Chasing Sakura Day 6 - Sagano Romantic Train, Arashiyama / Kyoto Station

Assalamualaikum. Konnichiwa.

Been busy these past few days. NOT! Alkisah memang sudah berjaya telan sebotol pil M. Kesan dia mau dekat seminggu belum hilang. Blogwalking jak aku rajin minggu ni, then left comments yang berjela macam boleh buat entry di 'rumah' orang kan. Dasar!

Bak kata si Merengmate "Tu tanda kau baca setiap ayat. Dah tu takleh nak tipu kau lah kan."

Ikut hati memang mau komen tiap perenggan. Tettt! Ok sila jangan melalut & lets continue from where I last stopped (here).

Dari Hiroshima Station kami naik shinkansen ke Kyoto Station. And that was our last shinkansen ride. Lepas tu hanyalah naik express train, local train & subway.

Sampai Kyoto Station, direct pi locker room di GF. Simpan anak gajah yang ntah kenapa jadi tambah berat padahal stok makanan makin berkurang. Pastu aku ndak da pun shopping, ndak kan beli fridge magnet & keychain pun boleh tambah kg kan.

And settled urusan locker...off we go to our next destination. Jadual hari ni adalah best. Well at least untuk aku yang buat itinerary ni. Tapi aku tengok yang lain enjoyed jak, so aku buat conclusion diorang pun happy.

Kyoto Station --- via JR Sagano Line --> Saga-arashiyama Station

9 April 2014

Saga-arashiyama Station

The journey from Kyoto Station takes about 15 minutes.

Torokka Saga Station; just next to Saga-arashiyama Station. Untuk yang mau naik sightseeing train tu, sila beli tiket dalam bangunan ni. 

Jadual scenic train. Tapi aku ndak faham apa pun selain no tu semua. And we're lucky although all seats were sold out we managed to grabbed the standing ticket. Ndak apalah berdiri, janji niat untuk naik scenic train tertunai. Dapat tiket last train dari Torokko Saga (0430pm). 

Torokka Saga --- via Sagano Romantic Train --> Torokko Kameoka : 620yen/way

Masa ni aku gigih message si DJ tanya itu ini considering she rode the scenic train a month before my trip. But since dia belum publish entry pasal train ni, tu yang aku direct jak message. Sebelum sampai Jepang aku memang sudah 'warning' awal², I will definitely akan kacau dia tanya soalan² bonus pasal train ni. Luckily pantas jak dia menjawab. And memang sungguh bonus soalan aku tanya sampai dia jadi biul cari jawapan. 

Lepas beli tiket, tanpa tengok keliling dalam bangunan boleh aku laju shoot soalan?? 

"DJ bantuan. Aku kat Torokko Station & dah beli tiket scenic train.Wei, mana nak board train ni? Kat station ni juga ke."

"Alamak! Kena tengok balik peta aku bagi haritu. Torokko station kat mana eh? Ooo Torokko tu nama train kan? Hehe Torokko Sagano? Semua station untuk scenic train memang mula ngan nama Torokko. Aku naik dari Torokko Arashiyama to Torokko Kameoka. Tapi kena jalan sikit lah untuk nak naik scenic train tu."

Sudah! Bila banyak nama pelik ni aku jadi confused. She did sent few pictures of the train station sebelum aku jalan haritu. Just untuk bagi gambaran how the place looks like. Aku panik sebab gambar kaunter tempat dia beli tiket tu lain dari kaunter yang ada di depan mata aku. Tapi memang ada tulis Sagano Scenic Train depan kaunter tu. Kecurigaan & kepanikan menguasai minda so memang aku ndak dapat berfikir lurus. 

Aku duduk kejap, tarik nafas. Simpan segala map & tiket dalam bag. Takut hilang. Probability untuk semua tu tercicir adalah tinggi kalau aku panik. Ntah apa jak kejadian tetiba mau panik segala. Then aku keluar dari Torokko Saga station. Luar tu ada gerai² jual snacks, postcards & tour. Aku masuk dalam gerai yang jual segala macam tour; more maps depan mata tapi aku sudah malas mengutip. Aku direct tanya the counter lady. Nasiblah dia boleh speaking baik punya. I showed her the tickets I bought & asked whether its the Arashiyama romantic train. Memang soalan bengong kan tapi aku takut kalau pusing² soalan, both akan ended up pening. 

The lady nodded & assured me that's the right train. And she told me the boarding point is inside the station itself. Choii sangat kan perangai. Macam mau dihempap batu. Lepas beli tiket kenapa perlu panik ndak tau mana mau naik train tu? Kenapa ndak guna mata yang besar macam bulan tu untuk scan the whole station? Nampak sangat kau lapar. Motif!

Since sudah dapat clear explanation pasal boarding point, I spent some time outside the station. Tengok pokok sakura menari dibuai angin petang yang ndak sejuk sangat. Cantik gila scenery bila kelopak sakura berterbangan ditiup angin. 

Pastu baru rasa macam kena hempap tukul besar di kepala. Dalam aku menikmati scenery tu, aku pun sambil baca juga message si DJ hantar. Apakah bengap perangai ndak digest betul ayat. Dia naik dari Torokko Arashiyama bah!!! Sah lah kaunter lain rupa sebab kau di Torokko Saga, Bie hoii! Mangkuk kehayunan. 

Replica of the scenic train outside the building next to Torokka Saga Station. 

The boarding point. JUST NEXT to the counter where I bought the ticket earlier. Aigoo! L to the Ser betul.

Sudah terasa aura keromantikan? Boleh lah romantik bersama girlfriends kaedahnya. 

Kami dapat naik enclosed cars which only windows can be opened. Kan best kalau dapat naik fully open car. Sob. Bersyukur sila Bie. 

Luck was on our sides. Masuk jak train tu, memang yang beli standing ticket teruslah berdiri. Including us. Then bila train start jalan, eh 4-seaters depan aku ni kosong? Masa tu belum berani duduk sebab ada few passengers dari gerabak lain masuk gerabak kami, macam tengah cari seat. But once diorang masuk gerabak lain, apa lagi...kita bedal duduk. Ahjussi & his family di kerusi seberang macam bengkek jak tengok kami. Ndak puas hati kami dapat duduk ka? Rezeki jangan tolak ok. Ntah ndak faham aku apa mau dijeles padahal diorang pun duduk juga. Ka seated ticket mahal sikit? Lantak.

Aku assumed dia jeles sebab masa tu view lawa kebabom semua sebelah kami. Yang diorang cuma nampak bukit botak & sometimes dinding konkrit. TAPI! View lawa side kami tu ndak lama if compared sama side diorang. Third-fifth of the journey diorang boleh muntah darah tengok view kebabom. And turn kami gigit jari tapi setitik pun ndak jeles tau. Pffft. 

So dinasihatkan bagi siapa yang mau naik scenic train ni, sila lah beli tiket seat sebelah kanan ah. Kalau dapat standing ticket, sila lah berdiri sebelah kanan. Both sides lawa sebenarnya tapi as I said, right side tu lagi lama dapat menikmati keindahan alam.

Boleh lah angan macam lake di Switzerland. Emerald green tu sudah sama kan.

Train was moving in a super duper fast pace. If only it stopped at some spot, mesti lagi best journey ni. And dapat juga tangkap gambar less gegar. Sudah rasa macam naik Star LRT masa ni. 

Heaven gila tengok sakura tu semua. Speechless aku tengok. 

Sampai Torokko Kameoka Station in less than 20 minutes if I'm not mistaken. 

Boleh jak untuk naik scenic train tu dari Kameoka back to Saga tapi kerana JR Umahori Station (free ride with JR Pass) hanyalah 5 minutes walking from Kameoka, haruslah kami pilih untuk menapak. 620 yen boleh guna untuk beli benda lain. Cheapskate tahap infiniti!

More sakura trees along the way to Umahori Station. Ndak rugi kami menapak. Mata tercuci sama keindahan sakura. Barulah namanya trip Chasing Sakura. 

Up to this moment, memang masih dalam alam separa mimpi. Benda ni semua sudah aku saksikan depan mata kepala sendiri wei. Like the bestie said, dreams are made of these. Ngeks.

Sampai Umahori Station, bermula lah saat aku jadi total bingai.

Aku ndak tau kenapa, tapi lepas jak masuk station ni...aku confident tahap gaban terus duduk di bench. Without even bother looking at the signboard, platform mana patut kami ambil to go back to Saga Arashiyama. Langsung ok ndak ambil port kenapa platform di seberang tu lagi ramai orang dari tempat kami tunggu train tu.

Berkat kepintaran & keyakinan tinggi si Err, journey yang patut hanyalah 10 minit jadi berjam. Sob! Bila ingat balik, aku rasa macam mau baring guling² jak atas railway . Kenapalah bingai betul masa tu.

Masa dalam train tu tetiba rasa macam eh kenapa lama betul mau sampai ni. Rasa naik scenic train dari Saga Station tadi ndak lah lama sangat. And according to the train route, Saga Arashiyama is only 2 stations away from Umahori Station. Then Ms P bersuara & just realized kami sudah salah naik train. Tu pun sebab terbuka hati buka pamphlet scenic train tu. Else, memang ntah mana² jak lah kami sampai masa tu.

Dan sebab panik juga, masa train stop at Sonobe Station kami terus lompat keluar train & dengan rakusnya lari to the opposite platform...without tengok information board; masuk train yang tengah stop masa tu. Ok kunun rasa lega gila. Semua orang dalam train tengok kami; pelik. Masa tu level confident still tinggi. Dalam train ramai Ahjumma, Ahjussi & budak² sekolah.

THEN! Suddenly train was moving the same direction macam train tadi! Kiranya sia² lah kan kami keluar dari train tadi & lintang pukang lari ndak cukup nafas kejar train yang ini. Turned out semua train akan stop di Sonobe Station & train tu akan patah balik pi Saga Arashiyama. Kami yang bijak bestari ni sudah naik train yang masuk kampung orang. So kami nekad, next station kami akan turun.

And train yang masuk area kampung ni memang al-lembab. Kategori KTM zaman 90-an dulu. Pastu pintu cuma boleh dibuka di gerabak tengah; tekan button. Bukan automatik macam train bandar. And train ni akan stop dalam 5 minit at each station.

As decided, we alighted from the train here. 

Ok now, masa untuk tunggu train dari kampung. Matahari sudah turun sikit. Dalam hati aku confident, memang ndak kan sempat lah berbambu-forest petang tu. Harapan untuk layan sunset from Togetsukyo Bridge pun slowly lebur. The ladies start mencicit; wondering mana lah train ni. Dalam tu sibuk juga ambil gambar. Bukti sesat total di Jepang.

Honestly, aku kalau sesat or salah train station solo memang no hal, cuma akan berhal² bila aku bawa orang. Guilty gila sebab telah mensesatkan orang. Masa ni barulah sibuk mau baca information di board. And of course hasil adalah hampagas. Kalau di bandar pun certain stations jak ada multi-language info, inikan pula sudah masuk area kampung.

Al-bangang nya aku siap  cari train schedule dari internet. Selama kau di Jepang, bukan kau jadi pengguna tegar hyperdia kah Bie? Bukan kah apa jak apps tu suggest kau patuh dengan taat? Di saat separa genting tu, kenapa ah kau ndak terfikir untuk buka hyperdia & check what time the next train will arrive?!?! Why must sudah sampai KK baru kau terfikir kenapa kau ndak guna hyperdia jak masa tu? Ughh! 

Aku pun sibuk gambar keliling. Damai memang damai. Terganggu sebab aku serabut fikir bila train balik Saga ni akan muncul.

Lagi triple paniks bila someone suddenly asked;

"Sure ke ada lagi train. Ni macam dah nak gelap. Bila last train sebenarnya?"

Ok, aku tau last train di Jepang memang 11pm(+-). Tapi bila orang tanya aku under such circumstance, aku jadi 50-50 sama fakta yang aku sudah study tu. Jauh di sudut hati, aku sebenarnya yakin last train tetaplah midnight. 

"Memang kul 11pm. Habis macam mana orang yang kerja kat Saga & tinggal kat kampung ni balik kan? Betul tak?"

Tu diaaaaa...statement minta back up. Then Ms G bersuara;

"Ala salah turun train station jak. Yang penting kita tau ada train, lain sesat di hutan."

Fuh! Lagi kondifen! Bagus. Rasa ringan sikit hati aku. 

Bunyi loceng tanda train akan datang. Excited kami tunggu. Sekali datang dari arah Saga. So masa train tu stop, aku zoom pi dekat driver tu & tunjuk station Saga Arashiyama dari pamphlet yang aku pegang. The driver asked us to wait & pointed arah train tu akan datang. Memang bahasa ayam itik keluar! Magically aku faham bila dia cakap in 20 minutes time. Mesra Japanese language juga telinga aku ni ah. Ingatkan Korean jak kau dapat faham sikit kan Bie. But seriously masa tu aku dengar macam driver tu sebut i-sib bun (20 mins in Korean). Hmmm abaikan.

Tenangnya suasana kampung. Cuma dengar bunyi angin & burung berkicau. 

Tepi station ni ada perumahan kampung. Mula tu memang aku sudah terfikir, IF ditakdirkan train balik pi Saga ndak da harus aku akan buat muka paling tebal ketuk pintu rumah orang. Mau tumpang bermalam. 

Aku berani kerat jari, orang kampung ni will be more than willing to host us. Jangan bagi idea untuk spend the night at the station ok. Petang tu pun angin sudah start tunjuk aura penampar. And fyi, train station di kampung ni pelik sikit. 

Turun dari platfrom ni akan terus directed pi street masuk kampung. Ndak da kaunter ka apa di bawah. So aku rasa memang orang dari kawasan kampung ni ada access card special to ride the train. 

Bila train dari arah kampung sampai, punyalah kami melompat gumbira. Dalam excited, once again rasa macam dibingaikan. Pintu hanya dibuka bukan di gerabak tengah tapi at the last two cars. Macam monyet pun ada perangai sebab pintu ndak juga buka even sudah banyak kali kami tekan button. Then a good samaritan came into the picture. He helped us press the button from inside the train. Terbuka jak pintu, kami terus masuk dengan bangga. Masa tu jadi bahan tontonan semua orang dalam train. Pasrahlah jadi retis kejap. Kali ni mostly budak sekolah dalam tu. 

Ms P told me to asked the kids if the train is heading to Saga Arashiyama Station. But I got a better idea. I walked straight to the seat near the man who had helped us earlier. Alhamdulillah, he speaks good English. And more bonus! He knows where Malaysia is. Hooray! Maka buat sesi interview. He is a Japanese who teaches English subject. He happened to know about our country when he went to Singapore. Transit di Kolumpor alkisahnya. 

Masa masuk train tu aku memang ada nampak Kyoto di atas pintu train. Tapi masa tu aku sudah malas tunjuk berani; kang sesat lagi memang harus aku kena duku. Ngek. Tanyalah cikgu tu betul kah train tu akan stop di SAS. And he said yes. Pastu aku panjangkan fakta;

"We're going to Kyoto Station. This train last station is Kyoto right?"

"Oh yes, yes. This will stop there. But it's a local train, a bit slow. If u want the fast, take the express. But expensive."

"We have the JR Pass. So it's free."

"Oh great, then u can ride the express train."

Dia suggest kami turun di Sonobe & take the express. Yang kebetulan masa tu tengah stop tunggu passengers di platform sebelah. Tapi cukuplah takat tu ah. Biarlah local & slow, janji ndak payah kami bertukar station lagi. Paling penting adalah untuk sampai Kyoto Station...and check in hostel. 

Kami semua bantai tidur all the way to Kyoto. Sedar jak sudah sampai. 

Kyoto Station

Peak hour. Gila ramai orang masa ni. Berduyun²!

So untuk avoid the crowd, aku suggest untuk tawaf Kyoto Station. Kalau ikut itinerary, first day tu aku plan untuk ronda dalam station ni. Nampak dalam blog si Mun macam lawa, aku pun excited mau explore. Besar gila bah Kyoto Station ni. 

Yes, on time kami sampai. Ngam timing tangga ni buat light show. Just like what I saw at Mun's. Check list; ticked!

Kami naik escalator up to the rooftop. Tapi sebab sudah gelap gulita, so ndak da apa sangat mau ditengok. Kami pun turun. Ntah masuk level mana, lintas jejantas dalam station bagai.

Kyoto Tower . Ada bahagian dalam station ni yang boleh dapat clear view of the tower. Ala observation deck lah kiranya.

Restaurant at 4F. Boleh buat wedding reception di station ni tau.

Memang betul meronda. Dari hujung ke hujung kami explored. 

Bila peak hour sudah limpas, kami pun ambil anak gajah. And took the subway to our hostel. Jalan kaki will take 8-10 minutes tapi memang menempah lah kan kalau ada hati lagi mau berjalan. As if what we've been through that day wasn't enough torture. Walau superwalkertapaki ndak banyak, tapi minda penat berpanik.

Tu pun dari subway station kena berjalan few minutes more to reach the hostel. Masing² memang sudah menyumpah sakit kaki, beg berat. Mianhae chingu-ya. Sampai hostel, check in process sangat smooth. Naik bilik, mandi manda & rest kejap baru zoom turun lobby untuk isi perut. Sebelum gastrik datang, mari jamu perut.

Sparkling Dolphins Inn, Kyoto

Menu dinner kami. Makan lauk tin sama nasi panas, fuh heaven gila. Terus perut ndak jadi merajuk. 

Pas makan, hati gumbira! Packing sikit & good night. Esok kena check out awal sebab ada penambahan destinasi in the itinerary. Gara² terlepas petang tu kerana kebingaian sendiri. Memang kena sampai sebab itu antara highlight cuti² Jepang aku. 

eryantierdabdulkarim

CutiCuti: Japan - Reino Inn, Hiroshima

Property: Reino Inn Hiroshima Peace Park, Hiroshima

Date: 8 Apr 2014 (1 night)

Price: ¥4,250/person (~RM 110.00)  

Room Type: Regular Room for 5

Booked via booking.com.

JR Hiroshima Station ---> Chuden-mae Station via Tram #1 (the 11^th stop)

Cross the street to the right. Walk ahead & the hostel is next to the Lawson mart. 

Reino Inn was registered as Youth Hostel in 2012. 

The reception office is located a bit further inside from the main door. 

Reception counter. U can asked anything from the staff & YES they converse very well in English.
Note I: First time in my life staying at a hostel that provide an i-Mac desktop for the guest to use. 

Next to the reception counter. Dining cum luggage storage room. 

Our room located at the 5^th Floor. It's a room for 5 people. 

Yours Truly decided to have the sofa bed; located just opposite the room's door.

Our room consist of 1 sofa bed, 1 queen size bed & 2 single upper-beds.

Ensuite bathroom. And the toilet area is quite spacious. However, the shower room is like the one in Osaka. 

Extra bonus for this hostel! It is accommodating enough for the handicapped. So thoughtful, yes. But for us, it is definitely the bidet system. We can even control the temperature of the sprinkle water. 

Mini kitchen. Only located at 3F, 4F & 5F. Lucky we have one at our floor.
Note II: It was a bit creepy walking along the corridor from our room to the kitchen. It's like we're the only guests staying on that floor. I wouldn't dare to walk on the corridor; alone. Automatically teringat Ju-On. Fuh imagination went horrid!

Laundry room located near the reception counter & common toilet at the lobby area. Washing machine ¥600 & dryer ¥600.

I highly recommend this hostel to those who wish to stay in Hiroshima. It is very very near to the Chuden-Mae Streetcar Station (merely 2 minutes walking). We took ~5 minutes walking to the A-Bomb Dome, Children's Peace Monument, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park & Museum. 

Those who want to taste the Hiroshima style of Okonomiyaki & Teppayanki can do so at the hostel's restaurant located at the 1F. 

And untuk yang suka membeli terbelah, Hondori Arcade is just a tram station away.

eryantierdabdulkarim

Chasing Sakura Day 6 - A-Bomb Dome / Memorial Peace Park, Hiroshima

Assalamualaikum. Konnichiwa.

Before I start...heartiest congratulations to my bestie cum kawanverangancuticutisedunia; Mrs Ernie on the arrival of her second child (20 May 2014). Dalish is officially a big brother now. Macam biasa, cuma mampu wish through alam maya jak. Baby sudah besar baru lah aku ada kesempatan menjenguk. 

Hope u enjoyed ur confinement! Sudah habis kan kau list down makanan waktu berpantang. U're consious with what u consume even before u gave birth so I guess u won't have problem with "kau ndak boleh makan ni, ndak boleh makan tu'. Super happy for u, Dalish & Mr Azwan. Looking forward to my next visit which only Allah knows when it's gonna be. Insha Allah.

Ok, lets continue where I last left (here). 

One of the highlight of my visit to Japan. Be prepared there will be quite loads of informations & facts in this entry. Quoted from various sources in the internet. And some I picked from my recent visit.

That morning (9 April 2014) I woke up early. I was so excited. Finally, I managed to fulfilled my own promise. Alhamdulillah. Once everyone is ready, we checked out from the hostel & left our bags at the storage room. 

Yours Truly before the entrance to our hostel. 

It was a walking distance to the prominent features of Hiroshima. Magnificent view of sakura tress lining up the river. 

Built to strengthen resolve for building peace. 

MUST never repeat the war again...must never repeat the A-Bomb catastrophe.

Memorial Tower to the Mobilized Students. A replica of six doves are put scattered around the tower to symbolized peace.

"To make up for the shortage of labour, the government enacted The Student Labour Service Act (1944) that required middle school & higher grades students to work in munition factories. In Nov 1944, many students were required to demolish homes & buildings to create fire breaks; to limit the expansion of fire in the event of air-attacks. Of roughly 8,400 students 6,300 of them died on the day of the bombing. Behind the tower is the list of the dead & this tower was built based on donated funds."

I preferred to roamed the ground of this memorial park alone. If only I could freeze time I'd be able to cover the whole place in a day. Reality sucks! 

A historical witness that conveys disaster of the first atomic bombing in mankind history. It also has become the symbol of the vow to pursue the abolition of nuclear weapons & enduring peace. 

Background of the boy-and-girl statue is Aioi Bridge. The bridge that stood at the time of the bombing was completed in 1932. It was reconstructed after the was but gradually deteriorated & a new bridge was built which in 1983. 

It was said the main target of the bombing was this bridge. But the bomb slightly missed; exploding in the air over Shima Hospital located 300 metres away. The fierce blast however deformed the bridge's girders, handrail of the northern side fell into the river & part of the sidewalk was lifted up. 

View taken from the Aioi Bridge.

Looking at this blooming tulips, I couldn't imagine how it looks like after the bombing. The city once shrouded heartbreaking tragedy. This is near the Peace Clock Tower. I was too carried away reading the information I forgot to take picture of the tower.

"The chime of the tower resounding everyday at 0815, the time when mankind received its baptism of the atomic bomb for the first time; calls out to the world "No more Hiroshima". We pray that the day for lasting peace may soon come to mankind" A memorial epigraph in front of the tower. 

When the atomic bomb exploded, the blast ravaged the building in an instant. Heat blazing from above consumed the entire building killing EVERYONE in it. Some walls escaped total collapse as the blast attacked from straight overhead of the building. 

A world map is engraved on the bell's surface; a map without national boundaries.

"We wish the sound of the bell resound in each corner of the world & reach the hearts of each and every human being."

Walking further up the park...is another monument that invites sorrow in my heart. 

A gold crane modelled after an ancient bronze bell; made as a wind chime initially hung under a bell inside the tower. Currently the bell & golden crane are exhibited at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

Flame of Peace.

"Pedestal designed to resembled two pressed hands together at the wrist; palms pointing up to the sky. This expresses condolence for victims unable to satisfy their thirst for water, as well as the desire for nuclear abolition. The flame was burnt continuously since it was first lit on August 1, 1964. It symbolized the anti-nuclear resolve to burn the flame "until the day when all such weapons shall have disappeared from the earth."

I wish! 

Cenotaph for the bombing victims. It was built with the desire to construct Hiroshima after the bombing. Stone chest in the centre holds the registry of the names of persons who died from the bombing regardless of nationality. To dates a total of over 200,000 names are registered.

"Let all the souls here rest in peace. For we shall not repeat the evil."

The Peace Memorial Park area is once a land of Nakajima District; historical town that prospered as one of the foremost downtown areas in Japan. When the bomb was dropped, it exploded over this district. Causing violent death not only to the residents but also many National Militia Unit members & mobilized students. And the cityscape vanished instantly.

The tree that survived the bombing.

Walking along the path next to the river; going back to the hostel to pick up our bags. This pink sakura somehow soothed my aching heart. 

Bound for Kyoto. Sayonara for now Hiroshima. 2 days aren't enough to explore but what to do; time is our main constraint. Sob.

Hiroshima has always been a place I have long want to visit. I've heard the city's name ever since I was little. Albeit not literally knowing what actually happened to the city, I know it was once destroyed by a nuclear bomb.

I will set my foot upon this city; one day. A promise I made to myself long time ago. So when I was given the chance to visit this Land of The Rising Sun; immediately I put Hiroshima on top of the list. I don't mind if I have to skip the other cities including Tokyo. That's how importance & special Hiroshima is to me. I studied a bit about this city before the visit in order to get a clearer picture of what had actually happened there. 

And I thought I've read enough. But the visit proved me wrong. Standing amidst the 'history', I found myself blending with the surrounding. Without conscious,  I shed some tears. Yes I am emotional like that.

My biggest regret for this visit was the museum. If only I know the museum wouldn't take more than 4 hours to tour, I will be more than glad to enter. Although the other members don't want to. My blogger friend; DJ went in. Reading her entry about the museum made me wanna knock my head hard. Admission fee is only ¥50 & audio guide rental is ¥300! My greatest loss. 

Never mind that for I've made a clear notice to myself. If I were to visit Japan again, I will definitely be back to this city. Period. 

Once we reach Kyoto Station, we went to the locker room to stored our bags. Yeah, at this point of time we're already familiar with the station's layout. 

Another train ride to one of Kyoto's scenic area. Later ~~~~

To be continue. Until we meet again in my next entry. Insha Allah.

eryantierdabdulkarim