Hiroshima

Hiroshima is a city that really resonates with me. It is very easy to get around (lots of English signage), is full of stunning flora and satisfies my inner history buff. This was our second trip to the city and instead of visiting the main tourist attractions as we had on our previous trip (i.e. the Peace Memorial Museum and Hiroshima Castle), my beloved and I decided to walk from garden to garden. We spent an entire day walking the perimeter of the CBD from park to park, stopping to explore interesting shops and areas and, of course, to eat.

Here are some of the beautiful sights:

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

 A-Bomb Dome

 View from the CBD

Shukkei-en Garden

Traversing a city by foot takes a reasonable amount of energy. This means good fuel is essential. We enjoyed a particularly lovely lunch in the Shukkei-en Gardens - a big bowl of wakame udon soup for me under the shade of some of the garden's established trees.

At around $4, this meal was an absolute bargain!

Aside from some of the more sobering things that Hiroshima is famous for, its name is also associated with one of Japan's great foods - okonomiyaki. This layered savoury pancake/omelette is available throughout Japan, with each region claiming that their take on the dish is superior. However, Hiroshima is undoubtedly the most okonomiyaki-obsessed city that I have visited - there's even an entire multi-storey building devoted to the food - Okonomimura. Naturally, we had to sample one a few okonomiyaki.

I especially love the interaction of this food. The chef prepares your pancake on the grill in front of you serve yourself right from the hot plate. A casual, fresh and friendly way to eat.

The mixture of noodles, prawns, pork, egg, spring onions, cabbage, pickled ginger, kewpie mayo, okonomiyaki sauce and various other condiments is an absolute winner. Oh, and there's only one thing better than okonomiyaki after a long day of travelling - okonomiyaki and beer!