Hiroshima & Matsumoto (E)

During the last few days in Kyoto I had already seen an increase in tourist numbers as the week-long public holiday “Golden Week“ gave Japanese the time to travel within their own country. As I haven’t booked rooms in advance I struggled to find accommodation at some of the places I initially planned to visit. After desperately searching the internet I found something in Hiroshima (which was on my “to go” list anyway) and another guesthouse in Matsumoto in Nagano province. This meant I was going back up the mountains before ending the Japan experience in Tokyo.

On the first day in Hiroshima I visited the various monuments and museums relating to the atomic bomb drop. I met a volunteer guide who wanted to practice his English skills so we set off together. He taught me some interesting facts about Hiroshima’s history and showed me the A-Bomb Dome (picture), the only ruin left standing as a reminder of that tragic day in 1945.

The second day I spent visiting Miyajima, a small island close to Hiroshima. The two big attractions of the island are the big red Torii standing in the sea and the deer walking around everywhere searching for food (which tourists happily provide). It was a pleasant day and on the quiet island I could recover from a long night partying with Nettali, an Israeli girl I met in Kyoto, and Matoko from Japan.

A long train ride brought me to Matsumoto which is the gateway to exploring the Japanese Alps. I was looking forward to seeing snow mountains again and was happy when I met a fellow traveler from Japan who wanted to do just that. Katz was planning to head to Kamikochi the next day and I decided to join him as he knew how to get there and his Japanese skills would prevent me from getting lost.

Kamikochi proved to be an amazing place just as I saw it on posters in Matsumoto. The weather was perfect and the view stunning. We walked along the river and through the forest for hours and enjoyed the scenery. Katz and I decided to meet again in Kyoto as he is living very close to the city and wanted to show me some non-touristy areas.




Kamikochi Panorama


Matsumoto Castle by night