Osaka to Hiroshima... and back again

Posted on April 9, 2007 by Chris McKee

In the heat of last August, myself and three others packed enough stuff in our bags to last us a few days, threw them in the car and made for the Hanshin expressway. The trip from Osaka to Hiroshima, via Shikoku, was long but far from unpleasant. The constantly varying scenery allowed one to see parts of Japan not usually found in the guide books. From crowded coastal cities, bridges of stunning architecture, island strewn seas, to seemingly endless green forests, the scenery on view in Japan is almost as varied and beautiful as nation’s culture. I was constantly surprised by the sheer size of the forests in Japan’s inland regions, and only later learned that of all the developed countries, Japan has one of the highest percentages of pristine environmentally protected areas.

Hiroshima itself was an unforgettable experience. Like any other Japanese city it is dominated by tall office buildings, apartment blocks (or ‘mansions’), convenience stores, and people shopping. It also features a castle and nearby there is the Itsukushima Shrine, apparently the third most photographed place in Japan. But unlike any other city in the world, save of course Nagasaki, it has a unique and fateful history; and it’s the Peace Memorial Park and the accompanying museum which really sets Hiroshima apart as a sightseeing destination. The museum’s presentation of the events surrounding the end of the World War II is at once informative, moving and disturbing, yet always handled with care. It seemed that each member of our group came away with a different opinion about the museum; personally I thought it attempted to leave the politics to one side and focus on humanity and in particular the great human suffering of the terrible event. The others perhaps saw it differently but we all agreed that it was well worth the visit and we had plenty to think about on the long, and often silent, journey home. The trip to Hiroshima will stay with us for a long time to come.

Upon arriving back in Osaka, we decided to end our holiday in the only way we, as Northern Irishmen, could think of: we headed of to Murphy’s Irish Bar for some food, drinks and a game of football (soccer) on the widescreen TV. Ahh... you can take the boys out of Ireland...