Hiroshima FF 09, Getting Ready

Tens of bird-shaped origamis symbolizing peace in the Peace Memorial Park.

Second day of the festival, May 4, 09. As the main attraction of the festival each  year, candles are put in all open area like in this Pond of Peace, in front of Peace Memorial Park.

Hiroshima Flower Festival 09, Welcome Again

Bird-shaped origami ready to be lit in the night.

Welcome to Hiroshima Flower Festival 2009. Hiroshima Flower Festival has been held every year from the 3rd to the 5th of May, during Golden Week since 1977. The festival is located on Peace Boulevard, one of the main streets in Hiroshima city and within Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park area.

My new theme for this week (or maybe longer :)). This time we're going a tour in the city. It takes about 40 minutes by train from Saijo station to Hiroshima station.

Yuri San: Nani de Hiroshima ni ikimasuka? (How are we going to Hiroshima?)

Hiro San: Densha de ikimasu (We take train)

Wakaranai...

Seen from different pov.
Why do you think there's an umbrella over that lampion? To protect it from rain?
Ah, wakaranai...
* wakaranai = I don't know :)
A big lampion hung over in the old market not far from Hiroshima Station.
I went too far from Saijo again. See you back home.
Happy weekend everyone...

Welcome to Miyajima, Hiroshima.

When is the perfect time to visit Miyajima? Come during autumn, where all the momiji or maple trees become red.
Last year, together with friends, we visited Miyajima. How do we get there?
From Saijo Eki or Saijo Station, buy a ticket to Miyajima at the counter for about 1100 Yen. The ticket includes train cost to Hiroshima port and ferry to Miyajima.
This was taken on one of the JR Miyajima Ferries which serves the route between Hiroshima and Miyajima (Itsukushima). The trip takes about ten minutes. There is an hourly express passenger ferry to Hiroshima harbour. Itsukushima (厳島) is an island in the Inland Sea of Japan. Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. It is popularly known as Miyajima (宮島), the Shrine Island. Itsukushima is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Miyajima's maple trees are renowned throughout Japan, and blanket the island in crimson in the autumn which attracts both local people and foreigners.
Omoshiroi desu ne....

the early story...

This is where my story with the pigeon began.

Spring Feed for the Pigeons

After wandering for a couple of hours at the Hiro Park, I stopped for lunch at the bench.
There were many pigeons playing around the park and I noticed no one fed them.
Lucky, I have a lemon bread left.
So, with bread crumb in my left hand, camera in the right, I tried my luck ;).
Suddenly surrounded by tens of birds around was a nice esperience for me.

It was quite a long effort to get at least a good photo, I remember this song by Basia:

First one, it's a shock.
A second helping, not good enough.
Thrid time lucky, and you've arrived!
If you have any doubts then try one more time...

Don't ask me how many photos were taken before I got this nice bird in my hand. Still feeling a little guilty for having bribed them :)).

Next Stop: Genbaku Dome

...Sugiwa, Genbaku Dome mae desu :)

It's been months I hadn't visited Hiroshima city.
Last week I finally went there to find some omiyage or souvenirs for a friend and of course to take some photos.
Spring wasn't showing its beauty yet,
so I went to the Hiroshima Memorial Park again for the third time.
From the terminal, in front of Hiroshima Eki (station), take trem no. 2 or 6 to go to the park.
The first corner after the trems terminal is the best spot to capture those trems.
There, often we see various kinds of old and new trems meet, which is interesting.

This is a collage of trems in Hiroshima city taken from different spot. The newest trem is Greenmover Max. And the oldest one is? Perhaps that yellow-brown one.