Hello Japan/Hi Hiroshima

Had a lovely last night in Seoul, laziness taking over, we went to the Vegan Kitchen,which didn’t disappoint. A huge salad, with nuts, avocado, etc. A real taste explosion! Pete was taken hostage by a giant gorilla that transported us there!

They seem to have a kind of Japanese equivalent to Ryanair, called Jeju, only much better than Ryanair. Initially, we had booked a ferry to and from Japan, but at the 11th hour, they contacted us to say that our trip from Korea to Japan would have to be second class, which I couldn’t imagine doing. A night sailing, over 16 hours,sharing a room with 8 strangers and sleeping on a futon roll. The journey is known to be rough, and the idea of being amongst passengers vomiting etc made me churn.

So we changed plans and flew over for less than a 100 for both of us. Which in many ways is wrong. On a plus we seemed to now have a good understanding of the underground system. This helped as the cost to the airport was under a tenner for both of us.

I had been a bit anxious as the system for Jeju airline isn’t straightforward but luckily in reality it was very easy and straightforward.

The flight was an hour and twenty minutes, and I managed to sleep most of it. Despite being a budget airline it was comfy with plenty of leg room.

Going through passport control was so quick, basically as we went through the foreigner aisle, we were the only ones! It has been odd to be different from everyone else.

Getting to where we were staying was also straightforward,it helped that we were not tired and doing it in the dark. The flat here is definitely a step up from the one in Seoul.

After a break, we went to see the Atomic Bomb Dome, which was a few minutes’ walk from the flat.

At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb in human history was dropped by a US B-29 bomber, exploding about 600 metres above the centre of Hiroshima city, instantly destroying buildings in the city and taking the lives of many people. The Industrial Promotion Hall as it was known then, was hit by the bomb at a close distance of about 160 meters from the hypocentre and was heavily damaged by the blast and heat rays, with fire spewing from the ceiling and the building being completely burned down.

All the employees who were in the building were killed instantly, but the building somehow survived, a skeletal symbol of terrible destructive power, which now stands as a symbol of hope and resilience.

It was an overwhelming experience, stepping from the busy road next to it, suddenly devoid of human sound, replaced by the loud hum of crickets and the cawing of ravens circling above. It’s the 80th anniversary this year.

It was very moving and we had so many questions, which hopefully will be answered when we go to the museum.

On a lighter note, Hiroshima is famous for its okonomiyaki, a layered construction of cabbage and noodles. The Okonomi Village was a must to visit, a mainstay of the delicacy since 1965.

The village consisted of twenty-three okonomiyaki restaurants spread out over the second, third, and fourth floor of the building, with each floor resembling a flea market of vendors dishing out the same deliciousness in their own distinct way.

Sitting on little stools, the drama of the assembly plays out in front of you. Roughly about a fiver, cheap and filling. It was fantastic!

We headed back.

On the way, we had noticed a bar that had music, which was a few doors down from our flat. So,we lightened the mood further by popping in. Down a few steps, then inside, we were greeted like old friends,people smiling and saying hi, taking us to a table by the stage. The average age was about 70+, and everyone seemed to having the time of their lives!

The owner of the bar was also a drummer and just bought so much joy to his performance. One of the first songs sung was Elvis Presleys, Can’t help falling in love. Things strangely had come full circle, on our first visit to Japan several years ago we went to a karaoke bar and this was the song I choose.

As the night progressed, listening to music under peace banners, I thought this is how it should be, a world brought together through music. It just felt so life-affirming, transcending language barriers.

This 75 year old man was amazing, belting out one Beatles song after another, with such gusto, his guitar string broke.

After all of this, the bar owner was quite insistent that we do karaoke, stating it was the cheapest in Hiroshima, as it was free. There were no songs I felt drawn to or felt confident enough to sing to the end. But he was still insistent. A brainwave, if I sang a little bit of a Welsh song, if it was terrible, they would assume it was a Welsh folk tradition.