We arrived in Hiroshima at lunch time and had booked a tour of the City. This included a tour of the Peace Garden, a visit to the Hypocentre (where the A bomb blast occurred) and a tour of the museum.

The Peace Garden was beautiful and included a lake full of huge colourful carp, and surrounded by trees and flowers including azaleas and irises. There are also a lot of cherry trees which would be beautiful - if they were out! There is one ginkgo tree blown to a45 degree angle by the blat but which still survived.

We were then taken past the old Hiroshima castle (a 3 storey pagoda which was actually a watchtower) to the site of the A bomb blast. There remains one building standing which escaped being demolished by the blat because it was directly underneath it and was not blown over by the blast wave as the vast majority of others were. The copper dome had been melted by the heat and all the windows blown out (obviously). A very moving site which has been maintained exactly as it was found.

Then to the museum which contained graphic photos of the horrendous devastation caused by the bomb, not only to the whole city but also the injuries and suffering to the population. It was very moving but a necessary viewing we felt.

At this point we realized that we have seen museums on our travels which have shown the effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam, the Killing Fields in Cambodia, the war graves in Normandy. All these show the futility of war to future generations and yet wars still prevail around the world. Oh, and tomorrow we see a museum about the Korean War in Busan S Korea.

We arrive there about lunchtime having sailed through Tuesday night, all day and night Wednesday and Thursday morning. And it's not that far!

And so the sun is glistening off the sea but the clouds are building so it could get a bit choppy. We'll see!

With love

A&L xx