More Food for Thought -- and Body
Our evening meal last night is worthy of mention as it is a traditional dish with regional characteristics, and is especially popular in Hiroshima. Okonomiyaki (roughly translated as "as-you-like-it pancake") is a savoury pancake, or almost pizza, made from batter and cabbage. Toppings are added, and include seafood, egg, cheese, and left-overs in general. We had read about a okonomiyaki-themed food building and we easily found it in the downtown area. It had four floors filled with restaurants only serving okonomiyaki. Which one to choose? Well, the restaurant chose us! At the first one we stopped at to take a look, we were invited to sit and enjoy. We watched at the woman cooking on the grill space in front of us deftly poured, flipped, stirred, added and compressed all ingredients into one massive mound. We ate in right from the grill surface, cutting pieces as needed. It was absolutely delicious--the ultimate comfort food! We actually had one the next day for lunch!
In the morning before heading to Kyoto, we visited the Peace Museum. Our time there was short but nevertheless it had a huge impact on us. All displays are in both English and Japanese, and English audio guides were available too. But I noticed a sign by the ticket booth that said volunteer guides were available for a free English tour, so decided to experience the museum from another's perspective. An older gentleman came up to us and introduced himself as our guide. For the next hour and a half we toured the most important displays in the museum and listened to our guide's explanation (he himself was too young and lived elsewhere to have been affected by the bomb). The visual displays and attention to historical details were excellent.
But it was the photos and personal items belonging to the children who lost their lives that most affected me. One display explained how large groups of school children were at the hypocenter working to create firebreaks when the bomb was dropped. Pictures showed dazed children with clothes and skin burned off. As a mother, I can not begin to imagine the despair and agony of the parents whose children never returned from school that day.
After our museum visit, and feeling somewhat emotional, we made our way to the train station for our trip to Kyoto. In Kyoto we were staying in ryokan-style accommodation. Ryokan are Japanese style inns found throughout the country. More than just a place to sleep, ryokan are an opportunity to experience the traditional Japanese lifestyle and hospitality, incorporating elements such as tatami floors, futon beds, Japanese style baths and local cuisine. Our ryokan was not a true ryokan as it did not include meals (although one could purchase a Japanese-style breakfast) but the rooms were in the style--thin foam mats on floor, low table, floor mats for seating etc. Both Kevin and I found it a bit hard on the body when trying to sleep, but otherwise very comfortable. We really appreciated that our ryokan, although on a quiet street, was near large department store with a huge food floor--and that was where we had dinner.
