Christmas in Hiroshima!!

Jingle bells jingle bells jingle bells rock...
For some reason that version kept popping into my head.
Today was a mixed day. Started out frustrating.

I should start by correcting an oversight on my part. The garden I paid to get into yesterday does have cultural significance.
It's name literally translates as 'shrink scenery garden' so those are mini hillsides, valley's etc and was used by the Aasano clan for many years.
Second I herby dub Hiroshima 'city of cats'. Cats on almost every corner and heaps in and around the parks.

Today, had to go between the ticket counter, JTB and city information about four times before I got my Sanyo pass.
They kept thinking it was like a Japan rail pass which can only be obtained outside the country.
Ended up all good and now have tickets to Fukuoka(aka Hakata) for tomorrow, Himeji the 23rd and Osaka 24th.
I also have tickets for Osaka to Tokyo on 27th and my ticket to Narita for the 30th.QQ
I am now also down to 40000 yen for the rest of the trip so I am glad they have great instant noodles.
After that little battle I headed for Hijiyama park which also houses Hiroshima MOMA.
Lovely park pearched on top of a rather steep hill so great views. Pretty big park so I started at the top end and strolled through to the bottom end to bring me adjacent to Peace Boulevard.
Strolled Peace boulevard which is were I saw these lights setup, was only midday so they weren't on yet. Found a flyer that had dates and times amongst the Japanese so came back tonight.
Continuing along Peace Boulevard brought me to the Peace Memorial park.
This is a big park covering what was once a busy suburb, completely destroyed by the bomb.
This is were I started getting depressed. First all of these memorials with 'the hope of world peace' can't see that any time this millenia.
Second the way the park seemed to be treated. School kids running and screaming allover the place. Climbing over monuments and gardens.
At the entrance to the park which didn't get much attention was a multilingual plaque explaning how the whole thing had been laid out so you looked between the pillars of the Peace Memorial Park Museum down what was referred to as "a view of prayer".
Guess what? Buses parked right in front of this "view of prayer". The dude who designed the place went to all the trouble to line up all the monuments and they park buses in front of it!?
Next the school kids, beating the living daylights out of the bell of peace which has clear instructions on its use, disregarded.
Then there are freaking christian converters in the park handing out flyers about god bringing peace! It was a christian country that dropped the freaking bomb!
So moved on pretty quick from there as it was getting me down.
Headed past the A-bomb dome which was more what I expected, some respect for the dead and the ideals of peace, no kids doing trivia hunts. Moved on from there to the Hypocentre, I am assuming this is the actual ground zero were the thing went off due to the name.
Had to check my map a few times and do a couple blocks but there is definetly a seven level carpark there now. Moving on.
Couple blocks up is the reconstruction of Hiroshima castle. The exterior is a reconstruction the inside is definetly not.
Paid my 350 yen to go in and see the museum and alot of the exhibts didn't have english.
This is something I have noticed in Kyoto and Hiroshima. I have seen heaps of tourists in these two cities and maybe four in Sendai but there was better english support in Sendai.
Hiroshima I would expect to have far greater english support than Sendai as I would think it a more likely tourist destination than Sendai. I mean who has heard of Sendai before this blog?
Anyhow great views from the top of the castle and what was in english was interesting.
So as you can see from the pics sun was setting as I was leaving Hiroshima castle and it was getting very chilly again.
Back to the hotel for instant noodles, different ones this time and not as good as the ones pictured, they have been the best so far, Mi-Goreng has nothing on these.
No dog in the lift this time, ate my dinner, put the heavy winter gear on and head out to see this 'Hiroshima Dreamination' the light's I mentioned earlier.
This really made me happy, the whole time I was muttering jingle bells rock or that one line I know from it.
I get an early christmas in Hiroshima and my birthday in Osaka! I was very happy.
So made some navigational errors in my ignorant bliss and landed in 'Okonomi-mura village'.
This was the hub for the cool kids. Heaps o crazy styles, so many street vendors with grilled squid, little bean paste pikachu's and those fish things I had been meaning to try for a while.
150 yen got me a fish shaped cake thing, there was this kid chanting the name to his mum but has slipped my mind. Waffle outer with the red bean paste inner.
Now I am not a fan of the bean paste but it was good hot with the waffle.
Sat and ate that while watching the crowds. Saw more koban(cops) in that five minutes than my entire trip!
After that wandered the street stalls, choc-bannans, takiyoki, bean paste waffle things in various shapes all for 150, marinated squid, grilled squid, ichie moli and sausages on sticks even chips from the sweet potato thing I tried in Sendai.
Managed to get through all that culinary delight whithout making another purchase.QQ
Disoriented me though so took me a half hour to get my bearings and get home.
Today also set a record for pictures, 70 odd new pics uploaded mostly of my early christmas.
Enjoy..