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Friday 03 June
13:30
A quick beer in a pan-ya next to Hiroshima station, just after meeting Lorenzo off the Shinkansen.
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Friday 03 June
16:53
Chie trying on shoes to go with her Yukata, to wear this evening for Hiroshima's Yukata Matsuri.
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Friday 03 June
17:15
Me and Chie outside the family's flat.
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Friday 03 June
18:04
We started off the evening with an early dinner in Sushi-Tei, our favourite sushi restaurant in Hiroshima.
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Friday 03 June
18:04
I'm not sure if I ought to advertise what Lorenzo is eating here...
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Friday 03 June
19:00
The shrine which is somehow or other central to Hiroshima's Yukata festival. I have to admit to not fully understanding what this was all about.
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Friday 03 June
19:00
Chie and Lorenzo amidst the throngs around the shrine.
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Friday 03 June
19:02
A taiko performance getting ready to start...
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Friday 03 June
19:59
We decided we all fancied some ice cream, so all (with a slight feeling of guilt) popped into this Haagen Dazs cafe.
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Friday 03 June
21:39
After a drink in Bar Fukuzawa (of which I failed to get any pictures) we went to this izakaiya which I've been to once before, remembering it had it's own brewery on site...
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Friday 03 June
21:42
Both me and Lorenzo ordered the triple beer set, thus requiring this rather complicated triple canpai maneuvre.
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Friday 03 June
21:44
As is customary in Japan, the staff here seem really insistent that we eat at least something, so we went for the lowest common denominator - nuts and edamame. They were rather attractively served however, which I thought merited a picture.
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Saturday 04 June
13:04
Taken at Iwakuni train station, and I seem to have left on the white balance setting from the previous evening...
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Saturday 04 June
13:04
...that's better.
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Saturday 04 June
13:29
We slightly pointless got on this little single track, single carriage railway from Iwakuni up the valley, thinking it to be a major tourist attraction. As it happens it seemed to be more like a shuttle service for local people to get to and from Iwakuni.
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Saturday 04 June
13:39
We eventually got off at some station or other where the trains going in opposite directions meet - this is a picture of one of the trains just about to go into a tunnel.
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Saturday 04 June
13:43
We decided to try and entertain ourselves in this tiny little place for an hour until the next train turned up. So here's some unusual signs...
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Saturday 04 June
13:43
...and here are some onions in a garage. What more entertainment could you ask for?
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Saturday 04 June
13:47
After a short walk we arrived at the river, where we spent most of the time...
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Saturday 04 June
14:05
....mainly throwing stones.
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Saturday 04 June
14:23
A posed, but somehow convincing, picture of Chie and Lorenzo throwing stones.
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Saturday 04 June
14:36
Back at the station again.
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Saturday 04 June
14:40
The train that would take us back to Iwakuni.
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Saturday 04 June
14:41
...and again.
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Saturday 04 June
14:44
On the way back to Iwakuni, I wanted to get a picture from the rear of the train as it emmerged from a tunnel, but this proved surprisingly difficult!
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Saturday 04 June
15:06
We got off a couple of stops before Iwakuni, as Chie had heard that this was a quicker way to get to our next destination - Kintai-kyo Ohashi (that humpbacked bridge). Here's a map of how to get there.
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Saturday 04 June
15:06
Lorenzo enjoying the frothy creamy Qoo drink that I had previously found rather unpleasant.
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Saturday 04 June
15:38
So here we are at Kintai-kyo then.
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Saturday 04 June
15:39
An "interesting" shot through a tree.
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Saturday 04 June
15:39
The bridge again.
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Saturday 04 June
15:41
Under the bridge.
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Saturday 04 June
15:41
Under the bridge again.
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Saturday 04 June
15:47
Lorenzo forcing down a beer just to keep me company, despite having a bit of a hangover.
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Saturday 04 June
15:49
Me and Chie eating lunch under the bridge.
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Saturday 04 June
16:11
The bridge again. My camera was really struggling with getting the colours right today - it is as though it is running out of ink or something.
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Saturday 04 June
16:15
It took some persuading to get Chie and Lorenzo to actually cross the bridge, given that you have to pay, but eventually I managed (and I hope they'll agree it was worth it).
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Saturday 04 June
16:17
Lorenzo fiddling with his camera.
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Saturday 04 June
16:17
Chie and Lorenzo on the bridge.
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Saturday 04 June
16:17
...and again.
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Saturday 04 June
16:18
Just the bridge.
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Saturday 04 June
16:18
Lorenzo on the bridge.
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Saturday 04 June
16:19
I wanted to get a picture of Chie's necklace as it was sparkling very nicely in the sunlight - unfortunately this didn't come out so well in the picture.
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Saturday 04 June
16:19
I was determined to get a picture without all the houses in the background, and without any other people...
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Saturday 04 June
16:20
....I think this is my favourite.
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Saturday 04 June
16:20
She's getting closer....
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Saturday 04 June
16:20
.....wa!
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Saturday 04 June
16:22
It seems to be taking quite a while to get to the other side of this bridge doesn't it?
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Saturday 04 June
16:30
On the other side now, getting an ice cream from this place which had all sorts of weird flavours - including salt, wasabi, and umeboshi.
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Saturday 04 June
16:37
The iris garden, a short walk from the bridge...
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Saturday 04 June
16:38
...lots of attempts to get the perfect picture here.
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Saturday 04 June
16:41
It was very difficult to know how best to frame it.
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Saturday 04 June
16:42
...yet more iris pictures.
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Saturday 04 June
16:42
Me and Lorenzo.
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Saturday 04 June
16:44
As Lorenzo pointed, it was planted a bit like a rice field.
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Saturday 04 June
16:47
A turtle lurking in the murky water.
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Saturday 04 June
16:49
More iris....
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Saturday 04 June
16:55
A little further on, a fountain.
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Saturday 04 June
16:55
Fountain again.
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Saturday 04 June
16:56
Quite an arc there.
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Saturday 04 June
16:56
Me and Lorenzo, possibly looking at the mini rainbow which had formed.
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Saturday 04 June
16:58
Chie going for a paddle.
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Saturday 04 June
16:59
You can just about see the rainbow in this one.
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Saturday 04 June
17:06
Back over the bridge again.
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Saturday 04 June
17:11
On the bus back to Iwakuni station.
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Saturday 04 June
18:19
The final segment of our mammoth day out was a quick trip over to Miyajima.
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Saturday 04 June
18:20
Miyajima from a distance, taken from the ferry.
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Saturday 04 June
18:33
First decent view of the tori.
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Saturday 04 June
18:41
On Miyajima now, some deer sitting about.
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Saturday 04 June
18:43
Another very clean looking deer.
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Saturday 04 June
18:45
Chie and Lorenzo working along the sea front.
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Saturday 04 June
18:47
I like Japanese signs!
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Saturday 04 June
18:50
The sun was just disappearing over the mountains as we got to the famous tori.
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Saturday 04 June
18:50
I think this is my favourite shot.
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Saturday 04 June
18:50
Hmmm - the proportions are not quite right here.
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Saturday 04 June
18:51
You can just about see the last few rays of the sun coming through the silhouetted tori here.
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Saturday 04 June
18:52
Chie looking out over the water to the shrine.
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Saturday 04 June
18:52
The tori and a tree.
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Saturday 04 June
18:55
Me and Chie in front of the shrine, unfortunately closed (for repairs...?).
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Saturday 04 June
18:56
A tanuki (raccoon?).
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Saturday 04 June
18:56
It seemed very tame.
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Saturday 04 June
18:56
Making a leap for this fenced bit.
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Saturday 04 June
18:57
Taken through the fence.
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Saturday 04 June
19:00
Hmmm, a bit difficult to get it framed perfectly - it wouldn't stay still!
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Saturday 04 June
19:00
The shrine again.
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Saturday 04 June
19:04
A very dark looking shot.
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Saturday 04 June
19:06
Self timer shot of the three of us in front of this log thing.
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Saturday 04 June
19:16
Back to the tori, this time also including a boat.
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Saturday 04 June
19:16
Boat, tori, lantern, and a bit of a tree.
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Saturday 04 June
19:18
The boat.
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Saturday 04 June
19:20
Lorenzo being rather indignant.
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Saturday 04 June
19:27
Heading back to the ferry now, a few last shots of the tori as we were walking away...
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Saturday 04 June
19:28
Another tori on the land here.
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Saturday 04 June
19:29
...more tori shots.
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Saturday 04 June
19:32
Last shot of the tori before getting back on the ferry.
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Saturday 04 June
22:59
A picture of Lorenzo with Chie's dad.
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Sunday 05 June
14:59
Outside "Baps and Buns" - the Cornish bakery in Hiroshima (!) where we were accosted by this junior baseball team. Very odd.
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Sunday 05 June
17:39
Lorenzo and Chie's mum, a short while before we saw Lorenzo off at the Shinkansen station.
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Monday 06 June
17:45
An early goodbye dinner for me in Hiroshima, before I got on the train to the airport.
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Monday 06 June
18:13
A few last views of Hiroshima before heading off...
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Monday 06 June
18:52
Taken through the window of the shinkansen, saying goodbye to Chie...
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