ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

I got up around 6 to catch the train at 7 going to Takamatsu Station. My bus to Hiroshima leaves at 9:25, so I ended up waiting around a bit. The bus was pretty nice and comfortable, even came with an outlet to charge your devices. Which was good, since the trip was about 4 hours. I arrived at Hiroshima Station a bit after noon.
After getting my bearings around Hiroshima Station, I decided to venture out into the city, to get a feel for it. I made my way to Shukkeien, as it was one of the closest attractions to check out, and explored around there. Took a lot of good pictures, and enjoyed the sights. I also talked to a family from Idaho. The kids really seemed to enjoy feeding the koi. There was an art museum, which I didn't go through. I wasn't very interested. All in all, I spent about two hours in Shukkeien.



When l left, chose to make my way to Atomic Dome, just to see how to get there and explore another day. I found Hiroshima castle on the way, and I chose to explore it another time. I ended up going too far one way, took a wrong turn, and found myself by the youth center and children's cultural library. It was an interesting detour, and I took this time to rest a bit, and watched some nearby skateboarders in the little plaza in front of the library. After a decent rest, I continued my search for the Atomic Dome. I found the road I was supposed to be on, with the Dome across the way. I took a few pictures, sat down, and started to people watch. Or at least, I tried. I was never really good at it, or maybe I just didn't find the people interesting.
I relocate to another side of the Dome, found a bench, and somehow ended up taking a short nap. When I finally got up, I decided to look for Hacchobori, which is supposed to be the shopping district, to explore and look for food. I come across Hondoori first, and chose to explore this road. There were lots of shops, but nothing was catching my eye (plus, I didn't really have the money).



I continued my search for Hacchobori; instead what I found was Okonomimura. This was basically the location of a bunch of okonomiyaki shops located in and around this one building on the street.. I decided to eat here, as it was suggested that I eat okonomiyaki while in Hiroshima.
On one floor of the building were a whole bunch of different shops, basically one right next to the other. It was difficult to decide which one to go to. I let myself get called into this one shop, which was pretty crowded. I figured, must be good food then, huh? Plus, it is right by the entrance, haha. I end up sitting next to a family, and order a basic dish (I am sure I could have gotten something more exciting if I took the time to read a Japanese menu, but they more or less pointed to the English menu, which was limited to three items. I'm sure it's because they have to deal with tourists often, but it was still a little off-putting). Halfway through my meal, I end up getting into a conversation with the family. It was an interesting start off: the grandfather had complimented me, saying I had nice-looking hands (手はきれい). From there he and his wife started asking the standard questions: where are you from, what are you doing for work, are you married, etc etc. A young girl, their granddaughter, who said she was 13, was excited to try to use English with me. She spoke very well. She said that she didn't like Japanese, as it was very difficult, but she had fun with English (in regards to school, I believe). It was very interesting, and we all had a good time. They left before me, so I finished up, and decided to continue looking for Hacchobori.
It was getting dark, and I was not having any luck. It seemed like I kept getting turned around several times. After a bit longer, I gave up and walked back to the station. Once I finally returned, I realize that I am very tired, and just wanna find a place to set up camp. But there were too many people at the station, and not enough hidey spots in corners. I left the station, and started looking at a nearby internet cafe, and a karaoke, to see about trying to sleep there. But they ended up being too pricey. Then I remembered a little garden spot near Shukkeien, so I decided to go there. I found a decent spot kind of behind a bush, but I had a light not too far illuminating the area. It was a little difficult trying to sleep. I was definitely looking forward to next day.