Maiko

On one of our days in Kyoto, we took in the annual Spring Dances which are performed by apprentice geisha called maiko. The dances were performed at the Pontocho Kaburenjo Theatre, complete with a tea ceremony previous to the performance. I tried to wear my best, but couldn't help feeling like a bum as many locals wore their kimonos to attend. There were even some geisha in the audience!

Kyoto

After taking in Hiroshima, we moved on to Kyoto. There was so much to see there that we easily could have stayed a week and still not seen all the sights. After awhile though, every temple and shrine starts to look the same, and it was easy to feel over saturated with all the history that surrounded us. A beautiful place to see, but after three days we were wrecked. These first series of pictures were all taken in the Gion district of the city.

Mount Misen

After visiting the shrine, we hiked to a cable car that took us to the summit of Mount Misen, the highest point on Miyajima. Though clouds were moving in at the top, we still had a great view of the Seto Inland Sea.

Miyajima

While in Hiroshima, Melissa and I took a day trip to see Itsukushima Shrine. Just off the coast from the city, the shinto shrine is situated on a holy island surrounded by Japan's inland sea.

To retain the purity of the shrine, all deaths, births, and burials have traditionally been prohibited on the island. I suppose anyone who lives in the small village surrounding the shrine is quickly sent packing if they appear to be considering a possible violation of the island's sanctity? Virgin soil aside, the island is really beautiful and definitely worth seeing.

A-Bomb Dome

Seeing this building in person was pretty intense. I remember reading about the bombing of Hiroshima in high school history class, but being able to see the structure up close is an experience I will never forget.

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima occurred on August 6th, 1945 at 8:15 am. Apparently, Hiroshima was chosen as the final target due to topography and lack of a definitive POW camp in the area. The detonation occurred almost directly above the A-Bomb Dome, with the hypocenter located only 150 meters away. It was the closest structure to withstand the explosion, as the impact from the blast was completely vertical. The building has been preserved as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the same state immediately following the bombing.

Previous to the bombing, the building had served as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.

Candlelight Vigil

I've just come back to Karumai after traveling through Japan for two weeks with my friend Melissa from back home.

We took the bullet train from Iwate down to Hiroshima, spending a few days in the surrounding area before working our way back through Honshu. We spent a day on Miyajima, three nights in Kyoto, and ended off in Tokyo.

These pictures are from our first night in Hiroshima at the Peace Park. Just by chance, we were lucky enough to come across this candlelight vigil that was being held throughout the grounds. We tried going back the following evening but all trace of the previous night had been removed from the park.

Hanami

The sakura have finally started to open in Karumai!