Life's A Beach.

Well. The last couple of days in Kobe were great. The day after our Shabu Shabu adventure with Jun was a day filled with walking...unfortunately. Basically we tried to find this park in Kobe, and on the map it didn't look too far. But after 2 and a half hours of walking up a very steep mountain, we still hadn't come to it. So we gave up and headed back to the port where we were just happy to be sitting down. On the trek to the park however we did find a beautiful spot called the "venus bridge". It was a bridge with a complicated structure that over-looked the entire area of Kobe port and even some of Osaka. It was a clear day so the view was incredible. It was a great reward for the ridiculous climb.

The last day was another day that I shall never forget. After relaxing for most of the afternoon we met up with Jun and his girlfriend at Kobe Station. He took us to the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge. It looked very nice in the sunset, but it looked even more beautiful at night time. Made even more amazing by the awesome onsen that Jun took us too. Their was a moment in that onsen where time stood still. I was sitting in the most relaxing hot water, outside whilst next to a new friend that I had made, looking up at the moon, whilst the bridge shone greatly in front of us. A moment that tops my list in Japan. A moment that made me thankful that there are great people in Japan and great places to go to with them.

The day after we took a 7 hour journey, which involved about 5 trains, to Hiroshima. We met Annika at the station, after a sneaky McDonalds, and went for a drink. The day after we went to The Peace Park, which commemorates the lives that were lost when an Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The Park itself is very beautiful, but the massive contrast in the museums is unmissable. I thought the earthquake museum at Kobe was hard to bare, the Hiroshima one was a lot harder. The earthquake museum was tragic but the event itself was a thing of nature. The destruction of Hiroshima was a choice made solely by man, and that itself is worrying. If man can decide to drop an atomic bomb on a city full of thousands of people, then there is no telling that there will ever be true peace in our world. I pray for peace, as does Hiroshima. The dropping of the Atomic Bomb was a failure of mankind. I learned that at that park.

However, on a cheerier note, we went to the beach the next day and it was very lovely. A paddle, some sun and an ice cream meant the day at the beach was a successful one. That evening we went for Okonomiyaki, the Hiroshima specialty, with Annika and her friend Laura. It was very delicious. If I keep eating all this great Japanese food, I may cry when I return to the bog standard fish and chips that England has. Okonomiyaki is noodles, cabbage, cheese, egg and pork all friend in an omollete stlye fashion. Truely goreous, especially with some Mayonaise.

The day after we headed to Miyajima Island, where we took a ferry across the sea. It was great. First we saw the not so "Floating Shrine" due to the low tide, but  the shrine itself was still very nice. I would have liked to see it with the tide in but due to it being summer, it was only in really early in the morning and then really late at night. After the shrine me and Hayley took the cable up to the top of Mt. Misen. That was an experience for Hayley, she may have been a little nervous when the cable car started moving, and then even more so through the journey. But once we got of the cable car we took a fifteen minute climb to the summit, where the beautuful paranomic views took our breath away. The skies were clear, the ocean was blue, and at the moment I realized how beautiful the world could be. A truely amazing experience, even if the climb was a little tiring. Also, the Mountain claimed to have wild monkeys, but we never saw any, and even Annika tells us that she hasn`t seen any. I think this must be a lie. And the wild deer were a lovely touch to Miyajima too. I would have been more excited to see them, but Nara just had more.

Today we went back to Miyajima for more beach, and this time even a bit of swimming. The other beach had a bit of a dirty feel to it so we waited for today were we swam out to the floating platform and generally just lazed about. Pretty sure I've been stung by a Jellyfish but I can not be sure, if so it was a baby one as the pain has gone, but it was pretty sore when it happened! Also on the boat ride to Miyajima (the second time) We listened to "I'm On A Boat" by the lonely island. That was hilarious.

Tomorrow we are going to the south Island, Kyushu, where we will stay in Fukuoka. I am very excited to head to a different part of Japan as Honshu is the only one of four islands we have been on so far. Hopefully Fukuoka will provide its own version of the beautiful Japan.

Thanks for Reading
Arigatou, Sayounara.