1. Daiwa Roynet Hotel Hiroshima: great location (near the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and 50 ft from the Chuden-mae street car stop) and great price ($92/night).
-take street car #1 from Hiroshima Station to Chuden-Mae @ 15 minutes. Enter streetcar (known as the "Hiroden") at doors marked Entrance. When you arrive at your stop exit the car through the doors marked Exit and pay e¥180 (change is not given - if you only have bills, use change machine in front of fare box to get change).
-I didn't realize smoking rooms still existed in the civilized world and booked one by accident. Don't make the same mistake. There is only so much Febreze can do.
-The hotel uses a wacky check-in procedure (similar to our hotel in Korea). You hand the front desk your passport(s), they check you in, verify the vitals (dates, rates, etc.), give you a magnetic card and point you in the direction of a kiosk where you pay (by credit card or cash), you then go back to the front desk to get your magnetic room key (don't lose it, as it has your room number on it).
-Familymart: Across the street is a great resource for food (packaged sushi, sandwiches, beer, wine, whisky, etc). Highly recommended is the Egg Salad sandwich.
2. Hiroshima Peace Museum: the main section is currently under renovation.
-it was extremely crowded, which made reviewing the exhibits painfully slow.
-Note the Einstein–Szilárd letter (drafted by Szilard, signed by Einstein) warning President Roosevelt about the possibility of Germany developing an atomic bomb. Note how Einstein thought the bomb would be so large that a ship would be required to deliver it "This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable — though much less certain — that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may thus be constructed. A single bomb of this type, carried by boat and exploded in a port . . . ".
-The Peace Clock has two panels indicating the number of days since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and the number of days since the last nuclear test was conducted. The clock is reset for both nuclear detonations (which seems logical and definitive enough) and subcritical tests (all by the US, which seems a little excessive, ahhh . . . call me a homer).
3. The A Bomb Dome (that's what they call it): The ruin of the building serves as a memorial to the people who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945.
4. The Memorial Cenotaph: Note the epitaph "please Rest In Peace, for [we/they] shall not repeat the error." Hmmm . . . what was the error and who committed it?
5 . Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims is located slightly to the east of the cenotaph. Worth a visit to admire the striking architecture. There is also a library open to the public where on can read about the A-Bomb and Hiroshima.
6. Ground Zero Marker: two blocks east of the A Bomb Dome is a modest Ground Zero Memorial Plaque. It seemed that I was the only person interested in finding this spot (is that weird or am I?). Use google maps. Address: 5-25, Otemachi 1-Chōme
7. Nota Sushi (for lunch) is just up the street. It's a conveyor belt sushi place, though when we were there the conveyor was not in operation (too small a crowd?).
8. Hiroshima Castle: is a short walk from the A Bomb Dome. A very nice castle.
