Studera utomlands

After Tokyo, my family travelled to Hiroshima. We got there by plane, and I got the chance to see Mt. Fuji from the sky again on our way there!

Hiroshima

After living in Tokyo for the past few months, Hiroshima was a nice breather from the cramped streets of Tokyo. Compared to Tokyo, the roads there are more spacious, and there are fewer people. I was surprised not to be met by chaos in their main shopping street XP. Hiroshima is also known for its noodle-filled okonomiyaki! Which was our first meal there.

Hiroshima is a very historical place in Japan due to the bombing in 1945. There are several monuments to the event, and the A-Bomb Dome was one of them. The skeletal remains of the building contrast strongly with the beautiful park around it.

Not too far away from the memorial is Hiroshima Castle. It did not survive the bombing, so it was rebuilt, but there are 2 trees around the castle which did, and they are still standing today.

Miyajima (Hiroshima)

In Hiroshima, we also visited Miyajima. An island not too far away with several temples and the floating torii gate by the ocean (Itsukushima Shrine). We were there on a beautiful day and got to enjoy strolling around in the morning.

We only spent 3 days in Hiroshima, and we flew back to Tokyo afterwards. When we landed, we rented a car and drove to Hakone. 🚗

Kamakura

The drive from Tokyo to Hakone should have been around 1.5h, but we dropped by Kamakura very briefly for a visit. We got to visit the Great Buddha statue (Daibutsu) and the famous tram line by the sea.

I would have liked to explore Kamakura a bit more and walk along its beaches, but I’m glad I got to see the sunset there. It was a beautiful sight. In the end, we arrived at Hakone in the evening.

Hakone

In Hakone, we visited Hakone shrine. It also has a famous torri gate by the water, but this time it’s by a lake. Due to its popularity, we had to wait in line to take a picture, it was quite stressful.

It was a very windy and cloudy day, so we decided to go up Mt. Hakone the next day. We took the ropeway up and managed to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji. Unluckily, Mt. Fuji was completely covered by clouds when we got up the mountain…

While waiting for the clouds to part, we walked around the mountain top and watched the steam come out its volcanic vents. It was a nice sight, but the sulfuric smell did get a bit much.

Hakone is famous for its black egg, cooked in the geothermal vents, so each of us got one to try. Other than its black shell, it was a completely normal egg on the inside.

Since it took us so long to come up the mountain, we decided to wait for the clouds to part to see Mt. Fuji. We waited for nearly an hour, all the while playing games in guessing the colour of the next car driving past. In the end, we got to see half of Mt. Fuji, but we were happy enough with that. After pictures, we made our way back to Tokyo, where we ended our trip.

End to the 2 week holiday~

A lot happened in a short time, and we managed to go to many places. I was happy to be able to spend time with my family while getting to explore Japan more. Nonetheless, all things end, and I had to return to work on my thesis after this eventful holiday.

Introductory Image: Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima. (Picture by: Yi Cheng Chng)