Hiroshima
March 15, 2008
the outside is a blur, from the window of the Nozomi bullet train.
So we changed the train in Nagoya, with 14 minutes to transfer to the next train. By now we felt pretty comfortable with the train system and didn't feel stressed with that amount of time to change the train.
The Nozomi had a long pointed streamlined nose, and actually a tail just like it too. I think because they never reall turn the train around, they just turn the seats to face the direction it's going and off it goes. We got nice reserved seats, and settled in for our ride.
view from the fast train
We got to Hiroshima after dark at 6:38pm (you can see the times on the ticket in the photo), and took a taxi to our hotel. There were no 5 star hotels in Hiroshima, and this one had a nice lobby and all, but the interior of the room was certainly nothing fancy, just functional. The price for 2 nights was cheaper than one night at the ryokan in Takayama, but it did not include any meals.
We went out to look for dinner, and found it right next door to the hotel at a nice Vitnamese restaurant.
All the basics, great location but don't go to their buffet
Hiroshima probably is not high on the list of destinations in Japan, because it doesn't have any 5 star hotels. We picked this one because of the location and price (booked on Expedia). The hotel is a high rise and the lobby certainly looked like a good hotel, but the room is definitely plain and basic. We did have a view out of the window toward the restored Hiroshima castle.
Only about 1 km from the A-bomb dome and the memorial site, it is very convenient. We did have to take a taxi from the train station to the hotel, but buses do run to the hotel. Right next door to the hotel is a very large shopping center with the Sogo Department store. There were many restaurants in the shopping center complex, some right next to the hotel, you can get to without having to walk to the street. In the Sogo complex basement was a HUGE food street with so many vendors and foods that you just have to go and see for yourself.
We made the mistake of having a breakfast buffet at the hotel, not knowing other options were less than 1 block away. The buffet was EXPENSIVE, not a good variety and really a great disappointment. We have had great foods everywhere in Japan, except this meal was a letdown.
No free internet, we had to pay about $10 per day for accessing the internet.
The bathroom mirror had a heated center so that it did not fog up, which was the only one we saw on this trip!
So it's an OK hotel, with great location, just don't eat here.
Only about 1 km from the A-bomb dome and the memorial site, it is very convenient. We did have to take a taxi from the train station to the hotel, but buses do run to the hotel. Right next door to the hotel is a very large shopping center with the Sogo Department store. There were many restaurants in the shopping center complex, some right next to the hotel, you can get to without having to walk to the street. In the Sogo complex basement was a HUGE food street with so many vendors and foods that you just have to go and see for yourself.
We made the mistake of having a breakfast buffet at the hotel, not knowing other options were less than 1 block away. The buffet was EXPENSIVE, not a good variety and really a great disappointment. We have had great foods everywhere in Japan, except this meal was a letdown.
No free internet, we had to pay about $10 per day for accessing the internet.
The bathroom mirror had a heated center so that it did not fog up, which was the only one we saw on this trip!
So it's an OK hotel, with great location, just don't eat here.
the room is nothing fancy
next door is this shopping compl...
the front of the hotel
the hotel is the tallest buildin...
