12 Kobe and Osaka

We had to stay one day longer in Hiroshima than we expected because a typhoon was sweeping through the city. It was again a good day for catching up with ourselves, we cuddled up and stayed indoors. Before I started traveling I couldn't imagine that not having a home, a routine and a bed, meeting new people everyday and constantly adjusting to new environments would be so demanding. To have an extra day somewhere, empty of plans and meetings, blessed by some personal space and private time is a real treat. In other words, we didn't mind the typhoon at all.

We finally set out on a still rainy but way less windy Sunday morning and decided (we were becoming more and more experienced hitchhikers) that the best would be to take a short train ride out of the city and start waving our cardboard signs outside of city traffic. It proved to be a good plan. Two young girls picked us up after about 15 minutes of waiting. They were going to a nearby city for a weekend drive and were excited to hear our travel stories. We even gave them a short concert from the backseat, Hunor playing his jaw harp and me playing my sanshin. We had fun in the car but it was less fun to get out and start to look for another ride in the pouring rain. 

We were still 300km from our final destination. Who would want to pick up two soaking foreigners?… We were still smiling - although I have to admit it was not the most honest smile out there under the thunderbolt and the weight of my still too big backpack. After about twenty minutes even our cardboard sign melted in the heavy rain, so we gave up and looked for shelter by the closest convenience store. I thought I could give a chance to ask around and the miracle stuck like lightning after all the thunderbolt endured: the first person I asked was going in the right direction and was willing to take us. A middle-aged man driving home from Sunday golf. I asked him if it's OK to play golf in a thunderstorm and he said OK but apparently he wasn't very talkative, so even though I really wanted to know HOW, i stopped myself from asking. He dropped us off in a big parking lot with food stalls, toilets, covered shelters and a lot of people. Perfect for hitchhiking, good for escaping the rain and bearable to stay overnight if we couldn't get a ride. It was not easy. Kobe, our final destination was still about 150 km and although I kept on asking around maintaining my "hey, we are the best travel companions for sure" smile, either they were really not heading there, or they said they weren't because that was the easiest way to get rid of me. We met a lovely tour guide with a bus of elderly tourists, who offered us to give us a 100km ride on their tour bus. It was a surprisingly generous offer, but we liked the spot where we were, so we decided we were going all the way or nowhere. And our efforts were fruitful at the end. A man in his sixties picked us up and gave us a ride straight to Kobe. A retired businessman, speaking very good English. He told us he was traveling in the US in his 20s. "Then you have the kids, and you settle down. When you see the world, and move around, you extend yourself, you take a journey turning mostly to the outside. When you have kids, you learn about yourself and your parents, you re-live and face your own childhood. It is also a journey but you are turning inwards." 

I write so much in detail about our hitchhiking because it is an exciting experience indeed. Leaving the house in the morning, having just a vague plan of where and how you will end up that evening. Meeting people, hearing their stories, learning about their life, having fun, good conversation, or a nap. Riding all kinds of cars. Preparing cardboard signs. Trusting people. Letting people help you and give smiles, share dreams, laughs and positive energy in exchange. I feel this experience is reshaping my personality.

We arrived to our couch surfing host's place around 9 in the evening, had a good conversation with her and then we slept like babies dry and warm after a wet but adventurous day. 

The next morning it was raining just for a change. First we decided to explore the area around, and we soon realized we are in the funniest part of town - at least for foreigners. It is the Ijinkan district in Kitanocho. Kobe was one of the first open ports for western, especially European ships, and that turned it into a rather international port. The Ijinkan district was the district where the stylish villas of foreigners were built together with embassies and offices (or maybe the villas were later turned into embassies, I am not sure). Elegant, classy and green, on the steep hillside with a nice view on the port and the ocean. Today it is very popular among Japanese tourists, because the centenarian houses have been renovated, and they are open to the public as small museums, cafes and gift shops. Each house has a European country for a theme, there is the Belgian, the Austrian, the Dutch house and so on… And of course you can find all the cliches (and maybe more behind the scenes, we don't know, because we didn't feel the urge of paying the 1000yen entry fee to see Europe through the Japanese eye in Kobe…) So you have Belgian chocolate, Mozartkugels and wooden shoes in the respective houses. On the one hand, it is interesting to find such a mixed area in Japan, where usually the only choice as a foreigner is to adapt to the local rules and lifestyle - especially in architectural terms, since there are so many people, there is no space for extravaganza. On the other hand, as a European it was like looking at my culture with a double twist, an experience both interesting and comical. It felt like the artifical image a country creates for itself to attract tourism came to life here. I have to admit, it was a bit scary. They have a public toilet with huge mirrors and with a spacious and lavishly decorated room - for changing clothes, I found out later. Many ladies come here and change into clothes that fit these houses in their imagination (I would say European fashion 50 years ago) and then go for a photo shoot in this imaginary land. Watching them and their enthusiasm was like having dropped into a middle of a fairytale that I don't believe in. 

artistic installation at the public toilet in Ijinkan district

the changing room at the public toilet of Ijinkan district

In the afternoon we took a stroll in the harbor of Kobe, we learned about the great hanshin earthquake that stuck the region in 1995. They left a small part of the harbor untouched to give an idea of the devastation of the earthquake that hit in the early morning and demanded the life of more than 6000 people.　

I was in a gloomy mood, had enough of rain in the last few days, but Hunor was keeping up his good spirits, taking amazing photographs in the reflections of the puddles. This gave me a new perspective and a way to enjoy a city so alien on a rainy day. 

Kobe tower

just because i found it funny...

The next morning we (unusually)took a train to Osaka city, the biggest metropolis we have been in a long time. Endless lines of people and colorful signs for different trains were almost overwhelming. 

Billiken, the little guy who is supposed to bring luck to the Osakans

The only reason we were here was to meet Naoki and Kumi, our friends from Ishikawa who were here for business and were giving us a ride to Komatsu (about 300km north), our next destination, the home of our Tahitian dance and drum teacher. Surprisingly enough, as we arrived to the agreed train station and came up from the underground maze, we ran into Naoki on the street, so it wasn't hard to find them after all. We spent a day with them, visiting the colorful and spicy-smelling Korean district of Kobe and then going to work with them.

Naoki's brother has a beauty salon in town so we headed there. While Kumi was working on a patient, my hair got a generous special treatment from Naoki's brother. As he was trying to comb my hair (it's embarrassing to admit, but) to his astonishment he found a dreadlock hidden in the back of my hair... Naoki told him briefly our story of how we travel without having a home, but having screenings and concerts sometimes on the way, so he invented a new term for us: HOMELESS CELEB. He told me once he was ready with my hair, I will be fancy enough to hitchhike but turn down lousy cars and go only with those who beg me. 

Well, this day never came, but the homeless celeb expression sticked with us. We didn't even know that a chain of performances are waiting for us in Komatsu, and one day we will be stars on the stage, the next again on the road. It is like being your own guinea pig for an experiment in human behavior - you are the same, but people look at you different as soon as the circumstances change. 

12 Kobe es Osaka

Szeptember elseje, vasarnap van. Hiroshimaban ebredunk. A felhokbol mar nem csorog annyira az eso, mint elozo nap, de lathatoan oriasi erofeszitesukbe telik, hogy odafent tartsak azt a meg mindig hatalmas vizmennyiseget, mely a fold fele kivankozik. Egyaltalan nem igeretes nap a tovabbindulasra, de ma mar mennunk kell. No nem mintha barki is kenyszeritene erre, de ha tartani szeretnenk elozetes terveinket, akkor ma mindenkeppen pakolnunk kell. Ma estere Kobe varosaban var minket egy szallasadonk, mai feladat tehat az elottunk allo mintegy 300 kilometer lekuzdese.

Tomegkozlekedessel megyunk ki a varos szelebe, egy stoppolasra alkalmasnak tuno reszre. Mielott a szemerkelo eso meg ataztathatna minket, maris megall egy kiskocsi ket vidam fiatal lannyal. Elozoleg elhaladtak mar elottunk, de meggondoltak magukat es visszafordultak ertunk. Semmi egyeb dolguk nem leven, elindultak a mintegy 80 km-re fekvo Onomichi varosaba egyet ebedelni. Ezzel a mi utunk elso szakasza is konnyeden megoldodik. 

Chiori es Asumi kocsijaban

A kovetkezok mar kisse nehezebben alakulnak. Egy utkeresztezodesben allunk, az egyetlen epulet kozel es tavol egy ejjel-nappali uzlet. Kezemben az elkeszitett kartonpapir tabla, Kobe varos nevevel, egyre inkabb maladozik az erosodo esoben. Esokabatjaink alatt hatizsakostol szarazon maradunk, de ki szeretne barkit is felvenni autojaba az egyre inkabb szakado esoben? Inkabb a kozeli epulet eresze alatt meghuzodva kezdjuk megszolitani a boltba erkezo autosokat. Az otlet bevalik. Rovidesen egy otvenevkoruli ferfi kocsijaban ulunk, aki felajanlja, hogy elvisz a Kobe fele vezeto autopalya egyik nagyobb pihenohelyere, ahonnan biztosan talalunk tovabbi fuvart. 

Az eso tovabbra sem mutat enyhulest, de immaron biztos fedel alatt szolitgathatjuk az autopalya pihenojenek vendegeit. Van itt uzletsor etkezokkel es rengeteg atutazo autossal, megsem jarunk sok sikerrel. Az ido mar keso delutanba hajik, es mar lassan azon kezdek gondolkozni, hogy melyik sarokba huzodjunk be ejszakara. Nehany kedves segitokesz ajanlatunk akad ugyan - pl egy nyugdijas kirandulocsoport tagjai invitalnak, hogy elvisznek szivesen buszukon egy szakaszon -, viszont ekkorra mar ugy vagyunk, hogy vagy egeszen Kobe-ig megyunk, vagy pedig itt ejszakazunk. Vegul egy hatvanas eveiben levo ferfi, aki mar jo ideje figyelte tenykedesunket, lepett oda hozzank, hogy majd o elvisz. Kisse at kell rendeznie a csomagjait a kocsijaban, mert epp koltozik, de majd beferunk valahogy. Toshio-san nyugdijas uzletember. Rovidesen az is kiderul, hogy egeszen jol beszel angolul, igy szamomra is teljesebb kommunikaciora nyilik lehetoseg. Fiatal koraban maga is sokfele utazott hatizsakosan, igy teljesseggel erti a helyzetunket. "Az emberek mindenhol csak emberek. Barhova mesz ugyanaz. Emberek. Sirnak, nevetnek, szeretnek es gyulolnek. Tudod, az utazas kitagitja, kiszelesiti az eletet. Melyseget viszont mas dolgok adnak. Peldaul a gyermekneveles. Magam is elobb utaztam, aztan megnosultem, gyerekek. Szelesseg es melyseg egyarant fontos az eletben." Toshio-san tarsasagaban ugyan este kilenc korul, de megis gyorsan megerkezunk Kobe-ba. 

Toshio-san 

Tiz ora utan nem sokkal mar szallasadonknal, a Kanadabol nem tul regen ide telepedett Emmanal vagyunk. Hosszu nap volt, kimerulten merulunk alomba. 

Masnap a valtozatossag kedveert esik az eso. Ez azert nem tart vissza minket attol, hogy kisse felfedezzuk a kornyeket. Kobe varos Ijinkan nevu keruleteben vagyunk, mely talan az egyik legviccesebb kornyek Kobeban. Annak idejen Kobe volt egyike azon elso kikotovarosoknak, mely fogadott nyugati hajokat. Ennek nyoman az europai stilusban epult kisebb palotak egy egesz negyedet alkotnak a meredek dimbes-dombos varosreszben. Ezek az epuletek azota szepen felujitva, ma mar muzeumoknak, kavezoknak, ajandekboltoknak es nemelyik meg nagykovetsegeknek is adnak otthont. Mivel egy-egy epulet egy-egy europai orszagot hivatott bemutatni - igy pl. Hollandia, Belgium, Nemetorszag, Ausztria… - a kornyek roppant nepszeru a japan turistak koreben. Az alaposabb muzeumlatogatast mellozve a magunk reszerol megelegedunk az utcakon valo koborlassal. Egyreszt a belepti dijkent szedett 1000 jenes osszeget kisse sokalljuk, masreszt mar az utcarol latni lehet, hogy odabent tobbnyire a legalapvetobb turistacsalogato europai klichek vannak osszegyujtve. Talalni itt Mozart csokigolyokat feher marvanyutanzat Beethoven szoborral, szaz evvel ezelotti osztrak ruhadivatot kiallitva, holland fapapucsot szelmalmok es tulipanok tarsasagaban es igy tovabb… Talan a kornyek szamomra csucsokat vero mutatvanya a diszesen, komfortosan megepitett es berendezett "Toalett Plaza" nevre keresztelt mellekhelyiseg komplexus, mely alapfunkciojan kivul atoltozesre es sminkelesre is kenyelmes helyet biztosit. Ugyanis a japan turista azon tul, hogy megtekintheti a japanok altal elkepzelt Europat, mindezt a kivalasztott europai stilusu oltozekbe bujva is megteheti. Az mar mellekes, hogy Europaban azokat a ruhakat mar kb szazotven eve senki nem hordja. Mindenesetre az utcakep igy minden jelenseget egyutt szemlelve meglehetosen  szurrealis elmenyt nyujt. 

Toalett Plaza - reszletes terkeppel azok szamara, akik odabent esetleg eltevednenek...

Erdeklodok a "Francia haz" elott...

Torony a Kobe-i kikotoben

Az eso utani pocsolyak jo fototemaul szolgalnak

Kovetkezo reggel, mivel Oszaka varosa mar csupan ugy harminc kilometernyire fekszik elottunk, vonattal folytatjuk utunkat. Oszakaban regebben mar volt alkalmunk korulnezni. Ezuttal egyetlen ok, hogy erre jovunk az, hogy itt talalkozunk baratainkkal, Naokival es Kumivel, akikkel elozetes egyeztetes alapjan egyutt megyunk majd kocsival tovabb eszakra, a mintegy tovabbi 300 km-re fekvo Komatsu-ba. A talalkozas meglepoen gyorsan sikerul. A megbeszelt allomas kornyeken epphogy leulunk pihenni egy padra, maris az orrunk elott setal el Naoki. Olyan hirtelen jelenik meg, hogy a meglepettsegtol elsore a neve sem jut eszembe. Mintha valakivel talalkozot beszelnenk meg a budapesti belvarosban - csak igy - es mikor arra jarsz, hopp, ott is van az illeto elotted. Indulas elott Kuminek es Naokinak meg nemi inteznivaloja van, igy egyelore csak kisergetjuk oket. Igy keveredunk el  Naoki testverenek a szepsegszalonjaba is. Amig Kumi egy vendegevel van elfoglalva, mi elvezzuk a szalon nyujtotta lehetosegeket. Igy pl kiprobalhatjuk a teljesen automata hajmoso gepet. Vicces elmeny az biztos, csak ajanlani tudom mindenkinek.   

Teodora es a hajmosogep vidam talalkozasa

   

Egy kis szabadidos tevekenyseg fodraszok szamara - Kooichi es Yoshiko epp "pihennek" :)

Lelkesen bolondozo fodraszaink

Es keszen a mu, indulhatunk Komatsu fele

11 Hiroshima es Miyajima

Mielott felkeresnenk hiroshimai szallasadonkat, akit szinten Couchsurfing-en keresztul talaltunk, ugy dontunk jo volna vacsorazni. Egy kedves kis etteremben joizuen falatozzuk a hires hiroshimai okonomiyaki-t, mikor mellenk telepszik egy masik kulfoldi. "Ti is Masashi-san nal szalltok meg ma este?" -kerdezi. Nem tudom hogyan jutott eszebe ezzel a kerdessel ismerkedni egy hatalmas varos kellos kozepen, de telibe talalt. Masashi-san furcsa figura. 30 ev koruli srac, hatalmas berelt lakasa egy tombhaz legfelso ket emeletet foglalja el, szallovendegeket gyakorlatilag folyamatosan fogad, egyszerre akar tizet is, es allitolag a lakast csupan a vonalas telefon es fax miatt tartja fenn, melyre a vallalkozasanak van szuksege. Felmerul nehany miert es hogyan kezdetu kerdes a fejemben, de aztan mivel nem ram tartozik, nem teszem fel oket. Lenyeg, hogy tagas, kenyelmes szallasunk van, a hazigazda pedig segitokesz es baratsagos, ugyanugy, mint a velunk egy idoben nala letelepedett hat tovabbi vendege. 

A kovetkezo nap a varosnezese. Kisse szemerkelo esoben indulunk Miyajima fele, mely a Hiroshimai obolben meghuzodo kis sziget neve, es egyben kotelezo latnivalo a tersegben. Mire a komphoz erunk, a szemerkelo eso csorgo esore valtozik es egyaltalan nem mutat semmi hajlandosagot az enyhulesre a kozeljovoben. Az utazas ismet tanit nekunk valamit. Megpedig azt, hogy a legszebb helyek is csak ritkan neznek ki ugy, mint a kepeslapokon. Igy pl a gigantikus vorosre festett sinto kapu, mely csak ugy lebeg az obol vizen remego tukorkepe felett a mogotte colopsorra epitett templomegyuttessel egyutt (Itsukushima szentely), kiderul, hogy megiscsak massziv talapzaton all. Ugyanis nemcsak hogy tukorkep nincs, de meg viz sem. Hogy a lebegest ne is emlitsem. Erkezesunkkor teljes apaly van es ugy all ott minden a csorgo esoben, mint a keszuletlen mezitlabas kisdiak a tabla elott leforrazva. Hat ez van, ezt kell elfogadni. Sot, ebben kell a szepet es jot megtalalni, mert ugye azert ebben is van olyasmi boven. Nem lehet minden es mindenki mindenkor mindenre felkeszult. Meg egy ilyen turistalatvanyossag sem a turistakra. Ez is az elethez tartozik, ahogy az eso is meg az apaly is. Atlatszo olcso muanyag esokabatjaink pedig olyan jo szolgalatot tesznek, hogy a maskor bizonyara mindenfele szabadon koszalo apro termetu japan szarvasok is csak irigykedve tekintgetnek utanunk a gyenge alkalmi menedeket nyujto hazereszek alol. 

Az apalyban arvalkodo Otorii (Nagy Kapu) az Itsukushima szentely felol nezve 

Az esoben meg a terkep keskeny fedele is nyujt valamennyi vedelmet :)

Lenyeg, hogy nezzuk a dolgokat pozitivan. Az esos ido ujfajta elmenyekre is lehetosegat ad. Arra sarkall ugyanis, hogy keressunk lehetoseg szerint fedett latnivalot. Fenn a dombon, lombos fak mogott elrejtozve szepen ra is bukkanunk egy hatalmas, teljesen fabol epitett templomra, a Senjokaku-ra (az ezer tatami matrac pavilonja) http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3452.html, mely megtermett emberdereknal is joval vastagabb evszazados fa oszlopsoraival, nyitott oldalaival, impozans mereteivel kifejezetten hivogato lehet meg napsuteses idoben is.  Valami olyan hely ez, ahonnan nem szivesen indul tovabb az ember, holott a belso falakra es vaskos gerendakra kifuggesztett festmenyek serult lovakrol, haboruban vagdalkozo emberekrol, harci hajokrol egyaltalan nem tul baratsagosak. Hanem maga a tobb szaz eves fa szerkezet az ido barazdalta oszlopok, a kimeletes hasznalatban tokeletesre fenyesedett deszkapadlozat tortenelmet rejt magaban. Ha van ideje az embernek kisse meglassulni, mindezt nemcsak megnezni, hanem egeszen kozelrol a rostok koze belatni, szinte hallani lehet, erezni a csond mogott a multat, mely bolcsesseget rejt a figyelmes lelek szamara. Es mindehhez mintha kulon ajandekkent kaptuk volna, a kinti esofuggony olyan lagyan zar korul minket, mintha csak hangsulyozni szeretne a belso csondet es bekesseget. 

A Senjokaku templom 

A Senjokaku belulrol

A Senjokaku egyik alkalmazottja oson vegig a fenyes deszkapadlon

Az eso nem akar enyhulni, de mar nem is zavar. Teszunk meg egy laza setat a kisvaroska tulso feleben egy masik dombon felepult buddhista templomegyuttes, a Daisho-in fele http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3453.html. Az epuletek kozt kanyargo setanyok es lepcsosorok menten szazaval elhelyezett apro kis vidam szobrocskak (u.n. jizo szobrok) lattan lehetetlen nem felvidulni. Az eso monoton neszezese mogott dobolas hallik, meg egy szerzetes hangja, amint szutrakat kantal. Utazas ez is a lelek es a lathatatlan valosag vegtelen utjain. 

Az egyik templomhoz felvezeto lepcsosor a Daisho-in teruleten. Amennyiben menet kozben meporgeted a bal oldalon lathato imahengereket, az annyit tesz, mintha a rairt szutrakat mar el is mondtad volna. 

Kis vidam "jizo" szobor. O es meg a kertben talalhato tobb szaz hasonlo tarsa a gyerekek vedoszentjeit formazzak meg.  

Ok akar Szende, Szundi, Hapci, Morgo, Kuka, Tudor es Vidor is lehetnenek, de nem ok. Tovabbi "Jizo" szobrok.

A mai napra viszont akarhogyan is nezzuk, az idonk veges es raadasul gyorsan is telik, es mi meg szeretnenk idoben visszajutni a hiroshimai Beke Emlekpark-ba is. Hiroshima neve azt hiszem sokunk szamara a vilagtortenelem egyik legborzalmasabb esemenye kapcsan ismert. Annak az epuletnek a maradvanya, mely folott 1945. augusztus 6-an ama bizonyos atombomba felrobbant, ma is helyreallitatlan formajaban lathato, orokre arra intve az emberiseget, hogy tanuljon multbeli hibaibol. Es erre az intesre egeszen biztos, hogy mindeki, aki erre jar mindig emlekezni fog. Fokeppen, ha a szep tagas, zoldello park kozepen a muzeumban is tesz egy setat, mely egeszen testkozelbol, szemelyes sorsokon keresztul mutatja be az atomrobbanas borzalmas kovetkezmenyeit. A muzeumban virtualis seta is teheto a kovetkezo veboldalon: http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/virtual/VirtualMuseum_e/tour_e/tour_fra_e.html 

1945. augusztus 6-an reggel 8.15-kor egy amerikai B29 bombaszallito repulo ledobta a vilag elso atombombajat. A bomba korulbelul 600 meteres magassagban robbant a Hiroshimai Megyei Ipari Bemutatokozpont epulete felett. A bomba ereje gyakorlatilag az egesz varost lesoporte a fold szinerol. Ennek az epuletnek a fo falai, mivel a legnyomas kozvetlenul felulrol erkezett, allva maradtak. 

Amikor megallt az ido...

  

A robbanas elott...

… es utan...

Minden alkalommal, amikor a vilag valamely orszagaban atomrobbanas tesztelest hajtanak vegre, Hiroshima polgarmestere levelet kuld, tiltakozva az atomenergia hasznalata ellen. 

Odakint az eso alabbhagyott es az eg lassan felderult mire koruljartuk a muzeum minden zeget-zugat, viszont megis megnehezult, elfelhozott lelekkel indulunk neki gyalogosan az immar esti szurkuletbe hajlott utcaknak. Utunk egyenesen a szallasunk fele vezet. Nem sokat beszelgetuk. A muzeum altal elenk tart mult latvanyat megemeszteni nem konnyed feladat. 

Masnapra az eso ujra teljes erejevel omlik az elsotetult varos nyakaba. Ugy hatarozunk, nem kell mindig menni valamerre. Az egesz napot hatalmas, tagas szallasunkon toltjuk pihenessel, ezzel-azzal, es kozben halas a szivunk, hogy ebben az idojarasban biztos fedel van a fejunk felett.  

11 Hiroshima

This was my second visit to this very touristy area of Japan. I have been here 10 years ago, visiting Japan for the first time as a student majoring in Japanese with a scholarship from the Japan Foundation. The beauty of Miyajima amazed me and the horror of the atomic bomb explained in detail at the Peace Memorial Museum struck me and I thought these are two things that should not be missed while in Japan so I wanted Hunor to be able to see these places. 

Well, we were not very lucky. After all the amazing sunny weather we got in the first weeks, it started to rain, a typhoon was on it's way. We were still very enthusiastic tourists, so we got up early in the morning and went to Miyajima, to get there before the crowds arrive, but it was hard to see the beauty of the place from under our plastic ponchos and through a curtain of rain. Even the deer who always wander around in the park stood freezing under cover. We arrived relatively early, so we headed for the must see, Itsukushima shrine, which is a shirne complex on the shore and a huge red shinto gate in the sea. Again we were not lucky, because apparently at high tide it looks like it is floating on the sea with the temples built on stilts right on the shore facing it. We came at low tide so it was not a breathtaking view. I started to get frustrated with the cold and the rain and our bad luck, but Hunor took it very well, so I managed to tune in to his mood and give up on trying not to get wet and simply stop complaining and it worked. One thing I got to learn (and have to practice more and more) while traveling is that when you give up all the expectations that exist nowhere else but in the guidebooks, in people's stories and in your imagination, you are finally free and open enough to embrace a place as it is at the moment you are there. We explored some of the more unknown temples in the back of the complex and had an amazing time. Senjokaku  (Pavilion of 1000 tatami mats) is just behind the Itsukushima shrine up on a hill. It was a massive hall, the ceiling and the walls full of paintings and sculptures of horses and battles and boats, each one with a mystical story lurking behind it. What we both liked most about the hall was the flooring. Hundreds of years old wooden floors, it felt like those immense pieces of wood with their simplicity could tell more stories than the banners and paintings above. For a few minutes I just walked and danced around on them, feeling their energy, stillness and patience. Then I sat down by one of the huge pillars on the ground and just watched the rain and listened to the thunder for the next half an hour. 

the shinto gate at low tide

When I go to a place I want to enter its atmosphere. It is something like being able to hear the heartbeat of a place for a short while. It is something beyond the guidebooks and beyond my understanding. It is a short period of time, sometimes a moment, sometimes an hour when a place with all its generosity and love turns to me, opens up for me and all my senses are fulfilled with its character. I feel the colors on my skin, I smell stories in the air and see sounds around me. I never know where or when I would get that feeling. Sometimes it comes at a spectacular spot, sometimes in the middle of nowhere but I need to be ready and accepting, no expectations, no frustrations (see above) to block my senses. This is the feeling that I love most about traveling. And I know Hunor has it too, but he would never put it the way I do. He is way more skeptical than that. But I can see it on his photographs. When a place opens up for him, he connects to it through his lens and the place shows him incredible images that he is then allowed to take with him as his photographs.  

We both had a time to connect with Miyajima in the dome of Senjokaku. Before that we were planning to head back to Hiroshima right away but now we had no problem with the rain and thunder. We hiked to Daisho-in, a big buddhist temple complex on the other end of the small town. You could find small jizo statues, official ones in the halls, and cute garden-gnome-like ones hidden in the bush, each of them happy and in a different pose. These small creatures were like small giggles at the foot of a serene temple, secretly stole happiness and life to our tour and as we were concentrating on trying to spot each one of them in the grass, they gave us a free and lighthearted lesson of awareness too. 

We headed back to the city because we wanted to save the afternoon for the Peace Memorial Park. Nuclear energy is not something humans can play around with without serous consequences and the memorial park with plenty of data, photographs and stories of people whose life was taken or brutalized forever by the tragedy of the atomic bomb, burns it into the visitors' head for good.

There is plenty of information about the exhibit, you can even take a virtual tour on the website of the Peace Memorial Park so I will leave thorough exploration and learning to the reader. However, there are two pieces of information that I have discovered on this visit and I will share those. One of them is a wall full of diplomatic letters. I have learned that every time a country does nuclear testing anywhere in the world, the mayor of Hiroshima sends a letter of protest asking them to stop using nuclear energy. He strongly hopes after each letter that it would be the last to write...

The other piece of information was the notion of "nuclear winter". This was the first time I heard about it in detail. I have took a photo of the explanation so I will let you read it for yourself.

Hiroshima is a beautiful city with lots of green areas, although after the atomic bomb, it was predicted that no greens would grow in the area for the next 70 years. The Peace Park with the ghostly Atomic Bomb Dome is a must visit in an time when the question of nuclear energy raises so many questions, doubts and concerns. 

It is not a light afternoon tour, but I would recommend it to anyone who wants to face the future by being brave enough to see the past. 

10 Shikoku

We wanted to visit Shikoku, the smallest and remotest among the four main islands of Japan, because we have learned form experience that cities in Japan are constructed to be very functional: all concrete and look like they were made with copy and paste, not much surprise and soul food for someone as romantic as me and outdoorsy as Hunor. so wherever we can we look for the remote, the old and rundown and the countryside. However, we stayed longer at Rei's place than we originally planned and a typhoon was coming too, so eventually we didn't have the time and the guts to explore Shikoku, we just shortly passed by. Rei's family gave us a ride from Oita to the port of Saganoseki and from there we took a very short (70min) ferry ride to the tip of Shikoku, Misaki. As seasoned ferry-hitchhikers, we were the first to get off the boat and we were happily waving and smiling by the side of the road by the time the cars started to come. To our surprise, the first car stopped, a friendly young couple with a small kid, and they took us all the way to Matsushima, our destination, where or couchsurfing host was already expecting us. One thing I like about hitchhiking in Japan is that we know the language, so we can talk with the people, learn abut their life, their work, hear their stories. The young father who picked us up happened to work for the Japanese Self Defence Force as a first aid parachuter, which sounded very interesting so I asked him about his work in detail. How did it feel to jump for the first time? Has he got used to the feeling? Does wind make the jump difficult? He was very patient and answered all my questions. After our conversation his wife told him she had never heard so much about his work, so I guess it was good information for all of us. Meanwhile we were passing through a beautiful road winding on the northern coast of Shikoku, small fishing ports, islands in the calm inland sea on our left and mountains on our right. 

They took us all the way to Matsushima station where our host, Annlie was already waiting with her car. Given these circumstances it felt more like a luxury trip than a hitchhiking adventure. It turned out that we were Annlie's first couch surfers, so I felt the responsibility of giving a good impression for her about the system. She is a young medical student, speaks amazing English, and she is full of curiosity and ambition. She was interested in every detail of our trip from planning to the content of our backpacks. It was a good conversation, it made us sort our own thoughts once again concerning the decision of changing our lifestyle and planning our trip. We were proud and happy to show our backpacks, which became a lot lighter and compact after leaving much of our stuff with Rei and sending home a box of things. The eagerness Annlie was showing while listening to our story made me feel responsible for what I do and how I act while on the way. One thing that makes me happy is that I have never felt more authentic, living from my heart then now. I have the chance to experience something I have been dreaming about since childhood. I suppose the happiness and excitement are converted to energy and people around me can feel it. I hope they do, because that is the only thing i can give them for their generosity, for opening their homes, their cars and sharing their time with us. Annlie showed us around Matsushima, we went to the castle and Japan's oldest hot spring, Dogo. We sat down in front of the entrance and just watched people passing by in their yukatas. It was a beautiful sunset with sharp but gentle lights (perfect for Hunor to take pictures).

at Matsushima Castle with Annlie

Hunor taking a foot bath in front of Dogo onsen

the hometown of Matsu Basho, the famous haiku poet is the most poetic city ever: if you write a haiku on the bus you just put it in this box and it might be chosen for publishing 

The next day our destination was Hiroshima, already on the main island of Japan. We wanted to make it up there before the typhoon. Annlie's mom offered to give us a ride to Imabari, the city at the end of the bridge connecting Shikoku with Honshu. I was excited about the next ride, because it goes zig-zagging through small islands connected by bridges in the inland sea. The weather was still hot and it was our longest time to wait for a ride, more than an hour. An old man cutting the grass in a nearby parking lot came to us after about forty minutes, told us not to lose our spirits and handed us two bottles of cold soda with a smile.

Finally a small truck picked us up, and the high seats gave us a perfect view of the inland sea and the islands in the sunshine. 

Three rides later we were in Hiroshima by 7pm. We got a ride with a young university student, who was on his way back from buying his first car, so Hunor took photos of him with his new "baby". Then we met a family of six, who were going to a baseball match of the local team, Carps, and we also learned that this team is very special for the people of Hiroshima. It was founded shortly after the end of the war, as a sign of the locals will to survive even in the impossible conditions of the reconstruction after the atomic bomb. 

The local speciality in Hiroshima is okonomiyaki, which is something between an overfilled crepe and and a Spanish omelette. Veggies, meat and eggs. As we have learned, the big difference between the Hiroshima and Osaka style okonomiyaki is that Hiroshima puts even noodles in the mix. Don't ask me how, but it does work. We met up with my friend from university, Moe, who lives and works in Hiroshima after having graduated, and she invited us to an okonomiyaki dinner. After that we headed to our host's place which was an interesting experience by itself. A young japanese guy with an impossibly big apartment (especially for Japanese standards). He opened it up for counchsurfers, so it didn't feel like a one-to-one home stay thing as usual but more like a hostel. We were seven of us the night we arrived. There was a very active Colombian guy, who proudly introduced himself as someone from Barranquilla, the city of Shakira (well you can imagine that was enough to make me happy), he put on his music and gave a quick latin dance lesson to everyone. We were dancing for hours in the tatami room which was the most surprising ending to a day we started on another island a hundreds of kilometers away.

10 Shikoku

Augusztus 28. Ismet a bucsuzas napja. Ma athajozunk Shikoku-ra, mely a legkisebb Japan negy fo szigete kozul. Az Oita-kozeli Saganoseki kikotojebe Rei visz el minket egesz csaladi kiserettel, hogy illendoen elbucsuztassanak. Mikozben a mintegy 70 perces hajozasra indulunk, a kikotoben maradva Rei, az o edesanyja elettarsaval es a kis kilenc eves unokahuga mindaddig integetnek nekunk, mig csak kivehetonek tunik a tavolsagtol egyre zsugorodo alakjuk. 

Mai uticelunk Matsuyama varosa, ahol mar var rank kovetkezo szallasadonk. Matsuyama a hajonk erkezesenek helyetol mintegy szaz kilometernyire fekszik, ahova stoppolassal igyekszunk eljutni. Az eddigiekben is bevalt modszer jol mukodik. A hajot elsokent elhagyva, a lehajto autokat celozzuk. Tiz perc sem telik el, maris egy kedves fiatal csalad autojaban ulunk. Megtudjuk, hogy az edesapa a japan haderonel dolgozik helikopteres mentokent. Az erdekes tarsalgassal nemcsak gyorsan fogynak a kilometerek, de a beszelgetesbol az edesanya is sok ujdonsagot megtud ferje munkajarol. 

Matsuyama varosa madartavlatbol

Szallasadonkkal, Annlie-vel a talalkozot a matsuyamai vasutallomasnal beszeljuk meg, mely olyan jol sikerul, hogy megerkezve csak at kell tenni csomagjainkat az epp mellettunk parkolo autoba. Tovabbi kb tiz perc Annlie autojaban, es meg is erkezunk egy szep nagy csaladi hazhoz.  Annlie egyetemista diaklany es a szunetben a szuleinel lakik. Mint kesobb megtudjuk, a szulok nem ismerik a Couchsurfing rendszeret, igy Annlie korabban ugy jelentett be minket, mint egyik baratjanak a baratait. Igy nem csak szallast kapunk, mint az a couchsurfing-gel szokasos volna, hanem igazi vendegkent latnak minket. A lathatoan tehetos csalad tatamis vendegszobaja az elokeszitett fekhelyekkel, bekeszitett etellel, hutott itallal feler a legjobb szallodak szolgaltatasaival. 

A delutan klasszikus turistaskodassal telik. Annlie vegigvezet minket a varos nevezetessegein. Igy felkeressuk a matsuyamai varat, es a hires neves patinas furdot, a Doogoo onsent, ahol a japan csaszar a kulon szamara fenntartott furdoreszleget allitolag mar egyszer meg is latogatta.  Az estenk aztan kiralyi vacsoraval zarul Annlie csaladjanak vendegeikent.  

Matsuyama vara

Ama bizonyos hires neves Doogoo onsen, azaz furdo

Mi mast is vehetne az ide tevedo egyszeri turista, mint aranykakit mukival, azaz "Kakimukit" (kb 6000.-Ft-os aron persze… :)

Matsuyama a Haiku szerzes fovarosa. A villamoson elhelyezett dobozba barki  elhelyezheti hirtelen ihletettsegbol felfakado kis haiku koltemenyet.

Masnap, augusztus 29-en mar indulunk is tovabb Hiroshimat megcelozva. Koran reggel, bucsuzas elott, mielott az orvos-aneszteziologus apuka egy ujabb keso estig tarto munkanapra indul, a csoportkep keszites elmaradhatatlan. Anyuka pedig keszsegesen felajanlja, hogy a csalad tagasabb kocsijan elvisz minket egy megfelelo helyre a tovabbi stoppolashoz. 

Bucsuzas vendeglatonktol...

Hiroshima Matsuyamatol legvonalban tulajdonkeppen nincs is nagyon messze. Csupan a Shikoku es Honshu kozti keskeny beltenger valasztja el. Szarazfoldi kozlekedessel viszont korulbelul  ketszazotven kilometeres kiterovel lehet megkozeliteni.  A ket fosziget kozti apro szigetcsoporton keresztul vezet az ut, egyik kis szigetrol a masikra ativelo hidakon. A legkulonfelebb emberekkel van dolgunk. A forro napsutesben az elso fuvarunkra varva egy parkrendezo batyotol kapunk egy-egy hutott uditoitalt. Aztan egy autos, aki ugyan nem tud felvenni, szinten kinyujt a kocsijabol egy palack uditot. Aztan utazunk furgonban teherautosoforrel, utazunk felspecizett miniautojan autolakatos sraccal, elete elso autojat frissen megvasarolt egyetemistaval es vegul egy egesz kisbuszra valo baseball rajongo csaladdal. Ily modon aztan sotetedesre mar meg is erkezunk Hiroshimaba. 

Hidra fel es hidrol le 1.

Hidra fel es hidrol le 2.

Buszke autotulajdonos frissen vasarolt elso jarganyaval… no meg mi.