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Hiroshima is the a principal city of Chugaku region. It has a deep history and slightly painful mankind's history. The nuclear bomb that destructed the city and ended world war 2. Today, the place where the "Little boy" was dropped has been replaced with a museum and monument of peace.

Overall, there are two major must-see places in Hiroshima:
1. The Peace Memorial Park
2. Miyajima island

The Peace Memorial park is a 120,000 square meters park within the downtown area, surrounded by lush green trees, and striking peace monuments. Inside the park, there are three building: The A-Bomb Dome, Cenotaph and the museum.

Memorial Cenotaph
 This is the Memorial Cenotaph hoping to reconstruct the ruined Hiroshima as a peaceful city. Ex-professor of Tokyo University, Tange Kenzo, designed the monument and its saddle-shaped roof in the hope of protecting those victims from the rain. The cenotaph carries an epitaph: "Rest in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated". The central stone room carries the list of name of both domestic and overseas A-bomb victims (1).


A-Bomb Dome
A-Bomb Dome building, which was designed by a Czech architect in 1915, had been used as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. Hiroshima citizens back then loved so much European modern-style buildings of the time. In 1912, the National Confectionery Exposition was held in this place. From that exposition, Baumkuchen, which represented German cake (1)was manufactured and sold in Japan for the first time.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
The museum is rather small so you can see it within an hour or so. Inside the museum, you can see the timeline moments before and after the nuclear bomb touched Hiroshima. You could also see the remnants of things that was left from the devastating event. It was quite an experience for me. There was chill that runs in my spine, imagining how the people dealt with the sheer destruction and how they lived afterward.
Paper Crane from children from all over Japan - and the world.


How to get there

From Tokyo: Take the Shinkansen to Hiroshima station.
Tokyo and Hiroshima are connected with each other by the JR Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen. Direct Nozomi trains require about four hours to reach Hiroshima from Tokyo. By Hikari and Sakura trains, the trip takes about five hours with a transfer of trains at Shin-Osaka Station. If you have JR Pass, it already cover the shinkansen using Hikari and Sakura trains.

If you don't have JR Pass. The regular one way fare from Tokyo to Hiroshima is 18,040 yen for a non-reserved seat on any train, around 18,500 yen for a reserved seat on Hikari and Sakura trains and around 19,000 yen for a reserved seat on a Nozomi train (2).

From Hiroshima station to the memorial:
There is a bus service that runs to the Memorial Park. You can use your JR pass to (YAY JR PASS).

From Hiroshima station to Miyajima Island:
To reach the ferry port from Hiroshima Station, take the JR Sanyo Line to Miyajimaguchi Station (25 minutes, 410 yen one way, covered by the Japan Rail Pass). Alternatively, you can take tram line number 2 from central Hiroshima bound for Miyajimaguchi. The tram is slower, but costs only 260 yen one way (not covered by the Japan Rail Pass).
From Miyajimaguchi Station, it is a short walk to the ferry pier, from where ferries depart frequently for Miyajima. There are two competing ferry companies operating from this port: JR and Matsudai. Both companies' ferry rides take 10 minutes and both cost 180 yen one way. The Japan Rail Pass is valid on JR ferries.

I have the JR pass so I think, why not me coming to Hiroshima, since it is near Kyoto-Osaka (than Tokyo of course). It also bear the mark of Japan history, and it meant something for me as well.

So I arrange trip from Tokyo to Hiroshima first before coming to Osaka. I only wanted to visit the Hiroshima memorial, and the island near Hiroshima.

References:
http://visithiroshima.net/world_heritage/a-bomb_dome.html





Kamakura is one of the ancient capital of Japan. Its located less from an hour from Tokyo. If you are about to go there, then I suggest you to visit Yokohama since its on the way.

Kamakura is well known for its great Buddha bronze statue. 

The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a bronze statue that stands on the Kotokuin Temple. It is said to be the second biggest bronze statue in Japan (The biggest is in Todaiji temple in Nara). 

The statue stands on a firm ground in open sky. It was originally located inside the temple but the temple building were destroyed several times by typhoon and tidal wave and ever since the Great Buddha is located outside as we see today.

The Great Buddha
The most important Shinto shrine in Kamakura is Hachimangu shrine. It has been a pilgrimage of earlier Japanese population. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is Kamakura's most important shrine. It was founded by Minamoto Yoriyoshi in 1063, and enlarged and moved to its current site in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura government.
Another interesting attraction from Kamakura is Enoshima. Its an island a little far off the coast but connected by a bridge. You can see the beach, visit the Enoshima shrine and so on. 

How to get there

Train access: 

From Tokyo,Omiya Kansai
Train access to Kamakura.
from: http://en.kamakura-info.jp/access/

PS: I just know that the government allows you to have free guided tour (AWESOMENESS YAY) limited on day time, maximum for 5 hours. Its limited from April 1 – October 28 2016  Please have a look on this site http://kamakura-info.secret.jp/kwga/ . And here is the contact :

E-mail : kwga@kamakura-info.secret.jp 
FAX : 0467-22-3516 (domestic call) 
FAX : 81-467-22-3516 (overseas call) 
URL : http://kamakura-info.secret.jp/kwga

Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan. There are so much thing to see in Kyoto. Kyoto is the traditional Japan you might think of. The best time to visit Kyoto is in the spring and autumn. Kyoto’s summer is not the best experience but it is compensated by loads of festivals.

There are things you must not miss during your visit in Kyoto though. Temples, food, and some experiences you should not miss when you’re there.

Since I am a backpack traveler, I opted for minimum budget, maximum experience (lol).
I will list it here as how the best route in my knowledge.

Depends on where you stay, if you come at night and have some time to sleep. Rise up early in the morning, buy some breakfast at nearby konbini and be ready to travel Kyoto. Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes since you might walk around a lot.

Places to see in Kyoto

There are more than 100 temples in Kyoto. Its completely up to you if you want to visit each and every one of them. But here are the famous temples in Kyoto.

1.   Kiyomizu Dera
2. Fushimi Inari
3. Kinkakuji
4.   Arashiyama
5. Nijo Castle
6. Sanjusangendo temple
7.   Kyoto Imperial castle
8.  Toji Temple
9. Chion in temple
10. Gion

Others are optional
9. Philosopher path (tetsugaku no michi)
10.  Ginkakuji

Festivals

1.  Gion festival
2.  Aoi festival

Experiences

Kyoto might makes you want to experience the traditional Japan. There are some experiences that you could try here that makes you feel the authentic Japan feeling (I have no idea what I am saying).

1.   Stroll around in yukata/kimono
2.  Dress up as maiko (geisha apprentice)
3.  Eat in ryokan (Japanese traditional dining)


If you like matcha (powdered green tea), then I suggest you to visit Tsujiri. It’s a caffee specialized in matcha. You could buy the matcha drinks, or buy a pack of matcha powder as souvenir. Their matcha drink are delicious.

Transportation

The train is not as extensive as in Tokyo. But have your JR pass ready (if you have one). Its easier to go around with bus. You can buy one day bus pass at your hotel or at the station. If you go to more than 2 places, then I suggest you to take the one day buss pass.

One day bus pass in Kyoto will cost you 500 Yen
While one time taking bus will cost you 220 Yen per ride.
More about Kyoto transportation will be discussed in other post.


There are good resources for your Kyoto travel planning.

1. Kyoto travel guide : http://kyoto.travel/assets/travel/kyototouristguidebook-bbce8e98f8bccdc52eecaadc32157899.pdf
2.  Inside Kyoto: http://www.insidekyoto.com
3.  Google map https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zoY6R7XpLLys.kgoI667xGgAQ&hl=en_US
Important things related to JR pass

  • They HAVE TO be purchased outside of Japan. Buy them before you leave your country. In Indonesia you can buy it on any travel agent specialized in Japan, HIS (http://his-travel.co.id/jrpass) or Japan Railway ( http://railpass-japan.com/)
  • After you buy it, you will not get the real ticket. Its a voucher that you need to change into the real ticket in Japan. You can exchange your 'voucher' ticket at Narita airport, and some big train stations (Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Tokyo, etc)
  • The expiration date of the ticket depends on when you activate it. You dont have to activate it asap. Plan accordingly. If you have 7 days ticket, then the deadline to use it is the 7th day after you activate the ticket. Say if you come on January 1 but you activate it on January 20, then the ticket will be valid for 7 days after 20th January.

The JR pass covers all shinkansen trips (except Nozomi and Mizuho). Take note that the differences between all shinkansen trains are the travel time and the number of stations they stopped at. 

JR Pass types

There are several type of JR pass based on the area and the train seat.


  • JR pass based on area divided into:


  1.  JR pass ( include all JR trains, shinkansen, bus and ferry in ALL parts of Japan) 
  2. JR Kyushu pass ( include all JR trains, shinkansen, bus, and maybe ferry too only in Kyushu area)
  3.  JR North Kyushu pass ( include all JR trains, shinkansen, bus, and maybe ferry too only in north Kyushu area)
  4.  JR Hokkaido pass (include all JR trains, shinkansen, bus, and maybe ferry too only in Hokkaido area)
  5. JR West Kansai pass (include all JR trains, shinkansen, bus, and maybe ferry too only in west   Kansai area)

So if you are going to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima, its way better to get JR pass. But if you are going to specific place only, its better to use specific JR pass. Its very cheap to get JR pass if you plan to go to more than 2 cities, but if for instance you only want to spend your travel in one area such as only in Tokyo or Kyoto, you might not need JR pass at all.

  • JR pass based on the train seat:

  1.  JR pass ordinary class: basically you can only get into Kodama, Hikari and Sakura shinkansen. 
  2. JR pass green class: you can  sit in the green car train.
  • So what is the difference between green car seat and ordinary seat?
Ordinary seat are usually in 3x2 or 3x3 configuration. Its divided into reserved and non-reserved seat. If you have JR pass, in theory you could just hop in to the non-reserved seat. Which mean you can sit anywhere as long as its empty. However during the busy days such as golden week, the seat may be full. So you better take precaution and go to JR offices in any big stations ( Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Tokyo) and get reservation. Its also better and easier for you (and the JR officer) if you researched your trips, including the train type and the hour before you go to the JR station so they can get
Ordinary seat
from japantalk.com

Green cars are in 2x2 configurations and have wider seats. They're also more likely to have electrical outlets and heated seats.
Green car seat
from japantalk.com
Lol for all that matter to me is the speed and the destination I dont care if I go to the ordinary pass. Afterall, they are in the very same train.

Below is the explanation from JR website:

 JR Pass is valid on the route from Tokyo to Hiroshima and Kyoto, using the Tokaido Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen lines. The key point is that the JR Pass is not valid on certain classes of Bullet train. There are several types of bullet train that run on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen lines:
Kodama (Normal, stops at all stations)Hikari & Sakura (Express, stops at main stations only)Nozomi & Mizuho (Super Express, stops at very large cities only)
The JR Pass is valid on the Kodama, Hikari and Sakura types of Shinkansen, but is not valid on the Nozomi and Mizuho classes. In practice, the Hikari and Sakura bullets reach the same top speed as the Nozomi and Mizuho trains and use the same type of actual train, but stop at more stops on each route. For example, for the trip down from Tokyo to Kyoto, the Hikari service runs 15mins slower than the equivalent Nozomi service, and so for holiday travel is more than acceptable. 

2/19/2016
Depok, Indonesia
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About this blog

This blog is written by Ulfa. She is a traveler, amateur photographer and has fallen in love with Japan for a very long time. She would like to share her travel tips in this blog. Terra Travella meant to share information and experiences about places that she loves and had visited.

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  • ▼  2016 (4)
    • ▼  February (4)
      • Japan trip 8. Hiroshima Memorial Park
      • Greater Tokyo 1: Kamakura
      • Kyoto Travel : General
      • Shinkansen (Bullet Train) and JR pass
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    • ►  November (1)
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