Month: March 2016

Hiroshima

Being in Hiroshima I enjoyed because I visited some beautiful places, such as a Japanese garden and castle. I had great meals as well and we had a karaoke evening, that was so much fun!

But Hiroshima has a sad history of course. The effects of the atomic bomb in 1945 were enormous and even today you can see the impact it had. We went to the Peace Memorial Park where we donated the paper cranes we had folded the night before, and the museum. I was shocked and overwhelmed by the stories en objects they show there. So sad that this happened in 1945…World peace is the only way to prevent it in the future.

 

From busy Osaka to soothing Koyasan

Arriving in Osaka, Japan was a big change in weather. From almost 30 degrees Celsius in Sydney to 12 degrees in Osaka. My biggest adventure in this city was to get to my hotel from the international airport. I asked how to buy a ticket and which trains I had to get on to get there. Suprisingly it all went well. I had to pay attention after I left my final station but I made it in one piece!

That evening I met my travel mates and the next day we were heading to Koyasan…where it was snowing and freezing! We stayed with monks and the food they served was so delicious. And I really stepped out of my comfort zone there by taking a bath..in a shared bathroom for women. I thought..well..it’s all part of the experience! I faced the fear and it turned out alright.

Koyasan is the capital of a Japanese movement of Buddhism, so I visited a lot of temples as well.