I took the 9 am Nozomi Shinkansen to Hiroshima from Fukuoka. Japanese trains are known for their incredible punctuality and there is hardly any instance of a train getting delayed. The train slowly started gaining momentum and in no time the train reached the speed of 300 kmph. The ride was very smooth and i hardly felt any vibration during the entire journey. The train was partially occupied and i had a great view of the Japanese countryside from my window seat. One hour ride felt very short and I reached Hiroshima around 10 am.
Atomic Bomb Dome– Atomic Bomb dome is the most famous site in Hiroshima. it takes about 20 minutes tram ride to reach the dome from the JR railway station in Hiroshima. The site is designated as UNESCO world heritage site. More than 100000 people were killed during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 august 1945.
Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial promotion hall was primarily used for arts and educational exhibition. The dome was situated at the highest part of the building. The ruin of the promotion hall is preserved as a memorial to the people who were killed in the bombing. I had a strange feeling after visiting the place and there was hardly any noise near the monument. The best view of the dome is from the bridge connecting the memorial park to the mainland
Hiroshima peace memorial park – Hiroshima peace memorial park is situated near Atomic bomb dome. The memorial park was built in the memory of the victims of the atomic bomb attack on 6th August 1945. The park was built on a flat ground created by the explosion. There are number of monuments, lecture halls, memorial halls situated inside the peace memorial hall.Children peace monument was built in the memory of the child victims. The park compound is situated close to Ota river and it takes about 1 hour to visit all the sections of the park.
Hiroshima Castle – It takes about 15 minutes to reach Hiroshima castle from dome. The entire castle is surrounded by pond and the entrance point of the castle looks very beautiful. The architecture of the castle is very unique and it has a four tiered structure.You have to pay entrance ticket in order to reach the observation deck situated at the top of the castle. You get great 360 view of the castle compound and Hiroshima city from the observation deck. Inside the castle museum there is number of interesting display of sword and armors. You can walk around the perimeter of the castle in order get some of the best views of the castle.
Itsukushima – After visiting Hiroshima castle i came back to the ferry pier situated near the atom bomb dome.Itsukushima island is situated by 1 hour ferry ride from Hiroshima. After reaching Itsukushima island you can easily spot the giant red Tori gate. There was high tide when i reached island and the red Tori gate was looking as if it was floating on the water. The island is also known as Miyajima island but it is also called Itsukushima island because of the famous Itsukushima shrine. From the ferry pier it takes about 20 minutes walk in order to reach the shrine.
You will see number of wild deer along the walking trail. There are lots of souvenir shops and street food stalls located along the walking trail. I tried some nice grilled seafood on the way to the shrine. The island is very famous for day tour and it remains crowded till evening time. If you want to try some authentic Japanese hospitality then i would recommend you to stay at one of the island’s Ryokan. The shrine is located in a small inlet close to the Tori gate. During the high tide it looks as if the shrine is floating over the water. The shrine has a long history and it was built in the 12th century.
Senjokaku is another famous tourist destination in the Miyajima island. The shrine is famous for the huge hall. It is situated on the top of a nearby hill very close to Itsukushima shrine. A 5 storey pagoda is situated just adjacent to Senjokaku. I took the return ferry to Hiroshima in the evening time. Kyoto was my next destination in Japan. I took Nozomi Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Kyoto and It took me around 1.5 hours to cover 370 km distance between the two cities.
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