Full circle visit to Hiroshima - part 2 of 2

To continue on with last weekend, on Saturday after visiting Hiroshima Castle, we took two trains way out into the outskirts of Iwakuni about an hour and a half away... 

I mean, this was the train station.  We are talking rural.

Our destination was the "Chicken Shack", a "you HAVE to go eat here" place up on the mountain.   It was a difficult walk, but paved, and not too too long.  We took 100 breaks, and made it up to a beautiful sprawling complex.  Fresh crisp air, smells of grilled food being prepared, not crowded, just wonderful.   Good social distancing measures in place, and we ate outdoors.  We deliberately went at an odd time in the middle of the afternoon, to avoid any crowds. 

 

A lot of the seating was like this - kotatsu - sitting at the low table, with your legs covered by the thick cozy quilts - 

But, that style of sitting is really too difficult for us at this point, so we opted for bench seating along a long communal table. 

The grilled chicken really was so excellent and the "meal set" came with a local soba noodle dish: 

Lot of beautiful spots to explore on the sprawling property: 

Checking the train schedule carefully, we made our way back down the long winding road,  to our little train station to catch a train to Iwakuni and then on back to Hiroshima to sleep. 

Gaming and Sleeping teens across from us on a train;): 

Sunday morning we trained back out to Iwakuni to attend church at this little LDS chapel just steps away from the train station.  The building used to be a car dealership.  It was a very small congregation (English speaking), maybe 20 or so adults and lot of kids.  I got emotional walking in, because the "vibe" reminded me so much of the late 80's when I attended church there.  Back then we met somewhere right on the military base.  But the homey friendly low key feeling was the same as I remembered.   The topic for the day's meeting was HOPE.  David and I both gave talks. He was there by assignment and he asked me to also speak.  I was very nervous but I just loved being there!  

Then immediately following church, we made our way back home to Tokyo - by train, train, bus, airplane, taxi, home.  I am still recovering, lol. 

That is Fuji-san in the distance: 

Tokyo is so sprawling... this is just a small fraction of it - so beautiful at night as our airplane descended: 

We did not put away our suitcases because indeed we have decided to go ahead with our plans to visit grand baby in Texas for Christmas..... leaving on Saturday.  This was a really hard decision, and we went back and forth (me in tears) over the past few weeks.  I'm trying to NOT think about the hotel quarantine when we get back to Japan. 

In the meantime... in our neighborhood we are sure enjoying the "winter illumination" near us in the park whenever we happen to walk through at night: 

It is so beautiful, the combination of the autumn leaves and lights.  It is just so uplifting.  

Thank you for reading.  I hope your holiday plans are just right for you, with minimal stress!  And that your hearts are filled with gladness. 

xo

Cynthia 

Full circle visit to Hiroshima - part 1 of 2

Last weekend David had a speaking assignment for our church, in Iwakuni (a small congregation associated with the military base there) and I tagged along.  We stayed in Hiroshima, and it was a "full circle" visit for both of us.  For David, it's because his grandfather immigrated from Hiroshima in 1919.  

For me, it's because I lived in Hiroshima three decades ago right out of college, to teach English.  Back then, work teaching English in Japan was really easy to find and I was at a bit of a loss after college, so came here on a whim to have an adventure and earn some money.  

I found a good job, then an even better one, and really enjoyed my two years in Hiroshima.  There was a fun group of expat English teachers from all over the U.S. and Canada.  I had some private English students.  I took koto (a traditional stringed instrument) and calligraphy lessons.  I got to know some young Mormon missionaries and ended up joining the Church.  An unusual decision for sure!  

So, a lot happened for me during those two years, and this was only the second time I'd been back to Hiroshima since then.  

Naturally, the city has changed dramatically since the late 80's.  Bigger trees, more buildings, more traffic. 

This is the Peace Dome - the only structure that survived the hypocenter of the bomb. I would ride my bike past this memorial every day to and from work.  

People come to pay their respects: 

View from our hotel room: 

Children's Peace Monument in honor of all children who lost their lives that dreadful day and in the years following, from the effects of the bomb: 

When I was teaching fourth grade, one year our class folded 1000 paper cranes to send to the memorial.  Here are some cranes in a nearby store window: 

Hiroshima is famous for its oysters and for Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, which is just the BEST.  It is a layered dish of crepe, cabbage, bean sprouts, pork, and egg.  You can add green onions, eel and/or shrimp.  A Japanese friend of mine specifically recommended this little hole in the wall, so Friday night David and I met up with our young friend Joanna (who is a missionary in Hiroshima, via Tokyo, via the Phillipines) and her friends, for a nice bite to eat. 

The cook welcomed and even encouraged photos and videos.  She started with the crepes: 

Added heaps of cabbage: 

And so on: 

Ready to dig in: 

The next morning we randomly spotted some actual sugar maples, on our way to Hiroshima Castle. 

It is a beautiful reconstruction: 

No photos allowed inside, except for this (ha ha - there is a cute mascot for EVERYTHING in Japan).  

On the outer castle grounds, there are some beautiful holly trees - they survived the Bomb - and are a symbol of resilience: 

xo

Cynthia