Thursday, May 08, 2008

Mansur's Bday!

On April 21st, Mansur's birthday, we went out on a date, just the two of us. Two days earlier we had a simple celebration with a few friends.

We went for Kobe beef (steak) and had a drink at an Irish pub before getting some dessert. It was a pleasant evening, enjoying each other's company!





Thursday, April 17, 2008

Miyajima!

Miyajima is an island close to Hiroshima! Is is famous for its beautiful nature and traditional shrines! It attracts thousands of tourists everyday!








We went when the cherry blossoms were blooming! It was gorgeous!











We saw a Japanese style wedding taking place that afternoon!



























Hiroshima!


Though Mansur has been in Japan for over 16 years, and I, for over 8 years, neither of us had ever been to Hiroshima! It is quite interesting because Hiroshima is one of those places where foreigners try to visit first! I guess that knowing Japan is our home and feeling like we are going nowhere away from here anytime soon, made us wait so long to head to the unique city of Hiroshima!




The Dome was just amazing! Looking at the damage caused by the atomic bomb makes you reflect a lot about how it causes great damage not only to buildings, but also, to life!




With a great new digital camera, Mansur spent two days taking pictures of everything and everyone that caught his eyes!



We were impressed at how beautiful the city was, how well rebuilt it was and how it looked to normal! It was hard to imagine that not very long all, it was completely destroyed!




The rivers that run here and there give such a charming feeling to Hiroshima!


The Peace Park and the Arch attract thousand of visitors everyday! Not only foreigners, but also Japanese tourists and those who live in Hiroshima, who come to pray for the souls of those who died from the atomic bomb attack!




This is what Hiroshima looked like before the atomic bomb hit it!




This is how it looked after the bomb was dropped!




This is how the museum looks from the outside!










We had "okonomiyaki" for dinner. Though Osaka is also famous for it's "okonomiyaki," it is prepared a bit differently in Hiroshima! So, we enjoyed Hiroshima's traditional "okonomiyaki," which well known as "Japanese pizza." It is basically made of cabbage and eggs, and a mixture of different vegetables, meat, seafood, etc! Yummy!