned.  We had to settle for microwaved dinner. Boo!

Lucky for us, it was not so bad at all.

But let me tell you that food in Japan was very expensive.
For the pork-rice-veggies combo we ordered alone, we had to pay 500 yen which was roughly 250 pesos.

This is only the first day and already, we were broke! Huhuhu...

It was fine but it costs way too much.  Dito sa atin, I wouldn't pay more than 100-120 bucks for this.  Seriously.

Worst, a can of Soda amounts to 150 yen (Php 75.00 roughly).  An order of extra rice would set you back for 130 yen (Php 65.00!).

Mukhang nabusog naman ang Barkadahan.

Kawawa naman ang Birthday boy.  Nakasalampak sa sahig ang Birthday Dinner. 

After eating, we had no difficulty in finding our Hotel for the next two days.
Because I have foreseen that we would be pooped at this time after the plane ride, I booked rooms in a hotel that is INSIDE the Train Station itself -REMM SHIN OSAKA.

Remm Shin Osaka.
Sleek, Shiny and Mid priced.

 If the food was expensive, a night in a three star Hotel room is way too COSTLY!
As in, the cost of a night's stay in an average hotel there is the same if you book in Sofitel or Shangri-La for the night here in our country.

And, If I make mention, the rooms were VERY SMALL.  Incredibly minute to be downright truthful about it.

Too bad I could not locate the pictures we took inside the room.
But I tell you, I could not even open our luggages without bumping into the bed or the door.

It was modern, beautiful and functional though, I must say.
But still very small. Hehehe

The 17th Floor Corridor

The Mini Lobby on the 17th floor.  The "rock" looking thing there is actually a "sofa".

Our room for the night.

The room was so small that they had to think of ways to save space.
Those were the toletries.  Genius, I must say.

And that ends our first day in Japan.
I hope you stay tune for the next installments.

Thanks!