Hiroshima — Japan’s pearl for us

How underestimated is Hiroshima? We are absolutely thrilled with the city. So beautiful, so quiet, so well maintained. Of course back on the water 😂 — sure, if I think it's that great.

But Siar is also amazed. The city somehow combines everything. A bit of hustle and bustle in the shopping mile, beauty in the parks and streets and a lot of history in the Peace Park.

But one after anonther. At 10 a.m. we took the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima. This time the train was exactly on time to the minute. We covered the 300 kilometers in 1:30 hours - crazy.

From there we went to the hotel, dropped off our luggage and went to the Peace Park.

This is a reminder of what Hiroshima is known for to this day. The first place in human history to be attacked with an atomic bomb. The area where the Peace Park is now located was razed to the ground - 140,000 people died immediately. Many more died in the years that followed as a result of the radiation.

The Atomic Dome (that's what the building is called today) or the foundation walls defied the bomb and the Japanese authorities left the building and its destruction standing as a reminder and memorial to this terrible crime. To show how powerful this bomb was.

The Peace Park is beautifully landscaped. One of the most beautiful we have visited. Lots of beautiful plants and statues. And the peace bell is also there. Siar and I both rang it once — for peace in the world. We both got very emotional for a moment and stayed by the river for a while.

After the Peace Park we continued to Hiroshima Castle. It is definitely one of the most beautiful buildings we saw on our trip and the surrounding park is also beautiful.

On the way back we went through the shopping mile to a games center. Siar really wanted to go here. There he could play “batting” — baseball. A ball throwing machine throws balls at you at 90, 110 or 120 km/h and you have to hit them away with a baseball bat. Siar did great, but above all had a lot of fun.

At the end of the day we went for Japanese burgers. Chicken teriyaki, Japanese salsa and a burger with celery and onions. Sounds strange, but it was all very tasty.

Then we went to bed. Tomorrow we are taking a trip to the offshore island of Miyajima and are very excited to see what awaits us there.

So far, we are completely in love with Hiroshima.