You meet the strangest folk here in Takayama

If you have been reading each entry (?!) you are probably getting a bit tired of all the talk of temples and shrines and monuments. Well, I am probably hitting my limit too. But that is OK, as today is my last day before I head to the megalopolis that is Tokyo.

It was pretty much a chill out and wander day today. As I said yesterday, Takayama is a sleepy mountain-side town, built for wandering the historic streets and mountain paths. So that is what I decided to do.

First was visiting the morning markets where locals sell mainly fruit and veg, but also some handicrafts. This was kinda cool, but nothing really jumped out at me saying “I’m awesome! Buy me for someone!”. So off it was into the woods.

Not a bad view to have for eternity

There is quite a nice guided walk along the east and south of Takayama. The east side takes in some temples, shrines and graveyards at the foot of the mountains. As I indicated before, while the stroll was actually quite cool, I felt as if I had run the gamut of religious places, so I was probably doing more strolling than looking. Although that said, this temple stood out, I think because it actually looked like it might have been built in the last 100 years.

A nice mountain retreat

When I hit the south, I ended up wandering aimlessly (a nice way to say “kinda lost”) in some woods. I knew there were some castle ruins, shrines, torii, and parks in there, but things didn’t really look like they did on my map. Meh, it didn’t matter.

There's a torii around every corner

Also when you made turns like this, I was just happy to be out walking…

I bet nothing is this green back home...

I ended up finding something that looked familiar and before I knew it I was back in old town. Well, if I’m here, I thought, why not try some more sake? So that I did.

Let me taste your sake

This seemed to be an entrance to a fermenting house. It didn’t seem you could really get inside any breweries, but samples were fine with me.

Faceless Sarubobo

It is worth pointing out another seemingly traditional Takayama thing to go along with the sake and woodcrafts. These faceless monkeys called Sarubobo are EVERYWHERE. You can choose a colour to represent good fortune for different things. Red is the norm but other colours bring other luck. There is also a Hello Kitty variant, but I am not sure what it brings except cuteness really.

The only other thing on my agenda if I had time was a visit to a nearby historical village called the Hida Folk village. This is a collection of restored houses from a century or two ago, but together to highlight how things were back in the 1800’s.

There hasn't been a self-portrait for a while

It was pretty nice for a wander. Although it was done for preservation of cultural artifacts, it also acts as a bit of a touristy destination as well. But like this morning, it was good for a wander for a couple of hours (I was aiming to soak up as much woods before hitting the city again).

So as I type this I am just chilling out in my hostel room. I have a nice big room to myself, which is nice for emptying the backpack out and realising I packed twice as much stuff as I needed (when I swore to myself I would pack hardly anything). It seems Takayama is not that popular with the tourists right about now, because this kinda large hostel is kinda empty. I have only bumped into a half dozen others, none of who seem up for that much (not that there is much to get up to after 6pm anyway). That is cool though as I imagine from tomorrow night in Tokyo that my pattern might move to late morning starts and late night finishes.

Oh, today did present another gem though…

Sorry, none of you are getting this in the mail

Behold another Kit Kat mail pack, what I believe is Soybean powder or something like that. There is only 5 Kit Kat minis in these packs, but don’t worry fans… I am only eating one and bring the other 4 from the pack home.

Soybean goodness

So what was this like? My favourite so far. Rather than the kinda odd but not really flavours I have had, this was more like the Japanese Kit Kat I know and love. It is a close cousin of the soy sauce Kit Kat I reckon. A white coloured chocolate that was delicious. I just worry that as it is so warm here that my kit kats I am lugging around will get a bit warped. I may just have to eat them all…

Over half way through my trip now. 8 nights in Tokyo left. Bring it on.

That's a lot of cranes

This morning I said goodbye to my home of the last 6 days and jumped on the Shinkansen again, this time to Hiroshima. I decided to get a fairly early start since 2 days is all I have planned to see Hiroshima as well as nearby Miyajima Island.

Today’s weather was in stark contrast to yesterday. Whereas yesterday was all sunshine, today was all clouds and constant rain. Oh well. At least it was still warm. I arrived into Hiroshima Station and legged it to my hostel to be for the next 2 nights. A bit smaller than Kyoto, but charming nonetheless.

All I did however was dump the backpack and head off into Hiroshima. The location of the hostel was literally 2 minues walk from the main reason people come to Hiroshima… the Peace Park and its associated sights. The rain only seemed to add to the atmosphere.

Cenotaph

A number of memorials exist to 6th August 1945. The cenotaph and its flame house the names of all those that have died due to the events of that day, both at the time and also long after due to the lingering effects.

Children's Memorial

But the most compelling memorial in the park is that dedicated to Sadako Saskai and the children who perised. Sadako passed away of lieukemia almost a decade after the bombing, however during her sickness she folded over 1000 paper cranes, blessing each one with a wish for peace. Knowing that, and seeing the thousands more cranes that are continually left in her memory is moving to say the least.

A-Bomb Dome

The A-Bomb Dome is the most visual reminder of the impact. The city refused the urge to tear down the remains of this building to leave it as a permanent reminder of the horrors of the day, but also an urge to not let it happen again.

No witty comment here

But all of this doesn’t prepare you for the Peace Memorial Museum. The first level explains in great detail the events leading up to the day, both from the Japanese and the Allied perspecitves. But as you work your way up to the next level of the museum you are well and truly confronted with the real horror. I can’t say I was really ready.

Many photos show the impact of the day on not just the landscape but the people. But what kicks you in the guts are all the artifcats… burnt clothing, even some minor human remains. It is hard to say too much about it that can really indicate the sheer gravity of it all.

Hypercenter... quite low key actually

So it was time to get some fresh air again! Off it was to wander some more. In my wander just near the park I came across the hypercentre of the bomb… the exact location under where it detonated. Amazingly this is afforded just a small stone memorial, but it is still adorned with the paper cranes that permeate the park.

A not quite as impressive castle really

Heading around the main streets of Hiroshima, I came across the city castle. This was always going to be an odd one given that I assumed it would have been leveled in the blast (I was right). But in the essence of preserving history it was recreated. As such, while it is certainly pretty cool, it lacks the history (and scale of course) of something like Himeji.

Which brings me to the title of the blog. I was hungry. Damn hungry. And I knew that while in Hiroshima I had to sample the local version of Okonomyaki. What’s the difference? Well, here in Hiroshima they have a layer of noodles as a base. So in one of the side streets near the hostel I chanced upon a very small place that looked homely and inviting so in I went. And man was it inviting!

Seated at the grill I watched as my host cooked up a HUGE local-style okonomyaki. I have never seen so much cabbage, bean shoot, pork, onion and noodle packed together. And how was it? Well, I can’t understand why noodles aren’t the standard. It was great! It took all my eating prowess to get through it. Which is where things got funny. There were a handful of others in the restaurant/pub, including a couple of older guys I said hello to when I arrived. They seemed to have limited english but asked where I was from, so I told them and told them I was very happy to be here and I was having a great time.

As I got close to the end of my okonomyaki the hostess asked if I liked oysters. It seemed as though Hiroshima has a specialty for oysters too and the two gentlemen wanted to treat me to a sample. Who was I to say no? So I then proceeded to enjoy half a dozen lightly coated and grilled oysters with bacon (Hiroshima style too I believe), which my new friends would not share. They wouldn’t even accept a drink in return. So by the end of this meal, I was in a divine place. So very very full.

Bidding my host and new friends farewell, I arrive back at the hostel ready for some sleep. But not before I enjoy one of these…

Mmmmm... citrus

Mmmmm… orange. Yep, it tasted as you would expect it did. Tangy, orangy goodness. This was in a special “mail it” pack. It seems there are a few of these packs around Japan, so I have to keep my eyes peeled…