We arrived in Hiroshima early yesterday and took the tram system to our hotel (similar to the trams in Amsterdam – AKA: The happiest place on earth). We dropped off our bags and immediately went for sushi. I’m rather enjoying this sushi diet.

After some delicious sushi, we headed over to Orizuru Tower. The tower’s name and design are all meant to evoke the legacy of Sadako Sasaki and the theme of peace. At the top of the tower is a wooden observation deck that overlooks the Atomic Bomb Dome and the last-standing building from WW2.

While in the tower, you walk / hike up 12 floors. Along the way there’s an interactive area where you make a paper crane and then drop it down into a wall of paper cranes (from a glass floor). All meant to symbolize peace. I think this was the first time I successfully made a paper crane (with a little help).

To get back down the tower, there’s a slide… so of course we did that. After the tower we walked through the peace park and rang the peace bell.

In the late afternoon we found a sake & wine bar on the second floor of what looked like someone’s apartment. The place has only 4 seats and sake bottles all over the ground, and is run by an MMA fighter. After a little too much sake and some good chats with the owner, we went for some more food.

We spent the rest of the evening wondering the city on foot.

Next stop: Miyajima