Yesterday we came back to Osaka, today we went back to Hiroshima! On our last trip we’ve been there for a few days, but we wanted to go back this time as well – to visit the peace park, eat some great food and let geocaching lead us to some places we didn’t know yet.

But the day began quite sad, since the Daiyoshi wasn’t open and we couldn’t get our breakfast there. We had to resort to some Ekiben (train station lunchboxes), but that was just not the same.

Fortunately – after we arrived in Hiroshima – things got brighter. And not just the weather (Osaka’s forecast was one reason for our “escape”). We like Hiroshima, it’s a nice city with friendly people and great food. Anyway, as mentioned, we wanted to let geocaching lead our way and boy were we successful. It led us to new, interesting places like temples, the former Bank of Japan Hiroshima branch (now empty and kind of a museum), an old train, several monuments and (who would’ve guessed) food.

Of course, we visited the Peace Park, walked those paths of grieve and rang the Peace Bell. One thing was different, though. Unlike the last time, the place was filled with Japanese students, mostly on day trips. It seems to be a common assignment for them to talk to foreign tourists and ask them about where they come from and what they think is necessary for all to live in peace. We were a popular “target” for those small groups, being addressed four times while only being in a small part of the park. I think that’s a great assignment allowing them to practice English, talk to strangers and get a (very) little insight on other cultures and opinions.

After exploring more of the city, it was finally time for the main reason we came back to Hiroshima. The Daimarudou in the Okonomimaru – an okonomiyaki restaurant in a building full of restaurants, mostly okonomiyaki restaurants. We’ve been to this place two years ago and added it to our list of favorite shops immediately. We even printed a photo I took last time, to give it to the shop owner with a dedication. The food was still great, the people very nice and actually we are even considering going there again before we leave Osaka.