A 4 hour trip in a bullet train hurtling through the Japanese countryside to Hiroshima to visit the site of the first atomic bomb blast. The atomic dome was virtually the only building left standing as the bomb exploded ore or less above it. It is surrounded by scaffolding at present as they seek to determine its condition as it is after all bomb damaged. We strolled along the riverside park to look at the other memorials and placed a paper origami crane in the children's memorial. A museum contains poignant artefacts from the immediate survivors of the blast who perished soon after. Reminiscent of Pompeii were shadows of people on brickwork and deformed bricks and tiles. A sobering hour.
We then walked through the vibrant streets of the rebuilt city that has a peaceful and prosperous air to it now,pausing by the exact epicentre .We found their equivalent of a pound shop (100yen/50p) and bought some reading glasses as Kate's broke yesterday and stopped to gawp at a pachinko slot arcade,a kind of gambling pinball game made worse by them all smoking away too. For dinner we sampled the Hiroshima speciality of a pancake filled with stir fry veg,pork and prawns which are cooked in front of you with a good sprinkling of spring onions. They cook it in front of you and with a beer comes to a fiver a head.