Until then, I want to make the most of every minute here... or maybe not. After all, each time I embark on a journey, I leave behind endless other options. This summer vacation was not any different. My alternative plan was to hike across the mountains to the sea, cross over to Sado Island, and attend the Earth Festival that was scheduled for just this past weekend. As it turns out, however, I decided to not to go. The festival was the first thing that I had to abandon, as I had to back for work on Friday and Saturday, and I had I tried to take these days off, it would have cost me 17000 yen in income. Also, the weather had been quite inconstant the weeks before the vacation, and I didn't feel like hiking and camping in the rain.
Normally I like to think I am not such a pussy, but the weekend before I was gonna set out, I went down to the rocks of Agematsu in the Kiso valley for a swim. The entire week had been so hot and humid that while my body was teaching in a sweltering classroom, my mind was jumping off the cliffs into the cool water. When we arrived into Agematsu, it was drizzling, and by the time we made it to the swimming place, it was pouring. It didn't even stop for quite a while, and even then, the sun barely came out before setting behind the mountains.
The other reason that prompted me to chose Hiroshima instead, was the only opportunity to visit my good friend Lennart, whom I hadn't seen in two and a half years. We served together in the public service in Berlin, where he was thought to be the one who would never make it, due to his almost chronic laziness. Whatever that means... Looking back, I don't know if any of us really made it, but the way things are right now, he seems to be the happiest person in Hiroshima, if not in all East Asia. Just like me, he's making a living as a language teacher, though unlike me he seems to be genuinely enjoying it. He is living in a vibrant, youthful and energetic city, with a lovely girlfriend, in love. Three years ago all this would have been crazy fiction.
Hiroshima is about three hours by train from where I live, if you get a ticket on the shinkanzen, the famous bullet-train. For me, it took about thirteen hours, as I bought the less famous, but much cheaper seishun 18 kipu. This ticket lets you go as far you can, all through Japan, for five days, only on local trains. The price was fantastic, especially since I still have three rides left. And I got to see the train-tracks of half of Honshu island. Yet, it was worth it.
Hiroshima itself is an amazing city. I was worried about the weather, as it promised to be hot and humid. In reality it was hotter and more humid than I'd expected, but there was a constant breeze from the sea, that kept the sky dark blue. It was all good. I did the usual touristy things: I walked through peace-park, saw the famous bombed-out dome, left over as a reminder o the nuclear devastation the city experienced, and saw the underground museum of the atomic bombing. I did not go into the big museum where certain relics were exhibited, such as molten glassware, and dented helmets.
The multitude of people standing in line outside scared me more than anything in the exhibit cases could have. Instead, I enjoyed a picnic with Lennart and Miki in peace-park. From there we could overlook everything, from the little girl's statue who had failed in her attempt to fold 10,000 paper cranes in order to be cured of leukemia, to the eternal flame that won't be extinguished until all nuclear weapons are eliminated (or until Japan gets to build their own A-bomb).
I visited Hiroshima castle, which had to completely rebuilt after the bombing, and thus looks as fresh and new as the whole city. It was a very pleasant experience just to stroll down the streets, or crossing the bridges over the many rivers. Of course I had to do some geocaching too, quite successfully. One was hidden just by the baseball stadium, where the Hiroshima Carps had a game against the Tokyo Giants. The area was overrun by fans of both teams, so this one cache remained undiscovered. But I felt good as I could ask one fan whether the Giants had won. How else should it be, of course it was the Carps who kicked their ass... maybe because I happened to be there? This reminded me of the time when the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series from the Yankees, just when I happened to be there... Could this be a pattern? Safe enough to bet on...?
Another cache led me to the top of a high rise, from where I had a wonderful view of the city and the bay. Another interesting experience was the singing man, whom I even got to tape. Later Miki told me that he might have been singing for the dead, since it happened to be Obon holiday, that is the Japanese days of the dead. Unfortunately I have not figured out how to post sound-files here. Another interesting sound I just had to tape, was coming from a van. You won't get to hear it, but here's a picture of the "noise makers" as Miki described them. I'd already mentioned them before, after coming back from Tokyo. I simply called them the Nazis.
Ironic, that especially in Hiroshima there should be so many of them. Nevertheless, I could hear them almost everywhere I went. Especially around peace-park they were blasting propaganda and traditional tunes from their loudspeakers. Apparently they are against all foreigners, immigration, foreign companies, foreign influence, customs and culture. They talk something about illegal laws, and how great Japan used to be in their glorious past. Still, everyone I asked refused to give me an objective answer. Between many apologies and shaking heads, they admitted embarrassedly that they are simply there to annoy people. Okay... so was I, I supposed, and stopped asking questions. Instead I am guessing my own theories, which you are welcome to do, as well.
All in all, I enjoyed my four days, out of which two were spent on the train. Coming back was not quite as enjoyable, not only because I was just one of the many Obon-travelers, but because the night before Lennart and I celebrated "last evening". We went out with Hiroshima's gaijin crowd, which was an experience in itself. It was fun. The city provides many exciting going out locations... that is coming from Shiojiri just about everything seems exciting. We hit an Okonomiyaki place first, where I got the eat the famous Hiroshima-yaki, which is sort of a crepe with noodles, cabbage, vegetables, fish-stuff, and a special sauce. Then we hit an Irish pub, where we met three other happy foreigners. Following this, we went to another bar, where about ten other gaijins came together. Finally we wet to a club, where the vibrant atmosphere, along with the reckless drinking, started to get things out of control... Eventually we finished off the night sitting by the river, drinking haposh. It was good!
All in all, it was a worthwhile experience. Quite different from the the original plan, but definitely well taken advantage of. Next free time I have is in December, the last week of the year. But before that, I'll get to be the host of two visitors in September.
