Mon 27 Dec HIROSHIMA
went to Hiroshima castle and Peace park again. while the others went inside the peace museum i tried to get some readings done, only to be bothered by this ojisan who kept trying to get my perspective on why the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. He asked me questions like "Why was America, China, UK, Australia, [insert more countries] against Japan?...we [Japan] only went to war because we wanted more food...we didn't do anything wrong...why did America drop the bomb on Hiroshima?" etc etc etc. And then he showed me his deformed pinky from the radiation [he survived the bomb]. i really didn't want to answer because i knew that he wouldn't like my answer either way and i tried to give a neutral answer but i guess he wasn't satisfied with it.
after the others were done with the museum we went to the Dreamination, which was Hiroshima's illumination where one of their main streets was light up with different wire sculptures covered in lights. lots of camwhoring happened. Then we stumbled through the red-light district before arriving at an okonomiyaki restaurant to eat some hiroshima-style okonomiyai =] nomnomnom
Tue 28 Dec MIYAJIMA
Visited Miyajima (again)!
slipped on some stairs that was near the water and got seaweed on my arse and new jacket. then Anin and Jacky helped me clean it off (in public >___>).
went inside itsukushima shrine and camwhored.
then went back to hiroshima and had some ramen for dinner before giving Jacky a birthday surprise =) Enjoyed some german wine and cake made by the lovely Frank Frank =]
Wed 29 Dec IWAKUNI
We let bday boi decide where/what we do that day so we went to Iwakuni, which is near the border of Hiroshima prefecture and the neighbouring prefecture, to check out a bridge.
camwhored
then went back to hiroshima and had some anago and more oysters for dinner before heading back on the bus home to Kansai.
Thu 30 Dec
arrived in Osaka at 6am-ish (i think). was thinking of going to spa world with Frank Frank and Jehki, but Jehki got food poisoning when we got off the bus so we all headed home.
Arrived home to discover the house infiltrated with kids! nah jk jk. my host mum's daughter's family came down from nagano to visit obaachan and ojiichan. the kids are sooooo CUTE!!! unfortunately i still had like 4 papers and 5 exams to prep for before uni started on the 6th, so i couldnt go out with them much =(
Fri 31 Dec NEW YEARS EVE
spent most of the day 'trying' to write up a paper. had a big festive dinner with the host family with osechi, ozoni, mochi, soba (represents longevity), which is traditionally eaten on the 1st but because the host-sister's husband had work and was only free for a day we ate it a night earlier.
then went out at 11pm-ish to meet up with Anin, Vicky, Roger, Nicole and Katie in Sannomiya to go to Ikuta Shrine for hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year). The shrine was super crowded and there were police monitoring crowds. also experience one of the crappiest countdowns ever. since there was no official clock nearby you had to rely on your own watch to know when to start the countdown. so basically there were groups of people going off saying 'Happy new year' at different times.
then the shrine gates opened and we just got pushed forward by the crowd behind. it was pretty cool listening to a row of taiko drums being hit as we edged closer to the front where we throw some money and make a wish, before heading off to the side and getting out omikuji (fortune). i scored a daikichi (=super good luck) !!! =D then headed home
Sat 1 Jan HAPPY NEW YEAR HELLO TWENTY-ELEVEN
didn't do much except trying to work on papers again (i knoe eh, what a depressing way to spend new years day.... studying)
Sun 2 Jan
Papers again
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