Disappointment at Kure

Take the despair you felt yesterday at finding no new post on this blog and you will know how our intrepid troupe felt on the train ride to Kure when we discovered that the Yamato Museum, the sole purpose of our visit to the city, is closed on Tuesdays. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we decided to finish the train ride anyway and spent our time in Kure strolling around the harbor area where we saw the exteriors of several museums as well as multiple vessels. We resolved to return the following day before our departure back for the east to see the museum.

After retracing our steps back to Hiroshima, we immediately sought out one of the many 7 Elevens there and purchased lunch. Our meal consisted of pre-prepared cases of rice and beef as well as some pastries that were reminiscent of eyeballs on a stick (see pictures). Finding a bench by the Kyobashigawa river we sat down and devoured our lunch while we pondered what to do next. 

We decided to visit Hiroshima castle which was in walking distance of both us and our apartment. On the way we stopped at a bank as The Author had a desire to obtain a roll of 5 Yen coins as souvenirs as they are both cheap and very Asian in appearance (complete with a hole in the middle). Here our veritable lack of linguistic abilities became obvious as we tried to communicate to the bank employee what we wanted. The Author had previously read that banks have change machines from which we would be able to get our coinage without the challenge of conveying such pecuniary subtleties to another human being. With the aid of Google we were ultimately victorious in communicating our goal to several employees and left with both the coins and the knowledge of how to fill out the appropriate exchange form for future transactions. 

Thus we proceeded to Hiroshima castle. Although similar to Osaka castle in appearance and fortifications (surrounded by moats and atop a rocky mound), the castle is smaller than the former with only 5 floors. This castle is also a reconstruction and the inside was similarly laid out as a museum with exhibits describing the castle's past. Most notable where several detailed dioramas and large screens with images of the castle and various battles painted on them. At the top we were greeted with yet another panoramic view of the surrounding city and purchased a souvenir coin with the castle on one side and a custom message imprinted on the other which was stamped into the coin by the machine. Leaving the castle we all got icecream. The respective flavors were green tea for Maryrose, peach something for Theodore, and sake for The Author (which was not as good as I thought it was going to be). As we ambled back to our apartment we passed over one of the moats in which we saw several turtles and a large gold-colored koi. 

-Nathaniel

Theodore and The Author in front of a Soviet submarine outside the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force Museum which is across from the Yamato museum. This museum was also closed.

 

Theodore with a gun from the Battleship Mutsu outside the Yamato Museum. The width of the bore on the guns of the Yamato was about two inches greater. 

  

 

An interesting sculpture behind the museum. The other half of the dog in the foreground is sticking into the furthest tombstone-shaped plaque. 

 

Our lunch dessert. These are some sort of rice pastry in caramel. They had an interesting consistency somewhere between bread and goo. 

 

Maryrose and Theodore outside the main tower of Hiroshima castle.

 

The Atomic Bomb Dome viewed from the top of Hiroshima castle. 

 

Theodore and cone on the causeway over the inner moat of the castle.

 

The golden koi we observed on leaving the castle.

 

Maryrose and The Author outside one of the gates into the castle.

 

Front and back of a 5 Yen piece and one side of the souvenir coin depicting Hiroshima castle.

 

Reverse side of the coin, note the inscription.