This morning we left Tamano City for Hiroshima. Before I left
Shoko was kind enough to do my laundry. When I sat down for breakfast
she gave it to me folded. She also made me coffee to drink while we
watched the BBC coverage of Obama’s visit to the Peace Park in
Hiroshima. She then drove me to the docks to catch a ferry with my
classmates because we were visiting an island in the Seto Inland Sea to
tour the largest garden in Japan. All of the families stood on the docks
until the boat was completely out of sight.
Once
we arrived on the Island we took a train and walked to the Ritsurin
Koen. It was definitely awe-inspiring. The path was lined with pine
trees that pre-dated the inception of the United States. This garden had
originally belonged to a very powerful Japanese warlord, called a
Daimyo. Once we finished our tour of the garden we all had the chance to
visit the teahouse within the garden for a Japanese tea ceremony. I
have really come to enjoy matcha tea since arriving in Japan. The
bitterness paired with the sweet you are given is quite nice.
After
tea we caught another train, this time to Hiroshima. Before arriving in
Hiroshima I had only known it as the location of the use of the first
atomic bomb. When we arrived I realized it was quite a big city.
After
arriving we went to the hotel to check in. The hotel rooms are
itty-bitty! They barely fit the two twin beds that are inside. After
checking in we went for a quick dinner and called it a night pretty
early. This was a nice change from the long days of the Japan Study
Abroad Program.
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Read more from Stephanie at http://stephsadventuresabroad.tumblr.com/
Find out more about the U of A International Business in Japan program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/wcobjapan
