The previous post in this series is here..
Our day 2 in Japan started early. There were enough vegetarian options for breakfast at the Tokyo Inn. They also had Croissants. Only thing missing was chai. We always had instant packets of Wagh Bakri ginger chai and that made up for it. They even had a free machine that dispensed hot cocoa. It was nice. Once everyone was ready we made it to the train station. Till that point we had only been on local trains.
This morning we were on the Shinkansen from Osaka to Hiroshima. It was a long ride but the speed of the train and the timing to the second was just amazing! Thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Once at Hiroshima, we decided to go see everything by ourselves. There was a 20 minute ride from the train station to the center. We found a seven seater van to hire for this. (if you are a group of 4-6 chose this option in Japan. It is value for money but usually available only from train stations or on Uber apps. you can’t wave it down like a taxi)
It was a grim reminder of how low humans can go and also how folks can redeem themselves. There are lot of idiots in positions of power today with bloated egos. It does not bode well for the world.
We walked around all the memorials and museum. Decided to skip the boat ride. It was cloudy but you could feel the heat and humidity. Then we went to the Castle as the last stop. It was another interesting experience. Finally we made it to a marketplace.
Jr. had found an “insta” famous restaurant. When we went there it was closed! So we found another vegan place close by and decided to eat there. Given my allergies and it being the first time we were eating out, I skipped and sipped lemonade. Later we went to a bakery and got a lot of different breads including a cheese bread that I loved. The breads were different and so soft. Imagine bread that pulls off like soan pappadi! Just lovely.
Here are the photos..
After lunch it was time to catch the Shinkansen back to Osaka. So we took two taxis. At the very first light the two went in different directions. We knew it was a 25 minute ride from where we started. Good thing is we could track each other on the iPhone and catch up. More photos..
We walked by a Yoga studio in Hiroshima on our way to the train station. Given how Bikram had started teaching in Japan, I was interested in seeing the studio where he taught. We talked to a local guide and were pleasantly surprised to hear “in Japan, yoga now has a negative connotation. Ever since an organization bombed a train station with Sarin nerve gas and folks in that organization did yoga, we as a culture do not look up to it.. that is also the reason we don’t have dust bins everywhere. you have to carry your own trash back home! that organization used trash cans to leave the bombs”.. So we learned a few things on this trip!
A video highlight reel..
The return ride was a blur. Everyone was dozing off on the high speed train. When we came back to Osaka, it was a little after 3PM.
Decisions had to be made by weary travelers. Tough decisions.. but we made a great call.. that in the next post.