Hiroshima is universally known for its tragic past, yet only those who brave Japan's high prices come to know it for its vibrant present. Having lived here for almost 6 months now, and on the brink of returning home, I thought I'd share a few things you might not find in a guidebook, along with a little look at the history, before my memory fades.

Football fans may wonder why the city's team is called Sanfrecce ("san" being 3 in japanese, "frecce" being Italian for arrow). The reason for this is a wonderful story centering on Mori Terumoto and his three sons. Having founded Hiroshima and so forth, he was preparing to die
and leave his lands to his sons, but feared they would turn on each other out of greed, and destroy what he had built. Thus he gave each an arrow and told them to snap it. This they all did with ease. He then took three arrows together and told them to snap them. Of course the combined strength of all three was too great to break. A simple lesson in alliance, loyalty and unity. Hence Sanfrecce's manly mottos of "strength and unity", etc. Why on earth "arrow" is in Italian, though, God alone knows. Maybe Marco Polo had something to do with it.

Hiroshima is easy to get to, about an hour and a half on a faster Shinkansen from Osaka (10,000 Yen or so for people with no rail pass, but the rail pass is highly recommended and can potentially save hundreds of pounds - contact the Japanese Tourist office in England if you want one), and perfect for people on route to or from Kyushu. Many people come here even if it is not strictly on their circuit though, mostly to see the Peace Park and Peace Museum, and to see for themselves the legacy of the atomic bomb. The bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945 and exploded about 500m above the city centre at 8:15 in the morning. The Peace Park is now built on top of an old entertainment district that was obliterated in the blast, being only a few hundred metres from the hypocentre. Though many of the memorials in the park and the museum itself are ugly concrete structures, the sheer force of history is such that few can come here and fail to be moved. Downstairs in the museum and free is a small gallery of artwork by survivors of the bomb, with descriptions of what they saw, where they were and so forth. This is an incredibly moving exhibit that deserves a lot more time the main museum itself.

The impression is given that here people were, going about their daily lives, when out of the blue a great American atrocity came and killed them. True on one level, but the museum does not properly inform the visitor of why this happened. The bomb did not simply come out of thin air. Pearl Harbour and the Japanese agression in China, Korea and the Pacific that started the whole tragic affair is scantly covered. The purpose of the museum is supposedly to promote world peace, but it chooses to do this by taking the stance that nuclear weapons are wrong and we must stop them now. A rather simplistic, unrealistic stance given the current world climate. Had they chosen to highlight instead the road to war, the danger of people being caught in mass movements and allowing themselves to buy into their leader's agressive, expansionist policies and so forth, I think the museum would be a lot more effective in its purpose of promoting peace. As it is, the full story is not told, and it weakens the message. I do not intend in anyway to undermine the survivors and the hell they obviously were put through, I just think the museum could be more effective than it is.

If you really are interested in learning more about Hiroshima's past then read "Hiroshima", by John Hersey. It is well written, factual, touching and does not lecture. It was recommended to me by my Japanese employer, who told me many Japanese believed it to be the best book on the subject there was. It follows the stories of several bomb survivors, starting just before the explosion then describing their experiences in the following hours, days, weeks, months and years. Hersey was a journalist by trade, and this comes out in the very accurate details he provides, his honest style of narration and the vivid human element he creates. The factual reporting is a lot more effective than the museum's victim stance, and a lot truer to the stories of the survivors I have been priveliged enough to talk with here.

For food start at the A-Bomb dome or baseball stadium and head east along the main road and tram line. Any of the streets off to the side of this for the first 400m will have plenty of eating options, none of them very cheap, but all good. Again turning to the Lonely Planet I'd recommend the Okonomiyaki Mura (village) found just south of the end of Hondori - the large central covered shopping street that stretches from the Peace Park east. I went there having seen it in the LP and it was excellent - a cheap place to sample the local speciality of noodle-meets-pancake "Okonomiyaki" - try one with red ginger and an egg and you will be hooked. Costs from 450-700 Yen depending on the options you go for. Crossing the road just east of the Village leads you to the entertainment district which is wild and lively, but pale compared to Osaka or Tokyo.

MAZDA TOUR -
Hiroshima has a huge Mazda factory and free tours are offered in English every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 13:00 to 14:30. To arrange one you'll need to phone (082) 286 5700 and book a date. Doing so is incredibly easy as the staff speak pretty decent English. The tours start from Mazda Head Office, which can be reached on the JR line to Mukainada, one stop east (it's on the tourist map) of Hiroshima's main station - their Head Office is just a minute's walk west of Mukainada station, and not too hard to spot, being a big mirrored cube in a low rise neighbourhood. Once the group (my group consisted of myself and 5 others) has assembled, you are loaded onto a bus that speeds through the vast network of private roads and bridges that Mazda own, arriving 10 minutes later at the Mazda Museum. I've been told that Mazda own 15% of Hiroshima and it would be easy to believe given the size of the city within a city through which you are shuttled. They even own a 200m long suspension bridge. At the Mazda Museum you get herded a little quickly through an excellent set of show rooms, galleries and a hi-tech cinema with a very informative video (in English), and all sorts of marvellous robots, disassembled cars and even a stretch of cobbled street they imported from Belgium for road testing!

SENTOS -
A "sento" is a small local bathouse, usually with a couple of hotpools, a cold pool and a sauna, though they can get much, much bigger. In Kyoto there is one with a lift and multiple floors. The main point of a sento though is washing and a long line of showers and taps for a good thorough scrub. According to a postcard on the Lonely Planet website a cheap way of travel in Japan used by students and similar is to sleep on overnight trains and wash at sentos daily. They are plentiful and given the criminal price of accomodation in Japan this seems like a good idea.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME -
A simple visit to a baseball game provides more insight into Japanese culture than can be learnt from a fair sized bookcase of anthropological
studies. Baseball is a part of the national mind - and if you watch the lengthy mental duel between pitcher and batter as they prepare for that split second of action, you will see the same heightening of tension and focus that fuels Sumo. Though it is an American sport, the Japanese have made it their own. For instance, fans do not cheer when the other team is batting, instead maintaining a respectful silence. English football fans like myself, expecting to find jeering in equal measure with applause and plenty of obscenities will be shocked to discover the white-gloved (think Italian traffic police) chant-masters, professional banner wavers and all manner of carefully orchestrated yet incredibly energetic supporting going on. Free balloons often appear for the middle of the "lucky" 7th inning when songs are sung and balloons let skyward in a great rainbow cloud of whistling rubber. Sitting in the cheap seats starts at about 1000 Yen and as well as being cheapest this is a wonderful way to meet all sorts of enthusiastic folks and you will be in the centre of the maddness. The in field seating is more expensive and pretty tame - not recommended. Hiroshima is a great place to catch a game, because the stadium is smack in the middle of town, right next to the A-bomb dome, Peace Park and tourist sights. Standing at the A-bomb dome look north across the only main road and there it is.

NINOSHIMA & UJINA
A nice day trip from Hiroshima is to Ninoshima - the big volcano look-alike island south of Ujina port. Ferries run from Ujina port (easily reachable by tram) from 6:30 until 20:30, every hour except 10:30 and 11:30 which are lumped together into 11:00. Boats come back from Ninoshima to Ujina from 6:00 to 20:00 every hour, except 12:00 (when nothing happens), 11:00 which is 11:30 and 10:00 which is 10:15. They'll charge you 310 Yen for an adult, 160 Yen for a child and 140 Yen for a highly recommended bicycle. Cycling a full circuit of the island is a simple affair and should take just over an hour at a relaxed pace. The island is wonderfully clean, with lots of little coves and beaches for swimming and paddling. On the southern side are lots of "dig your own" clam beaches if this appeals. A short hike will take you to the pointed summit of the island and give you amazing views of the city, surrounding islands and hundreds of boats going about their everyday pootlings. The small town is very limited, and a little more expensive than Hiroshima, so it'd be best to bring a packed lunch with you. Without a bike the island is probably more trouble than it's worth, unless you are a long term resident, an incredibly keen swimmer or you are desperate to go to Okinawa, can't afford the ticket, and have a fertile enough imagination to tint the water colour a little more turquoise. Beachcombers will have fun with the incredible amount of painted pottery and strange shells to be found heaped on the beaches.

This nice stretch of coast curves all the way round to the Prince's Hotel (which would be a perfect high-end hotel to anyone with money to burn as the setting is incredible, and this huge mirrored toblerone bar looks incredible luxurious) and Snova Hiroshima, where you can try indoor snow-boarding from about 3000 Yen up. On July 20 every year head for Ujina port for the most amazing (free) fireworks I have ever seen. They lasted a solid hour, and cost the council 20,000,000 Yen. Incredible and free. To get to Ujina simply take a tram to "Hiroshima/Ujina Port".

The last event is Sunday evening - a selection of Kagura plays (tradition Japanese theatre/music). Wonderfully intricate costumes, traditional music, incredible setting and violent battle dances all make this worth a look, and it is free. Seats and tatami are provided, and are needed if you want to see it all as it lasts for three hours or so. I stayed for the whole thing, but it did drag rather as my Japanese is average at best and the stories made little sense, and were very similar. The finale is amazing though, and should not be missed by anyone, however. Eight massive dragons appear out of the temple, spraying fire and sparks from their mouths, ravage the spectators on the tatami mats then thrash about the temple steps until a mad beared fellow turns up and tears their heads off! This is wild, free, and very under-crowded - I found out about it from a poster, but the Japanese at my school had no idea it was on. Only a hundred people or so turned up, creating a feeling of intimacy and magic in the lantern lit woods and ruins.

FUKUYA
Just across the road from Hiroshima's main railway station (to the south west) is a massive square block of a building with Fukuya scrawled on the side. Unless after cosmetics or overpriced designer label clothes, travellers will want to head straight for the 10th floor which houses a huge bookshop. There is vast selection of English language books about Japan and Hiroshima (you can buy John Hersey's book here), and an equally enormous selection of wonderful Lonely Planet travel guides (I am addicted to this series) - three cases of them covering everywhere from Madagascar to Macau. Anyone in need of a guide, reading matter or with an hour to kill waiting for a train might enjoy some time here. Chairs and tables are provided for determined browsers.

HIJIYAMA SKYWALK
Those visiting Hijiyama park (home of the manga museum, modern art gallery and many pleasant wooded strolls) can up the "Japan Factor" considerably by using the "Skywalk" on the eastern side of the hill. A complex series of travalators and escalators wind their way up snake like glass tunnels, easing your ascent of the hill considerably. Next to the Skywalk's start is a large departent store - SATY. The ground floor
has an excellent supermarket, with excellent value fruit (particularly bananas) and an extensive selection of picnic food to take to the park. If
you like cats pick up a pack of cat biscuits here - Hijiyama has about 30 or so strays that would appreciate a hello and something to eat. They
are big beasts and healthy looking mostly, and have small dishes by the water fountain! SATY also houses a large Warner Bros multi-screen cinema. Most films are in English with subtitles, but maybe check - "Eigo desu ka?". 1500 Yen is a little steep, especially if it turns out to be dubbed.

KUSATSU FISH MARKET
Hiroshima does have a fish market, labelled "central wholesale market" on the big A2 tourist map - it's in the bottom south west. People tell me Hiroshima produces anywhere between 5 and 15% of the world's oysters, boasts you might believe if you make the trip to the Kusatsu market and take a look at the mountains of shells that heap the docks - they dwarf the pyramids. Getting in can be a problem, and I have been turned away twice out of three visits. Inside is a little depressing, with big boxes of sea creatures waiting to die, and bored, business-like
men waiting to kill them. It is difficult to get to unless you have a car or bike too, nothing compared to Tsukiji in Tokyo and nothing to write home about. It is there though, so I thought I'd put it down, even though it isn't at all recommended.

Getting to Miyajima is easily done - both tram and train offer combined deals that drop you at the port
where a ferry will scoot you across. It costs about 500-600 Yen depending on your options. Your guidebook will tell you this. What it probably won't tell you is that times for high and low tide at Miyajima can be provided by the friendly staff of the Peace Park Resthouse, just 20m southeast of the Sadako monument in the middle of town. They will also recommend all sorts of options for getting there as efficentely as possible. Though the main aim is obviously to get there at high tide to see the floating torii doing its thing, a lot is to be said for low tide. The shrine seems stranger, suspended above the seaweed strewn sand, and you can walk out to the torii and have a proper look at it close up. Photographs tend to slight this rather charming beast by presenting him as straight lined and symetrical. He is in fact wonderfully warped, with big tree trunk feet that sink deep into the wet sand. Deer wander out to him too, grazing on the seaweed. As everywhere, clam digging is also possible on the beach!