Comparing to other days, this one we started quite late. We planned to rest a bit more so we slept until 10am. The only thing that we really had in our “itinerary” was Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It’s a museum that documents the WW2 atomic bombing of the city. It covers the day of the bombing, describes Hiroshima before and after 6th of August 1945 and explains why the decision to drop the bomb was made. The museum exhibits belongings of the victims that were left behind, photos and other materials that conveys the horror of that event.
The museum struck a chord with the Grave of the fireflies, an animated film by Studio Ghibli. It’s not related to a-bombing as the action happens in Kobe, but it depicts sad story of a few last weeks of the war. It’s very emotional movie and definitely a must-see.
Later that day we had some time to relax, read and try local seasonal speciality - oysters.
In the evening we went to a game arcade centre to play Pachinko. Pachinko is the only type of gambling game available in Japan. It’s similar to a one-handed-bandit in the sense that you don’t really have much control over it. I don’t know all the rules, but the way to operate it is easy:
Pachinko is a vertical board with pins on the sides (the centre is occupied by display), and a winning small hole at the bottom. From the top left side of the board you release small balls. Balls are bouncing of the pins and if they drop into the winning hole you’re happy, otherwise you’re not. You start with a set of balls, the number depends on how much you’ve paid. The only thing you control is the force of releasing a ball, which you do with a knob below the board. That’s pretty much it, I think :-)
Other attractions in the centre:
