Next we visited ground zero and a building that was one of two left standing after the atomic bomb was detonated. We visited a few of the memorials and the peace museum. It was all a little disturbing. After seeing it all you wonder if there wasn’t a way to accomplish the same thing without having to take so much life. I’m glad I wasn’t the one who had to make the decision. That night we checked into a hotel in Kobe to spend the night.
The next day we took a train to Nagoya and then a bus to Toyota City to tour their plant. Toyota is incredible. It is no wonder they rule the auto world. They wouldn’t let us take pictures of the plant, but they have some incredible innovations that make their factories run more efficiently. It was amazing to see a car come together from 30,000 separate parts. We also got to visit their showroom and see a trumpet playing robot and all of their most current models. In Japan each of their cars has its own logo on the front grill instead of the Toyota logo and Lexus was just introduced in the last few years, so it is relatively new to them.
That night we returned to our hotel in Kobe and a few of us went out for a dinner of Kobe beef. This was the best, and most expensive, meal I have ever had. The cows that make Kobe beef come from very strictly maintained breeds and are fed diets of expensive grains and beer. They are massaged and generally treated very well compared to US cattle. The marbling in the meat is distributed evenly throughout, so it is very tender. I forgot to take my camera to dinner, but have attached a picture taken from the web below so you can get an idea of how the marbling compares to regular beef. It was incredible. I was a little nervous about Beth’s reaction that night when I called her and told her about how much I had spent. It was worth it.
Next day we departed Kobe for our long train ride back to Tokyo. On the way we stopped in Himeji to visit Himeji-jo castle, the seat of a powerful shogunate for hundreds of years. After that we were back on the train for another four hours. We did, however, get to see Mt. Fuji at dusk as we sped by at 200 mph. It was tough to get a photo that is any good, but I have attached one anyway.
Next day we spent visiting stuff in Tokyo we didn’t get to see the first time around. We visited another Buddhist temple and spent a some time shopping for souvenirs in tourist areas like Asakusa and Akihabara. A few of us ran into another Japanese student from Kelley, Eisuke, who was not in our group, but was in Tokyo. Our group went with him to the Tokyo Dome (home of the Tokyo Swallows baseball team) to ride a rollercoaster. After that we headed back for our final dinner.
The dinner was great, lots of food, and karaoke afterwards. The next day I took the subway by myself out to Jimbocho just to see a little more of Tokyo before we left for home. At noon we boarded a bus for Narita Airport and were on our plane by 5 PM. After eleven hours we were back in the states. It was an incredible vacation. If I hadn’t wanted to see Bethany and Ainsley so bad I wouldn’t have wanted to come home.
More pictures of the trip here.
Torii gate on Miyajima Island
Deer run loose on Miyajima Island and beg tourists for food
Ground zero
Ground zero again, next to the blue car. The atomic bomb detonated 600 meters exactly above this point
View of the Peace Gardens and memorials
Kobe beef
Himeji Castle walls and grounds
Himeji-jo Castle
Mt. Fuji from the shinkansen
Matt and Eisuke eating Tacoyaki (octopus balls) and drinking Pocari Sweat
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