== Bernie's brain backup of April 2009 ==
-=== April 21th ====
+=== Arpril 24th -- 1 megameter by train ====
+
+We left our comfortable hostel in Kyoto early in the morning for a second Shinkansen
+ride of 360Km, this time on the faster [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nozomi_%28train%29|Nozomi]].
+The one-way ticket was "just" 10,250円, equivalent to $105 or €80.
+
+Unlike Kyoto, there aren't many sites of historic interest in Hiroshima because, quite
+unsurprisingly, every building in the city center is at most 64 years old.
+With [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Peace_Memorial|one notable exception]].
+Coming such a long way only to see a broken dome and a the surrounding
+[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Peace_Memorial_Park|park]] might seem crazy,
+but it was definitely worth it. One of the most dramatic moments of human history
+happened right here not long ago, and survivors of about my father's age can tell
+their personal stories with the help of black and white photographs and melted items
+from the museum.
+
+As usual, I couldn't refrain from taking [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Hiroshima|a load of photos]] here too.
+These probably can't deliver the pain in the chest one gets by visiting the museum,
+but might still be a little disturbing.
+
+In the afternoon, we returned to the Hiroshima station just in time to catch the 16:01
+Shinkansen for another 690Km ride to another location which will be revealed
+in due time. Don't miss the next amazing episode of Bernie's Adventures!
+
+{{http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Gambaku_Dome_of_Hiroshima.jpg}}
+
+=== April 23rd -- Kyoto last day ===
+
+We visited a few more places:
+
+ * Hmmm...
+
+=== April 22nd ===
+
+==== Food ====
+
+Eating in japan can a challenge for a vegetarian who also happens to dislike fish and crustaceans.
+The average menu has about 5% of veggie dishes, but many restaurants in tourist areas specialize
+in traditional food such as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi|sushi]] and
+[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura|tempura]]. Imitations of Italian kitchen are close to
+perfection, of course: in Tokyo, we had perfectly reasonable spaghetti with eggplants.
+
+Even with my options severely limited, I could still find several exquisite dishes.
+I quite like soups, including [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso_soup|miso shiru]],
+[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen|ramen]] and others I ordered by pointing at the
+fake dish in the restaurant window without ever knowing their name.
+
+My favorite food so far is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omurice|Omurice]]. Yeah, perhaps
+it's not as sophisticated as the average Japanese recipe. Hmm... I guess learning to
+appreciate complex and delicate flavors takes some more time.
+
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Ryoanji/00016.jpg|Omurice = omelet + rice|maxwidth=640}}
+
+As for beer, I still couldn't find one I like. The most popular ones, Asahi and Kirin,
+are just tasteless dry lagers. All the drafts I could find taste like Asahi too. The
+only good beers I had were at the [[http://www.deliriumcafe.jp/|Delirium Cafe]] in Tokyo,
+where I had a delicious [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauwel_Kwak|Kwak]] followed by a
+cherry flavored [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriek|Kriek]]. Too bad we had to stop at
+just two to make sure we could find the way back to the hostel :-)
+
+Now I'm looking for a place where I could taste vegetarian [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukiyaki|sukiyaki]],
+the favorite food of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ataru_Moroboshi#Ataru_Moroboshi|Ataru Moroboshi]].
+
+=== April 21st ====
==== Great temples everywhere ====
The [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/ShinKyoto|Kyoto station]] is an impressive modern building,
worth a visit by itself.
-{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/ShinKyoto/00015.jpg|Welcome to Kyoto!|maxwidth=800}}
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/ShinKyoto/00015.jpg|Anime characters by Osamu Tezuka|maxwidth=640}}
==== Shinkansen tour ====
projects / wiki.git / blobdiff