Cycling the Shimanami kaido route in Spring
From Onomichi in Honshu (1h train ride from Hiroshima) you can cross by bike to Shikoku island*. Detailed infos here.
*Japan is made out of four main islands and countless little islets. The biggest island is Honshu (where Kyoto and Tokyo are), Hokkaido is the Northern island, Kyushu is located South-West and Shikoku is the smallest island, South of Hiroshima and Osaka.
I like active holidays and moving in general, but I’ve never been cycling extensively or on the road for days and days,so I feel anyone in reasonable shape should be able to achieve this route (as the official website states in a slightly discriminatory way ‘even a woman traveling alone can achieve this’). The main route connects Onomichi and Imabari through six islands and six bridges. The distance covered is 87 km and it’s flat for the most part – it can be achieved in a day, but I really suggest to do it in two, as you can experience a little more in depth the islands and will be safer weatherwise. We cycled a little stretch of the island explorer course and I really enjoyed it, it takes you into the towns (we ended getting great food here). The bridge between Mukaishima and Innoshima is so peaceful, and delivers nice views of the Seto inland sea. You don’t need an expensive bike to do this – the cheaper rental will be just fine! As mentioned, food is never disappointing, but this place really did it for us (the salmon sashimi was delicious!). You can also get some suzu (Japanese citrus) on the way; the perfect snack for the cyclist as it’s tasty, contains vitamins and water and you can eat the peel. We stayed here as a halfway point. I don’t think the views are always breathtaking, as in Japan there is lots of concrete, but biking with the petals falling and spotting the different varieties of sakura trees on the islands truly make for a sight I haven’t found anywhere else.
The train ride from Imabari to Matsuyama is super nice facing the sea. The trainseats were lilac, which I found pretty and fitting. People watching is never boring here, which makes me want to sketch more – a couple sleeping on the train was a treat to watch (note: in Japan it is always ok to take your shoes off and, of course, to sleep). Also on this train we encountered the most stylish girl I’ve ever seen, rocking a floor length coat.
Matsuyama is next to Dōgo onsen, Japan’s oldest onsen location – do go! The main building feels like Spirited away at night. The more modern onsen we tried (not so spirited away, but with complementary soap and shampoo) projected a light show on the painted tiles – even being so traditional on some aspects, in Japan technology is gently, sometimes imperceptibly, included in every aspect of human existence. The shopping arcade had some surprisingly good shops, including an all Japanese record store where you can listen to the latest albums. The general vibe was really good, touristy but far from the main routes.
Miyajima in Spring
We LOVED this island! Visiting during Spring with trees in full bloom on a sunny day did let us see it in its best light – groups of deers eating the sakura blossoms and the wind gently blowing, carrying the petals around, made us feel as if we were stepping into an old school Disney movie. It’s a very easy half a day trip from Hiroshima. Besides from the famous torii gate on the water (currently being renovated) there are many shrines (one of them is in fact on the water), a shopping arcade, cool cafes and lots of things to try (from the local beer to the fried fish – I got grilled squid from a stand and couldn’t have been more satisfied).
Hiroshima in Spring
If I have to be honest, I was disappointed by the museum. I felt the display could have been designed better. Maybe it will speak more to someone who knows nothing about the bomb, but having read a few books on the topic, I left feeling as if I had learnt nothing new. Some things did take a few days to sink in. There are many pictures of both victims and survivors (hibakusha) showing the pain and agony of the keloids on their skin and the discrimination they faced for the rest of their life is briefly mentioned. One picture that stood with me showed a woman’s kimono pattern burned into her skin. Another picture shows the shadow of a man printed on a wall outside of a branch of Sumitomo Bank (this is believed to be a result of the bomb in its flash phase) and the idea that different families claimed it could have been their relative just gives you a dimension of the horror. But the information is cramped all together like in one of those Japanese food magazines. One thing that stands out clearly is the division between the darkness (past) and Hiroshima’s brighter future. The building is absolutely beautiful and the upper hallway has a wonderful view on the dome and the park – when I visited in Spring the weather was very pleasant. I was probably expecting too much and still advise to pay a visit to the museum.
The atmosphere in Hiroshima is anything but somber and without some monuments and the dome that survived the hit, you could pass it without knowing this is one of the two locations on Earth where an atomic bomb was dropped (to destroy, not for testing). The picture above (the added colour brings the scene back to life, a bit) is taken inside a renovated building, located just across the dome, that survived the bombing and showcases daily life shots of the city and its people as it was before – could have perfectly been taken place a few days before the explosion. You can visit the building, which is located less than 800m from the epicenter; it used to be a kimono factory and the only survivor was in the basement looking for some papers at the moment of the explosion. The area around the dome is frequented by volunteers who give information (that’s how we learnt this) and sometimes older locals will share their memories with you. This café organizes talks with A bomb survivors 3 times a month – I haven’t been but my friend recommended it. The thing about the bomb is its metaphorical significance – in a nanosecond your life can be turned upside down, permanently shattered, without you having any kind of control about it. That’s scary.
I have two recommendations to learn about Hiroshima’s recent (modern) history: this book, mainly made by interviews the author had with survivors (this is the original piece that became a book) and this animated movie available on Netflix, at least in Japan (it’s about the life of a gekiga manga artist and it’s really, really dark, but in my opinion really well done and absorbing and it also covers a little of the US occupation).
The food
We had some amazing food in Hiroshima – where to start.. They serve a local variety of okonomiyaki here with everything on it – my bosses refer to it as ‘junk food’ and as most edible things here it looks awful but it tastes delicious – one time eating this should suffice! We had some amazing ++ quite affordable sushi here (the place was filled with salarymen). This place serves great parfaits !!!!! The fact that they played great music (i.e. Johnny Nash) didn’t hurt.
