It's been a long time, blog! I said I didn't want to talk about my adventure in Japan right away, and then I got too busy! I changed schools a little while back and have working hard to finish up my degree. It feels good to work so hard on something that will net visible rewards, and feels even better being so close to achieving my goal!
But enough about that...how about a little recap of my trip? I promised pictures of the apartment I stayed in for six weeks, and they're coming up. It was just a little off the beaten trail in Hiroshima, but still quite convenient to the streetcar and within comfortable walking distance of the city center. I even walked all the way to Mazda stadium once to buy some baseball souvenirs; that took about an hour, but it was a beautiful spring day and the hour passed quickly.
And that's my room. Sorry I forgot the flash and didn't notice until later (I took this photo as I was leaving). The room was small but clean and the neighborhood was quiet. I had a small kitchen area with sink, refrigerator, rice cooker, hot water heater and a single burner gas stove. Provided for me were basic cooking utensils and dishes; it really was all I needed. The closest supermarket was well-stocked and only three blocks away. 7-11 was less than one block, which was great for satisfying sudden urges for pudding or Kirin Lager!
Another half block from the 7-11 was a gyudon shop. My friend met me at the train station when I arrived and then gave me a ride there when I was leaving, and since this restaurant is open 24 hours a day, it's the first and last place I ate on my trip. I still have a coupon on my desk for a free pudding :) This is the place:
Across the street from there was Mos Burger. I had lunch there a few times and also took a few lessons in customer service. One of the cashiers there had an absolutely dazzling smile and was fantastic in dealing with customers. It was pretty impressive, even for Japan where customer service can be phenomenal. And their teriyaki burger was mighty tasty!
I visited all the usual tourist spots: Hiroshima Castle, Miyajima, the A-Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park, but my favorite place in all of Hiroshima was here:
I attended two Hiroshima Carp games; they lost the first one and won the second, which was very exciting! When I lived in Dallas, I went to lots of Texas Rangers games and have always enjoyed going to baseball games. Carp games were no exception, and you can bet that anytime I'm in Japan and it's baseball season, I'll make a special trip back to Hiroshima to watch the Carp play!
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