We continue our walk through the Peace Park and pass the Cenotaph that holds the names of all the people killed by the nuclear bomb and different memorials to soldiers and civilians alike. We look through the Cenotaph and hold a moment of silence before looking at the different memorials.
The most well known is the one to the origami girl who following an ancient Japanese story wanted to fold 1,000 origami cranes to get a wish however she died when reaching 644. Her friends finished the origamis and she is buried with them.
Our next stop is the Atomic Bomb Dome or Genbaku Domo likely the most recognized building from Hiroshima. It was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall and used primarily for arts and educational exhibits.
After the bomb fell it was the closest structure standing near the hypocentre and after some controversy it was decided to be kept in its post bombing state as a monument to the power of the bomb and hope for peace in the future.
It is quite a sight and we walk around it before entering the new Hiroshima, the shopping arcade nearby. We have thought enough about death and devastation and hope to bring our spirits up by shopping, how frivolous people can be…
The shopping arcade is huge with lots of restaurants and stores. We enter a few stores and window shop in a few other as we make our way slowly though the huge covered mall.
There are lots of people in a mix of traditional and very modern clothing so we also people watch as we explore. But then we get hungry and start searching for a restaurant to eat a late lunch.
We research a few and then decide on one with the best pictures outside the restaurant. And many of them, we are sure we will have choices if we are going to enter it.
The restaurant chosen, Ootoya is a short walk outside the main arcade but it has great food and we enjoy everything including the dessert. By this time we are serviceable in eating with chopsticks so we can eat without being the center of attention.
After lunch we return to our hotel which is close by and later we take another walk through the arcade buying a few souvenirs and some clothes returning only late at night while enjoying views of the city, both old and new from the riverside. Overall it was a more relaxing day about halfway on our trip which enables us to gather energy for the days ahead.
