I was insistent that our visit to Japan had to begin with exploring the city of Hiroshima, given all childhood memories of reading about this place in history books. During the 11 hour flight from San Francisco to Tokyo, I placidly watched a documentary titled ‘Tokyo Phoenix’ which was a great introduction to the city of Tokyo. The city’s resilience in rebuilding itself over and over again after each devestating earthquake left a lasting impression on me. We arrived late into Tokyo and took an early morning train to Hiroshima. Seeing the Shinkansen bullet train waiting for passengers at Tokyo Station was an inspiring sight. Humans can build amazing things.
The train swiftly crossed 300 km/h, but it never felt aggressive. Elevated tracks and tunnels made space for wide curves. It felt like it was designed to make speed feel ordinary.
Mount Fuji appeared on the right. Cameras came out. Even the locals paused to look out and reminisce.
First intimate view of the city of Hiroshima was during our walk to the Peace Memorial Park from our hotel near Hiroshima station. The city was quiet and peaceful and the architecture felt modern and sleek.
One of the fondest memories of this visit was trying okonomiyaki on an iron griddle carved into the dining table. I began this journey recalling a documentary about Tokyo’s rebuilding after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. Standing in Hiroshima today, that same resilience and determination felt unmistakably familiar.