Okunoshima Island and Hakata, Japan - Day 43

June 7, 2014

First things first, we headed down for breakfast in the early morning and afterwards, promptly checked out of the hotel and stored our luggage in the lobby. It was the long awaited day to Okunoshima Island aka. Bunny Island. We pre-booked our train tickets on the JR the day before, and our departure time was 9:07AM and by the time we get to Mihara station, it would be 9:35AM and then we have to transfer trains to take it to Tadanoumi station (~30 mins). Basically, we took the JR Kodama train from Hiroshima to Mihara and then the JR Kure line to Tadanoumi Station.  It was around an hour train ride + extra for the ferry. Once we got off the train, it was apparent that we were in a secluded town. There were nobody there except for a few tourists; the townspeople were virtually not existent. We didn't know how to get to the port but luckily there were some tourists who we "decided"  were heading to the same place as us so we followed them.

A map of attractions around Tadanoumi. 

Once at the ferry ticketing booth, you need to use a ticket machine to buy the tickets. If you need help, you can ask the middle-age ladies at the counter, though they don't speak much English. The tickets for the ferry to Okunoshima Island cost ¥620 round trip. The ferry doesn't come often, perhaps every 30 minutes, so we were standing around the booth waiting with the other passengers. I had to go to the washroom, so I went to the public toilet near the ticketing booth because once on the island, who knows where and how sanitary the washroom would be. The washroom on land, isn't to rave about either, it was old, dirty and cramped inside the stall. It was WAY TOO SCARY. ˚‧⁺(͘๑̊/﹏\)⁺‧ I can't help but scream while in there.

 Ticket booth.

Scenery around Tadanoumi. 

 The ferry arrives...we sat on the second floor. The ferry back was one decker.

The shiba who guards the ticketing booth. He looks so sad...  (。┰ω┰。)

Ferry approaching Okunoshima Island. BUNNY ISLAND.

 Once you get off the ferry, you would be greeted by the bunnies as you walk into the open area. The whole island is filled with little droplets of bunny poop. A lot of locals and tourists bought food along for the rabbits, except us. We came ill-prepared so the rabbits barely approached us. YOU NEED FOOD TO LURE THEM TO YOU. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 But luckily, I saw a local grandmother dump a whole lot of leaves for the rabbits and then walked away. I approached and took some. HEH HEH HEH. ヾ(@°▽°@)ノ

ヾ(@°▽°@)ノ

ヾ(@°▽°@)ノ

 You can use this to listen of the ocean.





























As I peered down the seawall to look at the ocean, it is very pretty, the water is almost transparent and the rocks look so surreal.

BUT, surrounding the seawall on the other side there hundreds of these creatures...(;° ロ°)  I am NEVER leaning over again. And I screamed once again.

(;° ロ°)

Now we are walking towards the lighthouse. And we encounter some rabbits on the way.

 AWWWWW! He's washing his face!! SO CUTE!!! ❤️❤️❤️

 Sniff my fingers!

This little guy looks like he wants to get off the island...

 And a shrine..did not walk closer because I was a bit scared of potential bugs...

 Somebody left their expensive bike here, hopefully nobody takes it.

 LIGHTHOUSE. It was a long walk. You can't get a close up due to a "do not enter" sign. 

As you walk up some stairs and through some trees and bushes you come across a nice scenic area of the surrounding islands.  Though I must say, I screamed many times before I reached here. There's just too many bugs appearing out of nowhere. I couldn't go on anymore and had to go back down.

 The little tree of the left was full of butterflies and when I walked closer all of them flew away and it startled me so much I SCREAMED AGAIN. I was going crazy in my head by this point.

 OMFG!!! ❤️❤️❤️ SO CUTE!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I WANT TO TAKE YOU HOME WITH ME!! ❤️❤️❤️

And then I found more long leaves somebody bought for the rabbits, I took some and gave some to my sister and then we started luring them to run with us.

 HEH HEH HEH. Come my babies, come.

Once we took the ferry back to the harbour, we headed off to the train station. Once at the train station, we were very confused as to which train to take. We didn't know which direction it should be and what the signs meant. And coincidentally, the ticket officer is also away for lunch. FREE RIDES FOR EVERYONE. There's no one to ask for help, but we did have a tourist couple ask us how to get back to Hiroshima. WELL, we got on the WRONG TRAIN. It took 2 HOURS to get back to Hiroshima. 2 HOURS!!! OMG. We wasted so much time on the train, we could've spent those time exploring Hakata. But on the 2 hours train ride back, we couldn't help but fall asleep. In the beginning we were speaking to the tourists couple and asked them what they are doing in Hiroshima and they said they were here on a "Business trip" and they don't really care for museum and the like, but they like to drink and go to pubs. LOL. Nice. They look like regular middle class citizens (a 50 years old White man and an 40 years old Asian women- very American). It's awkward to talk on the train because nobody is talking, only us. So couple of minutes later, I can feel myself literally nodding off. The train ride back to Hiroshima is very scenic, I would've love to stay awake but I didn't notice I fell asleep. The train goes pass the ocean and mountains, thus the very beautiful scenery.

Once we reached our hotel, we headed to the open dining/resting area for something to drink. Yes, we checked out but we still drank from their FREE customers only drink machine. After resting and drinking some soda, we grabbed our luggage and headed to Hiroshima Station for our ride to Hakata. We got our tickets for the JR Sakura 4:27PM departure and arrival time in Hakata is  5:34PM. One hour ride, not bad.

The ride to Hakata provided us with some insights as to country life in Japan. The houses looks very traditional and big. You can tell it's a quite life, except for noises from the trains.

And a donut to satisfy my hunger.

 And some strawberry chocolate biscuits. DELICIOUS!!

Once we arrived in Hakata, I was amazed at the grandness of the station, it's very similar to Kyoto Station. There's a lot of shopping and dining you can do here.

For the last night in Japan, we chose "International Hostel Khaosan Fukuoka." This was an approximately 15 minutes walk from Hakata Station. I did feel a bit scared entering this hostel, I mean, look at the condition it is in and doesn't it looks a bit shady? We got a private room with bunk beds but shower and washroom was communal and it was $58.30 CND/night. The room provides free wifi and air conditioning. That's it. Very minimal. You have to brush your teeth and wash your face in an open area with people walking by to reach their rooms. The showers are divided into females and males. I took a shower for less than 10 minutes as it was so cramped in there, perhaps 1 meter by 1 meter (including changing area - so if you are on the bigger end there would be some troubles unless you go to the third floor and use the bathtub). Another thing here is that you must change into slippers before you can walk up to the living area. You leave your shoes in the lobby and then grab any slippers from the basket.

The reception is very nice, but I wouldn't stay here if it was for a long stay. Look at the size of this room, there's no where to walk and you can barely open your luggage. Also, if I get diarrhea, I would be hogging the toilet for myself and everybody on the second floor has to wait for me as there is ONLY ONE TOILET.

The sink and face washing area located in the main hallway of the second floor. The first thing you see when you walk up to the second floor.

Many tiny rooms on the second floor.

Ate some green tea chocolate biscuits! YUMMY! I should've bought more but no room and it will melt in this heat.

And because we took the early train to Hakata, we have some time to explore, shop and eat before ending the night. I did manage to buy some jeans from "gu" for ¥1229x. The jeans is very comfortable and soft. I guess it's like a Old Navy since the clothing ranges from children to adults, both males and females.

And lastly, dinner. We walked around looking for the famous ramen place, but did not find it so we settled for this place. Unfortunately, by the time we entered, it was almost time for them to close. So the manager was like "last order." It was definitely our last order since we ordered SO MUCH! HAHA. An older couple and a Korean lady was looking at the amount of food we have on the table for two skinny females. (*≧艸≦) 

This is what I ordered for myself. 

First of all, we couldn't read the menu cause it was in Japanese so we chose the food by their pictures. The waitress didn't speak any English at all, so we pointed to what we wanted. And everything here only cost us ¥1910. I chose udon and rice while my sister got udon and some kind of fish; as for the sides, we got takoyaki, fried fish and fried hard tofu. We didn't finish everything though, I was afraid I would get a stomachache which I did the next morning. Diarrhea. When everybody left the restaurant and they started to close up, we asked for a doggy bag, but they have no clue what it was. It was difficult for them to even find containers for us to pack it back. Apparently, in Japan, from what I've read, they aren't really into the whole doggy bagging thing. It was quite embarrassing. I didn't want to waste my rice since I didn't even touch it one bit. But I did ended up wasting it the next morning, had to dump it since my stomach hurts. So much hassle for nothing.

I think it was around 9 or 10 PM by the time we reached our hostel. My sister and I took turns taking a shower downstairs on the main floor. After my shower, as I was heading back upstairs I heard knocking on the door. Apparently, the door is locked at a certain time, and you can't get in without the passcode, which is given to the customers. I was afraid to open the door, SO scared, but I felt so bad too. Eventually after 15 minutes or so he did manage to get in by himself. I know that he saw my shadow while I was going up the stairs. To that young, tall, Caucasian guy: I AM SO Sorry. I didn't want to be liable for any mishaps that happen if I did open the door to an unknown man. Anyways, we saw each other while I was brushing my teeth in the open area on the second floor. Not too bad looking. At least he wasn't out there for the whole night. And I can sleep with no guilt.

Hiroshima and Miyajima Island, Japan - Day 42

June 6, 2014

There were some troubles last night, both regarding our cameras. First, my sister's SD card broke, and secondly, my SD card have no space (other than the fact the SD card that I bought to China erased all of my pictures (so POED). So after the complimentary breakfast provided by the hotel, we asked the staff where's the closest electronic store was. Well, it was ~20 minutes walk away so we headed there first. When we got there, "Best electronics" wasn't even open so we sat outside and waited. There were two other locals waiting too. LOL. Best electronics is HUGE, and I browsed through some PS3 games and OMG there's so many RPGs that's not available in North America. I so want to buy but I can't read Japanese.

We walked back to the hotel and packed our stuff so that we can go to the A-dome. To get there we have to head back to Hiroshima station and look for Hotel Granvia because the bus stop is there and there is a special bus, JR Maple-Oop bus, which is free if you have a JR Pass and it will drop you off at various tourist attractions. This bus goes along a specific route so you have to decide if you want to go shopping, Atomic bomb dome, Castle, etc. They have various boarding stops at various tourists attractions so it is very convenient if you want to head to various places in one day, but the wait time is quite long (~30 minutes per bus) and very limited seating.

I just want to say this, I have wanted to visit Hiroshima for a long time because of the famous atomic bomb incident that I was presented back in high school. I am not really a history kind of person, but the atomic bomb in Japan really left a huge impression on me and it is just devastating that the country have to go through that (regardless of the role Japan played in WWII). Due to the atomic bomb incident, Japan dedicated a huge park to honor and remember those who had died during that time and created monuments to aim at eradicating nuclear weapons. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is very big and there is a lot of statues and monuments to see, but we didn't see all of them which is quite disheartening.

August 6, 1945 - a day that will forever be remembered, the drop of the atomic bomb thus initiating the end of WWII. In order to commemorate and remember those who died, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was constructed with it's central theme "Peace."

Atomic Bomb Dome

The A-bomb dome is a famous building that was devastated by the atomic bomb and it is also an UNESCO Heritage site. Everybody inside the building died due to it's close proximity to the hypo-center of the atomic bomb, but this is what is left of the building now. Now the building represent peace for the people of Japan.

I am glad I was able to see the A-bomb dome in person. What I have been reading in books, I was able to see in real life. When you look at the building you can't imagine the devastation and the amount of tears the people of Japan must have shed.

Memorial Tower to the Mobilized Students

During WWII, there was a shortage of laborers in Japan so the government created the "Student Mobilization Act" which forced students to work in factories and other places. When the bombings occurred, many of these thousands of students died.

Peace Flame - the fire would continue till all nuclear bombs are eliminated. The fire has been lit since 1964 and it continues to burn.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Memorial Cenotaph

Aka. Memorial for A-bomb Victoms - "Let all souls here rest in peace; For we shall not repeat the evil"

The park is very big and there is a lot of monuments and statues to look at; you can spend at least 5 hours here including the museum. We headed off the the Peace Museum next and it ONLY COST ¥50. It a must visit, full of history, but there are a lot of people, particularly students.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

Before Hiroshima was bombed and after. You can tell that basically the whole city was wiped out.

The bottom level (first floor) of the museum is mostly information about the atomic bomb, but as you head towards the second floor, you would be encountered with sad stories about the life of the bombing victims (particularly children) and what was salvaged during the atomic bomb. 

Clothing of children that died

Here's a nice example showing which country process the most nuclear weapons. USA. Another interesting thing this museum showed was the letters Japan wrote to the USA to call for the STOP of testing of nuclear weapons over the years. But I guess the USA ignored it. A very interesting read.

Many heart wrenching pictures. A-bomb victims suffering from the BURNS and injuries. There was one story I read where a kid rode his bike back home and died (bleeding from his ears), perhaps due to the radiation.

Some more pictures of the Peace Park.

Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims  

"Mourning the lives lost to the atomic bombings we pledge to convey the truth of this tragedy throughout Japan and the world, pass it on to the future, learn the lessons of history, and build a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons."

Hall of Remembrance

You walk down the hall to the "Hall of Remembrance," it is a very silent walk and as you reach the room, it gives you a little eerie feeling. In the center of the of room is a water basin, which is to pay tribute to the A-bomb victims who craved for water while they were burning. 

Children's Peace Monument 

This monument is to honor all of the children that died during the Atomic bomb. "This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in this world."

Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound

This mound contains the ashes of ~70,000 unknown victims of the atomic bomb.

Cenotaph for Korean victims

Monument dedicated to honor the Korean victims of the Atomic Bomb. Many were also forced to work as laborers due to the shortage.

A-Bomb Gravestone - for Kunai Okamoto

Peace bell

The wish for the annihilation of nuclear weapons and the peaceful coexistence of countries.

The A-bomb dome from across the river. Even the sky isn't looking to happy.






























Hiroshima downtown. We were waiting for the free tour bus to take us back to Hiroshima Station.

Seems like they have trams here. Nice, feels like olden Japan. It gives it that little historical feeling.

Just before we headed to Miyajima Island, we went to the supermarket so buy some snacks and drinks in case we get hungry.

Cookie Crush pocky for ¥108. (seem a bit pricey for 8 sticks)

The ferry to Miyajima Island is free with the JR Pass, otherwise it would cost ¥180 per way. A lot of students going to the island despite the time of day (late, perhaps 4PM-5PM?).

The famous "Floating Tori"

Once we arrived at Miyajima island, most of the shops were already closed or were closing. We also spotted some deers roaming around, but these deers are more aggressive than the deers in Nara.

LOL. Apparently, this deers spotted a can of something underneath this vending machine. Even if he/she gets it, they won't be able to drink it.

 The largest rice scoop.

 Floating Torii.

Itsukushima Shrine

The shrine was supposed to be surrounded by water, but I guess the water receded. But it started to raining, so I guess it will be filled up later on. There is a fee to go into the shrine, but it was already closed, and due to the receded water we were able to find a way to the shrine.

And then back to the the port waiting for the ferry to come. There's a gate before the washroom to prevent deers from going inside.

You can see the clouds and mist starting to drop on the island. Quite a nice view.