Saturday, July 19, 2025 -Miyanjima Island

 The sun shines through just a few rain drops on the window of our hotel room. The water appears calm.

I neglected a very important part of yesterday at the tower where we viewed the atom bomb dome and city from the 13th floor. This tower is also focused on peace, and on the 12th floor we had the opportunity to  make a paper crane and deposit it in a glass tube that is attached to the outside. We had help folding the cranes, for there are many steps and turn overs and folding back. Human assistance was needed in spite of a computer screen guiding us step by step

With the completed cranes the Lusters stepped onto the enclosed glass ledge and dropped them into the glass tube. It will soon be filled with overall million cranes, removed  recycled into notebooks and given to children.

The same floor displayed cranes made by spouses od the G 7 leaders in. 2023. There was also a display of photos and written history of the building which was bombed in 1945. It was used as a business center until WWII when it held war offices. Noteworthy is that the Austrian architect was not  invited to the opening ceremony because Japan was at war with his country. 

Kenji and  I walked down a slope while observing paintings of nine Japanese artists on the theme of Hopes for Peace.

Now, on to Saturday. Kenji purchased ferry tickets gor the half hour ride to the island Miyanjima where a Tori gate sits at the beach. At low tide we and many others walked over the wet sand to the gate. At high tide,when we left early afternoon, the tide water covers the lower portion of the gate which is also covered with barnacles. It appears as though the gate is floating. 

It was hot and humid and crowded as we walked among tame deer searching for people who will break the rules and feed them and shops with souvenirs, eateries, and even a lovely rock lined stream. Leo and i ate ate a that the door, and Karin and Kenji sat on stools at the counter facing the kitchen.  We filled tseats on the  main floor. The upstairs seats were filled  amd a sign srafing that the place was full and please line up outsid My stir fried pork over rice and miso soup were very tasty.

We walked slowly back to the ferry port and took time to see the tidewater covering more and more of the Tori gate and people wading and swimming.

 The ferry ride included  lively and happy conversation with a gentleman from Orange County who was part of a family group on a cruise. Today they had the day free to explore Hiroshima.  Kenji particularly enjoyed talking with him, remembering his visit to Viet Nam, the gentleman's country of birth.

We cooled down watching Suma wrestling.  New to our eyes was acerdmk y in which the wrestlers wore a banner-like garment, each one of a different color and design. They ceremoniously stood in a circle and moved their arms in a particular pattern and they paraded out. The athletic hall was filled to the last seat. How one could see a match is beyond me.

We four left by bus for supper. Karin and Leo went for fish in a restaurant with a circulating belt of food and a second and faster belt that delivered food which was ordered. Kenji and I decided to go to a large department store with a food court where we ordered okonomiyaki, Hiroshima style. We had a great conversation,  too. We met Karin and Leo and returned together by bus to the hotel.

We agreed to meet in the lobby tomorrow at 730 am to take transportation to the train station in order to begin our journey north - to my conference in Gotemba and their hotel near Disneyland Tokyo. We discussed several detail and shared mango sparkling wine.

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