Hiroshima

It is difficult not to feel emotional while visiting Hiroshima. To even understand and feel things a bit better I branched at Kinokuniya to grab a copy of John Hersey's Hiroshima. It recounts the lives of six survivors in the days before, during and following the bombing. It brought a complete new perspective to the way I visited the city.

On a happier note, we could not be in Hiroshima without trying the local specialty. And as it is virtually impossible to get disappointed with the food in Japan we delected ourselves with an Okonomiyaki. It is a kind of Japanese pancake topped with shredded cabbage, bacon, egg omelette, mochi and noodles that is prepared on a teppan (hotplate).

Miyajima

Today we headed to Miyajima. It was quite sunny but bloody cold! Last time I came here the famous floating Torii gate was under renovation and hidden under hideous scaffoldings! I felt cheated. It is after all one of the three most scenic spots in Japan (with Mastushima and Amanohashidate). It is famous for its maples and November definitely is the busiest seasons with hordes of Japanese wanting to catch a glimpse of its delightful colours. Its culinary specialties include delicious oysters (on skewers, in batter, in croquettes, etc...) and most importantly the reknowed Momiji Manju (delicious cakes in form of maple leaves with different fillings). We went to the original baker and tried different flavours like custard, green tea, chocolate and soya bean paste.