Marine Day holiday

Monday, July 19, 2010 was Marine Day (observed), so Tarynn and I thought it deserved a trip to an island.  Marine Day is the newest public holiday, first celebrated with a day off work on 1996.  The purpose of Marine Day is to show gratitude for the blessings from the oceans and the hope for economic prosperity of maritime Japan since the entire country is made up of 6,852 islands!  Marine activities are vitally important to Japan but critics of this holiday claim it was instituted only because there were no other holidays in June, July, or August for hard working businessmen. 

Either way, I made sure to appreciate the beautiful sea on the 20-minute ferry ride to the sacred island of Miyajima.  Known as "Shrine Island", Miyajima is one of the 3 most scenic places in Japan.  (The Nihon Sankei were selected over 4 centuries ago.)

Miyajima Island is thought to be one of the most enchanting places on earth.  It's 12 square miles, has a sense of serenity & magic, and is known as a diamond in the Sea of Japan.  Because the island is thought to be sacred like a god, it was not inhabited (only worshipped) for many centuries.  People do live on the island now, but no one is allowed to give birth, die, or be buried there.  In fact, there is no hospital or cemetery.

Here is the ferry boat we rode over to the island.  I was surprised to see it also carries automobiles.  I guess I was thinking it would be like Mackinac Island and free from cars.  Also, people walk every in Japan, so why not walk around this island?!

Kerri appreciating the sea!

Getting closer to Miyajima.  You can see Mt. Misen above and the famous vermilion torii gate floating in the water.

The entire ride to the island we passed these floating docks, and I never did figure out what they were for.  I am totally puzzled by their purpose!

The entire island is a National Treasure and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The first thing you see when you get off the boat at Miyajima Island is... DEER!  Wild deer roam around the island and love the tourists.  They let you get right next to them, and you can even pet them.

The deer are thought to be "messengers of god" and have lived on the island for over 6,000 years.  Some deer were eaten during the tough days of WWII, but they are back to being worshipped again. 

Here's a quick up close and personal video of one deer.  (You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

When we first arrived, I was amazed at how tame these deer were!

Here's one with a big rack, and I took this picture especially for my dad!

I wasn't paying close enough attention, and one deer came over and took a bite out of my map of the island.  I literally had to rip it from her mouth.  Here's the irony... check out what she took a bite out of... a warning that deer like to eat paper and cloth!  LOL.  Oops!  Reading is fundamental!

This deer found a pamphlet and was tearing it to shreds and eating it as a snack.  Maybe if Japan had rubbish bins this wouldn't be such as issue!  Also, I read on the internet that in 2007 there was a ban on feeding the deer, and they became completely malnourished and bothersome.  I didn't see any signs (even in Japanese) about not feeding the deer on my visit, but they still liked to beg for food.

Famous torii gate and view of the Sea of Japan.

Otorii, one of Japan's largest torii gates.  This gate was originally erected around 900 A.D., but it has been replaced 8 times.  This latest version is from 1875.  It is over 50 ft tall and the two largest pillars are each 32 feet in circumference!  The coolest thing about the Otorii is that it is free-standing.  No part of it is in the ground!  There are rocks in the roof which weigh it down and keeps it standing upright!

This is one of the most recognizable icons of Japan, and we were very fortunate that it was under water.  I hear it's not quite as magnificent when it's sitting in a mud pit.

Itsukushima Shrine which is built on tidal land and appears to be floating during high tide.  (See what I mean about the mud pit?!  It's not quite as beautiful...)  This shrine was built in 593 A.D. and has a walkway of over 900 feet long.  There are no metal nails in this structure, instead it was built with precise inter-locking crevices in the wood to alleviate the pressure during high tide.  In addition, some planks are 5 ft wide and 33 ft long.  Imagine transporting those huge pieces of wood to the island over 1,000 years ago!!

This shrine sits directly behind the Otorii and is dedicated to the 3 goddesses of the sea.

As with all shrines, a fierce looking animal guards it from evil!

From the walkways of the shrine, you can see the 5-story pagoda built in 1407.

A group of boaters go out for a closer look at the Otorii.  Some people even walk out there to get a better idea of it's magnitude.  But those people were just trying to ruin my pictures!!

There's more of the beautiful island to come tomorrow :)

Rooting for the "C" team

What are 2 lovely single ladies going to do on a beautiful summer evening in Hiroshima?!

Go to a baseball game, of course :)

The Hiroshima Carp play in one of the few open-air stadiums in Japan.  This was excellent weather for a night game!  I'm so glad it wasn't in a dome!

The Hiroshima Carp play in the "Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium" built in 2009. 

The name makes me giggle, and it's refreshing to hear something being sponsored by someone other than Toyota!!

Another reason I like the Hiroshima Carp? 

Well, they fashioned their uniforms and iconic "C" from the Cincinnati Reds!!  (Out of all of the US teams they could have picked... LOL)

I felt right at home looking at all of the gear on the souvenir stands!

So refreshing to be at an outdoor game.  I almost forgot what it was like! 

The Hiroshima Carp fans are known as the rowdiest throughout Japan.  In fact, they were the first team to start selling the noisy clappers and plastic bats you bang together during chants!

I even saw my company's name "Mitsui" roll across the scoreboard.  I know it's been over 8 months since I've arrived, but I was so proud of myself for recognizing it in Japanese Kanji characters!!  (Followed by the Mitsui logo, so I knew I was right!!)

Being from Hawaii, this is Tarynn's first baseball game ever.  It was a little strange to have to explain everything on the scoreboard, including Balls, Strikes, Outs, etc.

Kerri and Tarynn enjoy the game.

Why doesn't Cincinnati have a food stand called "C-Men" that serves ramen soup (among other things)?!

  Maybe I should suggest it...

And which team were the Hiroshima Carp playing against tonight? 

None other than my hometown team, the Chunichi Dragons!!  I was so torn on who to root for... the cool uniforms that remind me of Cincy or my Nagoya boys.

The goofy baseball team mascots. You may remember Doala, the clumsy blue koala (who has nothing to do with dragons).  The Carps do not have a fish either, instead they have Slyly, an unknown animal imitating the Philly Phanatic.  (Does this team not have a single original thought?)

We discovered another goofy Japanese tradition... 

What is that man doing to that balloon?

At the bottom of the 7th inning, everyone blows up these odd-shaped "jet balloons". 

Waves the balloons around while singing the team song.

And then lets them go!!

It was wild stuff, and of course, can only be done in outdoor stadiums.  The only reason I got a few pictures of it was because a small group of Dragons fans did the same thing at the top of the 7th inning after singing their team song.  So when I saw Carp fans getting their balloons ready, I knew what was going to happen.

I checked the internet to find out the meaning behind the balloons, and it's all in good fun.  No particular reason, but it's wildly popular in Japan.  Interestingly, the tradition was banned last season due to the H1N1 flu virus.  No one could have human breath-powered balloons because an infected person could breathe their germs into the balloon and then let it go, spewing airborne germs all over the stadium (or so the theory goes...).

The end of the game, and the Dragons finally pull out a win!!  6-0, with 3 home runs.  The Zoom-Zoom stadium is smaller that most domes, so home runs are much easier to achieve!! 

When I was back at work, my co-workers were very jealous to hear that I went to another baseball game, especially a night game in an outdoor stadium!  And it's unbelievable to them that every game I go to happens to be the Dragons!  (But there are only 12 teams, so how unbelievable is it, really?!)  Anyway, in my department I now officially hold the record for most Dragons games attended so far this season.

I guess it just proves that Americans really do love their baseball ;)

Hiroshima

It's another long weekend in Japan, so it's time for Kerri to hop on the shinkansen (bullet train) and take a sightseeing trip with her friend Tarynn!!

We have arrived in the town of Hiroshima, famous because it was the target of the world's first atomic bomb during WWII on August 6, 1945.

Hiroshima is known as the "City of Water" in Japan because it has 6 rivers flowing through it.  Therefore, it does not have a subway system, like many other Japanese cities.  Instead, they have an above-ground electric tram system.

The tram cars are HUGE, often the length of 4 buses put together!

The tram tracks run through the middle of the streets.

KG gets to drive the tram!!

At one point, the tram was filled with old men.  They all got off at the same stop.  Guess where?! 

A kyotei stadium, which is a gambling venue for boat racing!!  LOL.  (It has a grandstand just like at a horse track, but the field is a giant pond!)

First stop is the A-Bomb Dome.  This is the only structure that remains in its original condition from the atomic bomb.

It gives a pretty good idea of the magnitude of destruction.

For many years, this building was quite controversial because it's a constant reminder to residents of Hiroshima of the horrible devastation caused by the bomb. All other buildings were rebuilt, yet this one still has rubble lying around.

This is the Children's Peace Monument.  This was inspired by a girl named Sadako, who was 2 when the bomb struck.  When she was 12, Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia due to years of radiation exposure. 

Based on Japanese lore, she thought if she could fold 1,000 origami cranes, she would be granted good health.  Unfortunately, she died before she finished her 1,000th crane.

Now the monument is lined with cases of origami cranes sent every year from schools and other children of Japan.

A chain of origami cranes.  Apparently there is a good English children's book by Eleanor Coerr called "Sadako and One Thousand Paper Cranes" about this story that is worth checking out.

Memorial Monument in Peace Memorial Park. 

View of the Peace Memorial Park. 

The Memorial Monument, the Eternal Flame (which will be extinguish once the last atomic bomb on earth has been destroyed), and the A-Bomb Dome are all in a straight line. 

I must admit the memorial park really reminded me of Washington, D.C. with the reflection pond and green space.

Now onto the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. 

(Have you noticed a trend?  Hiroshima is now known as the "City of Peace".)

Here is an aerial replica of Hiroshima in 1945 before the bomb.  You can see the domed building with the green roof near the center.  Records show that the target of the bomb was actually the T-shaped bridge on the right.

The city of Hiroshima immediately after the world's first atomic bomb.  Notice the domed building in ruins (but one of the few buildings still standing), and the red mark at the bottom left where the atomic bomb would have hit had it not exploded in air.  It never made it to ground level.  It didn't completely destroy the T-shaped bridge, but it did destroy other bridges, including the one that used to be on the top left.

The first floor of the museum was very factual and interesting.  It described the history of the city of Hiroshima, World War II, The Manhattan Project, and why U.S. was building the atomic bomb. 

It even explained that Hiroshima was chosen as the first targeted city because the Japan army had a military base in Hiroshima, but they did not have a P.O.W. camp with U.S. soldiers in custody. 

The second floor of the museum had a distinctly different atmosphere.  It was mostly personal stories of the victims of the a-bomb, and it's subsequent black rain & radiation.  Many were gruesome and disturbing!  (Like recreated figures of people with grotesque full-body burns or with their skin hanging off in strings.)  I'll hit the highlights for you...

Here's a watch stopped at 8:15AM, which is when the bomb hit.  There are many broken watches and clocks all over the museum.  It's hard to forget the bomb dropped on August 6, 1954 at 8:15AM because they most repeat it over 100 times in the museum.

Here's the remains of one little boy's tricycle and helmet who was outside playing when the bomb hit.  Like so many others, the remains of the 3-year-old were never found.

There were many tales of the terrible affects of the a-bomb radiation, but for some reason this one really sticks with me.  A man had his middle and ring fingertips blow off in the bombing, but he lived.  From then on, those 2 fingers grew long black brittle curving nails, and whenever one would break or be cut it would bleed profusely. 

It's worth noting that the Japanese weren't the only people affected from the atomic bomb or it's radiation.  There were many Chinese and Korean people also living in Japan forced to help with the war.  One report says that 1 in every 7 victims was Korean.  But for decades, the Chinese and Koreans had a hard time being recognized as victims and receiving a-bomb treatment.

Interestingly enough, the term "Ground Zero" was coined in Hiroshima for the area directly under the a-bomb explosion.  Since then, the word has been used to describe the exact point of many disasters, including 9/11 and the World Trade Center collapse.

Lastly, there are a few truly unlucky people who lived through the bombing of Hiroshima, and then somehow were also in Nagasaki when the world's second a-bomb was dropped 3 days later!  The Japanese government only "officially" recognizes one man like this based on his proximity to the both bomb sites, and he passed away in January 2010.  However, in 2006 there was a documentary film called "Twice Survived: The Doubly Atomic Bombed of Hiroshima and Nagasaki", and the producers found 165 people who were victims of both bombings.

After that tragic tale, who's hungry?!

Hiroshima area is known for okonomiyaki, and Tarynn made us hunt down this "Okonomiyaki Village" with 30 restaurants in it exclusively serving this food.  It took at least an hour to find, and that included asking locals for directions 3 times!!  I was very hungry, and you can imagine how cranky I was on our hunt for the special food.

Okonomiyaki is some times referred to as a Japanese pancake.  Some versions are all mixed together, but in the Hiroshima area they like to layer the ingredients.  So on the bottom is a crepe then cabbage, sprouts, green spring onions, corn, pork, and it's topped with a fried egg, thick soy sauce, and special seasoning.

(P.S. I love the hairstyle of this woman cooking our food.  LOL.  Maybe I should ask where she gets her hair done?!)

The finished product!  It looks kind of gross in this pic, but it was actually quite tasty... although I was starving so that may have been a factor as well.  I will say that I have had the kind of okonomiyaki where it is all mixed together, and that looks really gross!  The layering is a much better idea.

By this time it's 5PM in Hiroshima, and everything in town is closing down!!  What do you think 2 lovely single ladies decided to do with their free evening? 

You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out...