Japan on a Friday 2009 www.galfromdownunder.com

Quiet moment at the cenotaph, which records the names of all the people who have died as a result of the bomb, and whose remains are buried elsewhere.

I traveled on the bullet train to Hiroshima in the evening - a good strategy, as the hostels open for check in at 3pm and you've made the most of daylight.

The Pachinko parlors turn their environs into a mini Las Vegas wherever they pop up.

Okonomiyaki is a popular 'everything thrown together with an egg' pizza/taco on the grill. This young man owns his own stall called "HOPE".

The dish is 500-1200 yen, depending on what's in it. The cheapest I saw was 150 yen on the street.

You eat it with a little paddle and chopsticks.

Really tasty, especially with udon thrown in.

I was startled to see this lady use an abacus to calculate my change - in Japan, birthplace of the Casio calculator and more!

This lingere shop is subtitled: "Meet & Sweetie". I'm sure they need a spellchecker.

The Hiroshima Peace Park - a monument to the victims of the bomb at a local girls school.

The monument to the girls shows someone holding a box saying E=mc2.

About the Peace Park and Memorial Museum.

Monument to US journalist and activist Normal Cousins, who championed nuclear disarmament and brought 25 badly burned victims of the bomb for medical help to the USA.

The A-bomb Dome, the shell of the building left as a monument to the tragedy at 8:15 on August 6, 1945

About the A-bomb dome

People shelter from a sudden gust of chilly sleet under the Bell of Peace

The main sights in the Peace Park are well documented.

I was tapped on the shoulder by Mr Mito Kosei, a "Free and Informative Guide" offering visitors a "less sanitized view" than one might find in the Peace Museum.

He described how the lining of people's stomachs ruptured as a result of the blast.

Mito-san was actually in the womb when his mother was affected by the blast. He suffered a sickly childhood, but is now hale and hearty, as is his 91 year old mother. This soldier wasn't so lucky.

He described how people's eyes, tongue and intestines exploded from their charred bodies. "This you do not see in the museum," he said.

Water stops rays from penetrating, explaining how one gentleman in a basement flanked by the river, but close to the blast, managed to survive.

The story about how this gentleman survived - saved by water in an underground cellar.

A drawing of the bodies that filled the river after the blast.

A description of the bodies by an observer.

The rise of Hiroshima from the ashes in just 7 years. Before ...

... and 7 years after. Apparently the train was running 2 hours after the blast.

Many people were affected by keloid scars from the burns.

A list of visitors Mito-san has educated - the most from Australia.

That's his business card and email address.

From Mito-sans folder

The A-bomb dome, a structure left standing as a memorial to the fateful day.

A stature of a mother protecting her child before being vaproized. The Peace Museum is in the background.

Model of Hiroshima before ...

... and after the blast.

Model of the A-bomb dome.

Model of a victim with skin peeling off in sheets. "But how come their faces are unaffected?" says Mito-san, determined that visitors get an unsugarcoated view.

A trike belonging to a little boy who was killed by the blast.

The story of the tricycle and the little boy.

A shadow of a human burned on the steps of a bank.

View of the cenotaph, and in the background the A-bomb dome, from the museum.

Hiroshima's castle, circa 1589. Hiroshima means "wide island". It was destroyed by the bomb, but rebuilt in 1958.

The Shimizu theater. Wiki says "Classical dramas alternate with classical bondage porn at this strange theater. Performances are in Japanese only. The respectable side of the house performs two shows per day, excluding Sundays, from noon-3PM (quite popular with old folks) and 6-9PM".

Shimizu Theater. I managed to wrangle my way in for a half hour look for 900 yen (normally 1800 for 3 hours).

Shimizu Theater stars.

Quiet moment at the cenotaph, which records the names of all the people who have died as a result of the bomb, and whose remains are buried elsewhere. Quiet moment at the cenotaph, which records the names of all the people who have died as a result of the bomb, and whose remains are buried elsewhere.	I traveled on the bullet train to Hiroshima in the evening - a good strategy, as the hostels open for check in at 3pm and you've made the most of daylight. I traveled on the bullet train to Hiroshima in the evening - a good strategy, as the hostels open for check in at 3pm and you've made the most of daylight.	The Pachinko parlors turn their environs into a mini Las Vegas wherever they pop up. The Pachinko parlors turn their environs into a mini Las Vegas wherever they pop up.	Okonomiyaki is a popular 'everything thrown together with an egg' pizza/taco on the grill. This young man owns his own stall called "HOPE". Okonomiyaki is a popular 'everything thrown together with an egg' pizza/taco on the grill. This young man owns his own stall called "HOPE".	The dish is 500-1200 yen, depending on what's in it. The cheapest I saw was 150 yen on the street. The dish is 500-1200 yen, depending on what's in it. The cheapest I saw was 150 yen on the street.
You eat it with a little paddle and chopsticks. You eat it with a little paddle and chopsticks.	Really tasty, especially with udon thrown in. Really tasty, especially with udon thrown in.	I was startled to see this lady use an abacus to calculate my change - in Japan, birthplace of the Casio calculator and more! I was startled to see this lady use an abacus to calculate my change - in Japan, birthplace of the Casio calculator and more!	This lingere shop is subtitled: "Meet & Sweetie". I'm sure they need a spellchecker. This lingere shop is subtitled: "Meet & Sweetie". I'm sure they need a spellchecker.	The Hiroshima Peace Park - a monument to the victims of the bomb at a local girls school. The Hiroshima Peace Park - a monument to the victims of the bomb at a local girls school.
The monument to the girls shows someone holding a box saying E=mc2. The monument to the girls shows someone holding a box saying E=mc2.	About the Peace Park and Memorial Museum. About the Peace Park and Memorial Museum.	Monument to US journalist and activist Normal Cousins, who championed nuclear disarmament and brought 25 badly burned victims of the bomb for medical help to the USA. Monument to US journalist and activist Normal Cousins, who championed nuclear disarmament and brought 25 badly burned victims of the bomb for medical help to the USA.	The A-bomb Dome, the shell of the building left as a monument to the tragedy at 8:15 on August 6, 1945 The A-bomb Dome, the shell of the building left as a monument to the tragedy at 8:15 on August 6, 1945	About the A-bomb dome About the A-bomb dome
Bell of Peace Bell of Peace	People shelter from a sudden gust of chilly sleet under the Bell of Peace People shelter from a sudden gust of chilly sleet under the Bell of Peace	Here here! Here here!	The main sights in the Peace Park are well documented. The main sights in the Peace Park are well documented.	I was tapped on the shoulder by Mr Mito Kosei, a "Free and Informative Guide" offering visitors a "less sanitized view" than one might find in the Peace Museum. I was tapped on the shoulder by Mr Mito Kosei, a "Free and Informative Guide" offering visitors a "less sanitized view" than one might find in the Peace Museum.
He described how the lining of people's stomachs ruptured as a result of the blast. He described how the lining of people's stomachs ruptured as a result of the blast.	Mito-san was actually in the womb when his mother was affected by the blast. He suffered a sickly childhood, but is now hale and hearty, as is his 91 year old mother. This soldier wasn't so lucky. Mito-san was actually in the womb when his mother was affected by the blast. He suffered a sickly childhood, but is now hale and hearty, as is his 91 year old mother. This soldier wasn't so lucky.	He described how people's eyes, tongue and intestines exploded from their charred bodies. "This you do not see in the museum," he said. He described how people's eyes, tongue and intestines exploded from their charred bodies. "This you do not see in the museum," he said.	Water stops rays from penetrating, explaining how one gentleman in a basement flanked by the river, but close to the blast, managed to survive. Water stops rays from penetrating, explaining how one gentleman in a basement flanked by the river, but close to the blast, managed to survive.	The story about how this gentleman survived - saved by water in an underground cellar. The story about how this gentleman survived - saved by water in an underground cellar.
A drawing of the bodies that filled the river after the blast. A drawing of the bodies that filled the river after the blast.	A description of the bodies by an observer. A description of the bodies by an observer.	The rise of Hiroshima from the ashes in just 7 years. Before ... The rise of Hiroshima from the ashes in just 7 years. Before ...	... and 7 years after. Apparently the train was running 2 hours after the blast. ... and 7 years after. Apparently the train was running 2 hours after the blast.	Many people were affected by keloid scars from the burns. Many people were affected by keloid scars from the burns.
A list of visitors Mito-san has educated - the most from Australia. A list of visitors Mito-san has educated - the most from Australia.	The list continues! The list continues!	That's his business card and email address. That's his business card and email address.	From Mito-sans folder From Mito-sans folder	The A-bomb dome, a structure left standing as a memorial to the fateful day. The A-bomb dome, a structure left standing as a memorial to the fateful day.
A stature of a mother protecting her child before being vaproized. The Peace Museum is in the background. A stature of a mother protecting her child before being vaproized. The Peace Museum is in the background.	Model of Hiroshima before ... Model of Hiroshima before ...	... and after the blast. ... and after the blast.	Model of the A-bomb dome. Model of the A-bomb dome.	Model of a victim with skin peeling off in sheets. "But how come their faces are unaffected?" says Mito-san, determined that visitors get an unsugarcoated view. Model of a victim with skin peeling off in sheets. "But how come their faces are unaffected?" says Mito-san, determined that visitors get an unsugarcoated view.
A trike belonging to a little boy who was killed by the blast. A trike belonging to a little boy who was killed by the blast.	The story of the tricycle and the little boy. The story of the tricycle and the little boy.	A shadow of a human burned on the steps of a bank. A shadow of a human burned on the steps of a bank.	View of the cenotaph, and in the background the A-bomb dome, from the museum. View of the cenotaph, and in the background the A-bomb dome, from the museum.	Hiroshima's castle, circa 1589. Hiroshima means "wide island". It was destroyed by the bomb, but rebuilt in 1958. Hiroshima's castle, circa 1589. Hiroshima means "wide island". It was destroyed by the bomb, but rebuilt in 1958.
The Shimizu theater. Wiki says "Classical dramas alternate with classical bondage porn at this strange theater. Performances are in Japanese only. The respectable side of the house performs two shows per day, excluding Sundays, from noon-3PM (quite popular with old folks) and 6-9PM". The Shimizu theater. Wiki says "Classical dramas alternate with classical bondage porn at this strange theater. Performances are in Japanese only. The respectable side of the house performs two shows per day, excluding Sundays, from noon-3PM (quite popular with old folks) and 6-9PM".	Shimizu Theater. I managed to wrangle my way in for a half hour look for 900 yen (normally 1800 for 3 hours). Shimizu Theater. I managed to wrangle my way in for a half hour look for 900 yen (normally 1800 for 3 hours).	Shimizu Theater. Shimizu Theater.	Shimizu Theater. Shimizu Theater.	Shimizu Theater stars. Shimizu Theater stars.
Shimizu Theater stars. Shimizu Theater stars.	Shimizu Theater stars. Shimizu Theater stars.	Shimizu Theater stars. Shimizu Theater stars.