Summary- Quiet Sunday in Hiroshima: Ferry to an island shrine, back on ferry to bus to the A-Bomb Museum and Memorial Park, cook our own lunch, bus to Kintai-kyo Bridge, ride slow bullet train, schlep down street in Fukuoka to hotel. Too tired to eat dinner again. Ready to quit this tour.
The streets are very quiet as we leave the Hiroshima Grand Prince Hotel for another long day as we move from Hiroshima to Fukuoka with sites between. We travel along the inland sea on the way to a ferry to take us to Miyajima Island. Our guide tells us that the government allows no industry next to the sea to keep it clean for oysters and seaweed cultivation. It certainly looks clear and beautiful and we see lots of floating oyster beds. We'll probably eat some of those oysters later, so we hope the sea is as clean as it looks. 
We walk onto the pedestrian only ferry for the trip to the island to see a UNESCO World Heritage Shinto Shrine (Itsukushima) and the tourist town around it. First we see the dramatic Torii Gate in the sea, the red (vermillion) gate with a name that means 'chicken' was built in 1857. Seems the cock calls the sun each day and the Shinto religion worships the sun and other natural bodies…human images or statues are rarely included in their traditions. The shrine itself is on the water's edge and parts have washed away in storms, but never the central building. The hundreds of ancient and new stone lamps along the walks evidently work a bit like an adopt-a-brick campaign to raise money for maintenance. Some form of a shrine has been here since 811 AD. The oldest part we see was built mid-nineteenth century and the side wings were rebuilt after the last typhoon storm surge. Our guide, Mirei, explained how to make a wish at the shrine's many altars: bow twice, clap twice, toss in a coin, bow once, make a wish… or something like that. We see lots of other ways to buy a wish, with papers, drawers with readings, toss coins into pots, etc. The Shinto use incense but the Buddhists do not.
Along the streets around the shrine we, indeed, ate some oysters and the maple leaf shaped rice cake stuffed with sweet beans that they are famous for. We see the biggest rice scoop in the world which has a long myth about a fairy bringing rice to the starving people. The cherry blossoms, gardens and architecture on the island are spectacular, just as promised in the tour hype.
Back to the ferry and to our bus for trip to the center of Hiroshima and the Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Museum. On Aug 6, 1945 at 8:15 AM the Americans dropped the first of two atomic bombs used in Japan. About 120,000 people died in the first minute. Tomorrow we will visit the Peace Memorial in Nagasaki to learn about the second bomb. The numbers stagger the mind.
We stop at a memorial to one beautiful little girl who got very sick from the radiation and believed that if she made 1000 origami cranes, that she would be healed. She was not able to make all 1000 before she died but her effort became a cause for all and the origami crane continues to this day as a symbol for 'no nukes.' So we see many collections of origami cranes put together in various designs. In all, estimates come to about 202,000 people who died from this bomb over Hiroshima.
Within 6 years after the bomb, the city was rebuilt, with the help of the United States, using the original city plan (which is why they have no subway here). As part of this peace memorial they left the ruins of one of two buildings that remained, and built lovely gardens and a perpetual flame for peace.
To repopulate the city, the government asked all Japanese born in Hiroshima to move back and help rebuild. Must have worked cuz now the population in Hiroshima is 1.8 million. Japan hosted the Olympics in 1964 and they considered that year their reconstruction year..the year they were accepted back by the world's nations. Japan can have no soldiers.
For lunch we walked to restaurant to cook our own pancake-cabbage-bean sprout-bacon-egg concoction. After much flipping, it turned out pretty good. Or else we were just starved by the time we got it cooked.
Next off to Iwankuni to see the Kintaikyo Bridge, one of three most famous bridges in Japan. It's cold and windy but Leslie and I dash across the 5 humps of the bridge and back, just so we can say we did. It was built in 1673 by a king, copying one in China. In 2004 Japan had 12 Tyhoons and the bridge was damaged. Japan spent 40 million yen to renovate ($400,000.00).
Our 'luxury bus' now takes us to the train station where we catch the slow bullet train. It takes about three hours less than the bus route. We schlep our luggage on and off the train, then down the street to our Hakata Excel Hotel (Fukuoka). The itinerary called for another hour tour of open air food stalls. Are you kidding? We went straight to bed, too exhausted to eat dinner and decided to quit this tour at our first opportunity. We may not be up for this pace, different hotel each night, too much schlepping and too little sleep.
PS: This hotel introduces us to a new theme for the trip: Plumbing! Our bathroom solves the shower/tub conundrum by having the entire cubical tiled as a shower. You can use the tub as a tub and stand outside the tub for the roomy shower! Maybe we'll do a post for plumbing only. A rich field of info.
That train depicts the silver bullet for sure. I would much rather be on it than face the required work out necessary to cross the arch bridge/bridges. Not sure what looks harder, walking up or down the other side. You two will probably sit and eat for a week when you get home! Cheers, Stephanie.
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