After the gardens we walked over the Hiroshima castle. My understanding is that the castle is being decommissioned at the end of March due to necessary upgrades. It is uncertain when it might open again (although the castle itself will still sit prominently in the skyline, people won’t be able to go inside). Since our timing was opportunistic, I decided we could take a tour.
The castle is a replica, obviously, since the original was destroyed during the atomic bombing. It was rebuilt as a symbol of resilience in the aftermath. The interior is a museum that mostly features notable historic events, costumes, and details on the building of the castle. The castle was very busy, I suspect due to its impending closure, and the exhibits were a little dated. Probably the most interesting exhibit for me was the detailed process on how japanese swords are fashioned. There is a good view of the city from the top floor of the castle, but like most of the exhibits along the way, it was far too crowded to stop and take photos.
Outside the castle we stopped at the Gokoku shrine and got our goshuin books stamped, before traipsing off to the Peace Park.
We toured the park and the museum with the kids. Photography is prohibited in the museum, but it’s really something that has to be experienced in person anyway. And it was not any easier for being our second time through.
It was early evening when we finished the museum visit so we decided to go find some dinner. We found a Royal Host nearby and attacked the drink bar with single minded ferocity. Also, sundaes!
