Himeji Castle, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Kinosaki Onsen
After a few days exploring Kyoto and enjoying the initial celebrations of their festival, Gion Matsuri, I made a quick round trip to Himeji Castle, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Kinosaki Onsen. I gave myself a week to get back to Kyoto for the main celebrations of the festival. It was also a good opportunity to make use of the rail pass.
Himeji Castle
On the way from Kyoto to Hiroshima, I jumped off at the station for Himeji Castle to spend the day enjoying this stunning and intact ancient monument. Parts of it date from 14th century and the most extensive additions are from the 17th century – the beginning of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate period. Thankfully, it has managed to escape the ravages of war, earthquakes and fire. Indeed, many of Japan’s original ancient monuments have been lost to the latter.
Hiroshima
For obvious reasons, Hiroshima is a new city, but parts of it hide its tragic past. Genbaku Dome is the only surviving building from the central area where the atomic bomb exploded, on August 6th 1945. It is an eerie place to visit. Genbaku Dome has not been altered since the explosion; it stands as a reminder to the World of the decades of tragedy and illness that innocent and ordinary people have to bare following such an atrocity.
Miyajima
A hop and a skip from Hiroshima is the popular destination of Miyajima Island with its floating Torii (gate). The tame deer who inhabit the island make a delight surprise.
Kinosaki Onsen
Kinosaki Onsen is a wonderful and relaxing place. A tree-lined canal marks the centre of this Onsen (spa) town. There are many Onsen to choose from and the entrance for all of them was included in the small ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) that I stayed in.
Like many, my ryokan supplied a Yukata (traditional cotton dressing gown) and Geta (wooden base sandals raised on wooden blocks). I figured “When in Rome,…” so like the Japanese also staying in Kinosaki Onsen, I wore the Yukata around town and managed better than I would have thought with the Geta sandals. This was much to the amusement of the many Japanese day trippers who took my photo.
