Hiroshima and Kurashiki

It's amazing to me that not that long ago, Hiroshima was totally wrecked. It's now a huge, bustling city, and it's awesome.

I took the shinkansen early this morning and hit Hiroshima first thing. I walked down the main street from the station (about two miles) to Peace Memorial Park and the A-bomb Dome. Crazy. Here you are, walking through high-rise department stores and busy streets full of people, and all of a sudden you find yourself in this beautiful park. It was really amazing. And then I was accosted by Japanese Jehovah's Witnesses.

After Hiroshima I jumped back on the "shink," as it's affectionately called by the Okayama gaijin crowd, and stopped at Kurashiki on the way back to Okayama. There, I found the Bikan District; a small area of town preserved from faudal Edo-era Japan. Old samurai houses and a castle make the view spectacular.

Of course, I've hit the shops and malls all over since I've arrived here. In a typical six-story building, you can find over 40 or 50 different stores. I dig the chaos.

I'm off to eat dinner, now. Tonkatsu, if everything goes my way. Be back soon...