We took our first shinkansen (bullet train) trip over the week-end. It was a four hour trip to Hiroshima traveling up to speeds of 180 mph. We didn't get to see much of the country side because, at 180 mph, the train must travel as straight as possible; thus we traveled through many tunnels. We were very pleased with the personal space and leg room that you don't have on an airplane.

This building shell is known as the Atomic Dome. On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 am, an atomic bomb was detonated at 600 meters above this building. The intense heat and shock waves, released from the explosion, destroyed nearly all buildings within one mile of the hypocenter; killing approximately 140,000 people and maiming thousands of others. Martin and I, being baby boomers, had heard about Hiroshima all our lives. We visited the site with a national that was six years old when the bomb was dropped. She remembered the day well and gave us a very personal perspective of the event. She told us that the river, that runs next to the still standing dome, was where people ran to trying to escape the heat and to cool their burning skin. Everything we saw today embodied human pain, grief, and tragedy.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum had many artifacts of that time. This watch was found in the debris and shows the exact time of the bombing. One of the lasting impressions for me were shadows that were "burned" into concrete from the explosion (one was where a man had been sitting, and another was of a ladder).

The next day greeted us with beautiful sunshine for our trip to Miyajima island off the coast of Hiroshima. O-tori, first built in 522 AD, is one of the three most scenic spots of Japan. It is part of the Itsukishima Jinja Shinto religious shrine.

Also on the island was Go-ju-no-to.The five-storied pagoda, said to have been built in 1407, combines the Japanese and Chinese styles of architecture. The outside is lacquered in bright orange, matching the O-tori.

A cultural experience wouldn't be the same without new food. This was okonomiyaki; a cabbage/noodle crepe that is prepared right in front of you. On top of the crepe is added cabbage, bacon, noodles, cheese, onions, and then a fried egg. I think it is my new favorite food. Our traveling partner is Omura-sensei. She grew up close to Hiroshima and had not been back for 50 years. She shared her memories as a child and remembered how happy her family was when the announcement was made that the war was over.

Yesterday we went back to the Kamakura area to visit Enoshima Island. The rail line that went to the island is celebrating its 100th anniversary of operation this year. It travels very slowly as it winds through the village towns between the houses that were built right next to the tracks. It was a fun ride; we sat right behind the train engineer and could see where we were going.

The island is located in the Sagami Bay area. Caves have been formed by the erosion from the waves hitting up against the rocks. We were exploring one of the caves and we came to an opening to the Pacific Ocean. Martin is behind me and snapped this shot.



At the top of the island there is the Ryuren no kane (the bell of Dragon's Love). Couples come here to ring the bell and pray for their eternal love.

They place a padlock on the mesh fence in front of the bell and together they lock it. This is to symbolize their love for each other; their love is "locked".

It was a such a nice day to be outside! Thursday we woke up to a couple of inches of snow; and today, two days later, we were able to walk on the beach in 55 degree weather.

Over the week-end, we traveled to Kamakura, about 25 miles south of Tokyo. Our language teacher had arranged the trip so her English language students and Japanese language students (us) could interact using their new language. One of the highlights was visiting the site of the Great Buddha. The 37 foot bronze figure was cast in 1292! Two hundred years before Columbus made his trip, it's hard to imagine. It used to be enclosed in a wooden temple until a tsunami washed the temple away leaving the exposed Buddha ever since.

Here we are with the others; our sensei is in the front left. It was a day of rain and snow, yet there were some plum trees in bloom.

We also visited the Engaku-ji , the largest of the Zen Buddhist temples; Tokei-ji temple, known as a safe place where women in abusive relationships can seek refuge.
All of these were built in this one city between 1250 and 1292.

At the Tsuru-ga-oka- Hachiman-gu shrine, we got to see a Shinto wedding procession. The musicians are in the background. The bride is wearing a traditional dress. Beside her is the groom and behind her is her father.

The wedding party and guests are seated inside with the priest ( man in white) saying prayers over the gift offerings of food and drink.

After being outside in the cold and wet for hours, we were ready for some warmth. This is Martin's dish called okamei soba. In with the soba noodles were pieces of compressed fish, egg cake , and mushrooms.

It was a good day with new friends and many cultural experiences and exposures.

We took some vacation time this past week to go to the Snow Festival in Sapporo. This city of two million is located on the most northern Japanese island of Hokkaido; where the 1972 Winter Olympics were held. Sapporo receives a snow fall of over 250 inches a year, over 20 feet, and they feel "blessed by the snow". It not only boosts their economy through winter sports and tourism, but gives the island a bounty of clean water for the rest of the year. Each year the festival gains more international attention with competitors coming from around the world to demonstrate their sculpting talents. Once the week long event is over, snow removal equipment is used to remove the sculptures.

We were not disappointed with the creations nor the display of lights; it was a beautiful sight.

The size of the sculptures were amazing. Truck loads of snow are brought in and blown into holding forms. After the snow is packed, and frozen, the forms are removed and the work begins. Some of the snow displays were as large as a private home.

Downtown Sapporo is beautiful.

We hope to give you some perspective of the size and details involved.

What is a festival without food? The streets were lined with booths selling different types of foods. Most of the vendors were local civic organizations that were using the festival to raise money for their cause. We tried many different foods but the most tasty for Martin was the mutton sausage. The sausage is packed around a rib bone and then grilled. My favorite was grilled scallops on a stick. A close second for both of us was soup curry. We enjoyed that experience in a small, "mom and pop" restaurant that had been recommended by one of our Japanese friends.