We had a short train ride and a quick ferry trip to the lovely island called Miyajjima, south of Hiroshima. It is called one of three lovely views in Japan. We are staying in a lovely little inn which is close to the water and to the notorious Torii which is in the middle of the bay. Unfortunately the large red arch was damaged in a typhoon and is under renovation so we could not see the whole thing. But there is a beautiful temple right on the water looking out ...

Traveling is good for your heart and your soul. You forget you have problems when you come to a place like Hiroshima. It is the most moving city we have visited yet and the presence of peace is undeniable. I am overwhelmed by emotion today as we visited the Peace memorial park and museum. There are monuments in the park that dedicate the loss Hiroshima suffered after the Atomic Bomb to the more than half the population of its city 67 years ago. A children's monum...

Miyajima is an island near Hiroshima, and reputed to be one of Japan's 3 most scenic spots, primarily for the large orange torii that appears to float at high tide. It is a very popular tourist destination for days trippers. We stayed overnight upon recommendations of the guide books, for a quieter, more personal experience. We stayed at a Japanese ryokan (Kikugawa), with a delicious multi-course Japanese dinner and an impeccable American-style breakfast. Un...

Skye has been looking at different kimonos and yukatas (summer kimonos). She tried this one on as we strolled around Hiroshima, but she decided against it.

We celebrated our sixth anniversary in a lovely hot spring town called Kinosaki. We were warmly welcomed to our Ryokan by a little Japanese man called Mr. Tamura. He spoke English well and made funny jokes, and always began his questions with "Mr. Christopher...". Our tatami mat room had a lovely tea table where we were offered tea and cookies shaped like crabs (they are famous for crab which Chris later enjoyed for dinner.) Mr. Tamura dressed us in our Yukata a...