We traveled by the super express train, the Shinkansen, to Hiroshima towards the western end of the Inland Sea. Shinkansen rides on tracks up above the roads and houses and so there are no crossing points. It stops at few stations and travels at speeds around 200 kph. The carriages are wide with three seats on one side of the aisle and two on the other. It is a bit like traveling on a plane with comfortable waiting areas in the main stations.
Of course Hiroshima was the place where the first atomic bomb was used in anger to end the second world war. With its sea port, Hiroshima was a big military city at that time. Spent a day looking around various musuems and memorials in the central Peace Park area. The museum in particular had very graphic photographic evidence of the destruction. The city has been completely rebuilt and has transformed itself into a city of peace.
One of the major tourist attractions in Japan is the shrine of Itsukushima-jinja which dates back to the 6th century. It is at Myajima a short distance from Hiroshima. The whole shrine is built on piers and at high tide is completely surrounded by water. Because of its holy status, commoners could not set foot on the island on which the shrine is built and so the approach to the shrine was made by boat. Associated with the shrine is the Shinto shrine gate or torii, which appears to be floating in the water. This is one of the top three photographed sights in Japan!
