Live from Japan!

I think it is strange that I spent so many years in school as a young child and, yet, I have few vivid memories from those experiences. Somehow all those years have contributed to who I am without me really understanding which experiences had the most impact, instead they seem to have all mixed and muddled together with the end result being the person I am today.

I do have a few specific memories, however, and one of them sprung out of the dusty depths of my brain during our trip to Hiroshima.

Read the rest of this entry »

When I came to Japan I knew there were a few places that I simply must visit. Hiroshima was one of those places. I knew that it would be a difficult place to visit, but I also knew that it was one of those places that I should go to. In some ways I almost felt as though I had to pay my respects.

While we were there we visited all the memorials and statues relating to the A-bomb and we visited the museum as well. What surprised me most was that the museums and memorials didn’t focus on pointing fingers or placing blame. Instead they focused all that energy, which I have to believe is there, into making the point and the statement that, regardless of blame, nuclear weaponry and warfare is a destructive choice and that the world we live in would be a better place if that threat didn’t exist. I couldn’t agree with them more.

Read the rest of this entry »

On Miyajima island one of the key activities was riding the ropeway to nearly the top of the mountain.

Miyajima has a two-stage ropeway. You get in one small car which takes you the majority of the way up the mountain. Then you must transfer to another ropeway car which goes almost horizontally between two peaks. These cars were much larger and only came every 15 minutes.

Read the rest of this entry »

This Shinto shrine, more specifically the gate to this shrine, is reported to be one of the most photographed sights in all of Japan. So, when we decided to head down to Hiroshima for the weekend, I knew that a visit to Miyajima, a small island off the coast, was high on the list of priorities.

Read the rest of this entry »

This one really isn’t Engrish. The English on these signs is actually delightfully perfect. Even still, I really liked the ways they chose to translate some of the ideas. Charming! Click on the photos to make them bigger and more clearly read what they have to say.

I love the way they say, “If you do so, we are not responsible for what will happen.” I think that I should start saying this more often. Could be fun!