Hiroshima, Mon Amour

 Hiroshima, I think, could be the greatest place on Earth. It has this one, big, wide road running down its centre - Heiwadori, or "peace street" - and you can see big, endless hills in three directions. There's something captivating about it. It's the perfect city, full of restaurants and boutiques and 7/11s as needed, but with such vast expanses of greenery. Heiwadori is decorated with tons of flowers, and the parks are big and luscious. 

Of course, I'm here in April, so it's that perfect Spring weather. And yes, along the river leading up to Peace Park and the A-bomb museum, there are a few unmitigated piles of trash situated among the cherry blossoms. Here are my pictures of them:

 But Hiroshima is magic. I love it more than I could have imagined. I went to see Mickey 17 at the Aeon cinema a few days ago (I didn't like the movie very much, sorry Bong Joon Ho acolytes), then I got two fabulous brown dresses in the Book-Off in the same mall complex. One is a slightly frilly sort-of tea dress. The other is a sleevless 60s a-line tweed number from Burberry's Blue Label. The first was 500 yen (£2.63), and the second was 4000 (£21.20). I have entered bliss.

 There are a number of monuments in the area around Peace Park. There's this one shaped like a hollowed out building, with a few gentle doves perched on its tiers, there's a simple domed cenotaph that sits in the middle of the park, and there's the understated plaque that marks the bomb's calculated hypocentre. It sits almost hidden next to a little car park and a 7/11. Perfect in its smallness.

 

There's also a cute little high street, which has these two little mascot bird creatures. I don't trust them, but I do like them. I went to Torikizoku here (a chain izakaya type restaurant) and had an incredibly good matcha latte.

 The dome itself is incredible to see in person. It was touching to see a cat chilling and resting inside the gates, untouched by the rules for people, closing its eyes in the warm and comforting sun in the structure that stands as the symbol of tens of thousands of casualties. 

 There is nothing like this place. I love it so.