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.