Hopping along through a darker past
Today brings day two of our island hopping portion of the vacation, which means a trip to Okunoshima Island.
Because we didn’t get our fill of small, cuddly things yesterday, today brings us to what will be easier to refer to as rabbit island. Alas, these small, cuddly beings do NOT like to be picked up or pet, so you just get to enjoy feeding them (and sneaking a chin scratch while the nom nom nom).
It’s amazing how hungry these rabbits are! 
Hearing like a rabbit Lighthouse, sadly, could not go into Absolutely beauty It’s a baby! Too shy to want to eat our food More cuteness
The island may initially seem like a animal lovers dream come true (and for those that enjoy animals, it is), but it also comes with a darker side to it. This island was used in WWII as a poison gas factory. There is a museum on the island that graphically shows what the factory did, and how it affected the workers. I have no pictures to share of this, as photography is prohibited, but suffice it to say, the workers at these factories suffered major long term effects, including eye, respiratory and skin damage, to put it mildly.
Former laboratory More detail on the laboratory Part of the gas manufacturing factory/power plant
Since we managed to get to the island early, we departed early, which gave us time to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. This is a plaza/park dedicated to bombing of Hiroshima and the memory of those that were lost in the bombing, and to share the hopes that nothing like it would happen again.
One of the notable sites at the Memorial is the A-Bomb Dome. This was formerly the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and the building closest to the bomb’s detonation that remained standing. There was a debate whether or not it should be kept standing, but was eventually decided to be preserved as a reminder of the horror the bomb brought and in the hopes that nothing like it would happen again.
Another area is the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. Within, you can see the Hall of Remembrance, which shows a panoramic view of the area after it was bombed, made up of about 140,000 tiles, each tile representing someone lost. There is a fountain in the center shaped as a clock at the time the city was bombed. I’ve chosen not to take pictures of this, feel free to look elsewhere online if you wish to see.
After our time at the Peace Park, we went off to dinner, at a place called Tsukiakari, near Hondori Station. This place specializes in anago eel. I had a set menu, while my friends had smelt, pickles, smoked egg, grilled anago, regular anago, and ochazuke.
Smoked eggs Pickled veggies Smelt (to be grilled) Grilled anago No-sauce anago Ochazuke anago My set meal (anago+rice, steamed fish, pickles, miso, salad, and sashimi of the day)
Dessert started off rocky, as we attempted to get souffle pancakes, but failed at three different places, that were either closed, or had sold out for the day. We found a cafe that served parfaits and french toast, and had that instead.
Match french toast w/ red beans and vanilla soft serve Strawberry parfait Mango parfait Berry parfait with very happy friend
We decided to walk back home today, gotta work off that dessert after all. Island hopping continues tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Gyoza = Life Monocled Cowboy
