Our Last Day in Hiroshima...Shukkeien Garden

On our final day in Hiroshima, we checked out of our Hotel and it's beautiful view. We still had a few hours until the Shinkansen (bullet train) left for home, so we decided to walk around the city and see what else was left. We discovered the Hiroshima prefectorial art museum, but we've never been known to pay money to see that kind of stuff; behind the museum, lay a much more inspiring attraction, however. The Shukkeien Garden. The gardens were originally constructed in 1620, for the Feudal Lord of Hiroshima - the entire prefecture, not just the city. (prefecture = state). Of course the garden was destroyed in 1945, but re-opened in 1951. The reconstruction and re-growth was not complete until 1974. This picture of us was taken by a Japanese lady, who before this shot was taken, wanted to have her picture taken WITH Cicely. We're always excited to take pictures with the local Japanese people, but who knew that they wanted to take pictures with us too?? By the way, we were trying to hurry up and take the pictures before the cranes in the background flew away, but it wasn't until later that we realized we could've spent all day there and they wouldn't have moved....they're FAKE!

While we were walking around the garden, we happened to see two people (male and female) dressed in traditional Japanese Kimono. At first, we thought they were a couple getting married, like the one we saw at Miyajima the day before. But we soon realized that they were actually models on a photo shoot for a Kimono maker. There was even a little girl wearing one - her dad was more than happy to let us take a picture...the little girl--not so much!


Here is Cicely sitting in the Chozen Kyo - not sure what that means, but it looks like a gazebo. We had to take off our shoes to go in. It was a very quiet, picturesque place for her to just sit and read....or in Mike's case, to nap.


This is a view of the Takuei Pond - notice the little islands with Bonsai trees. This is a quintessential Japanese Garden. Norfolk Botanical Gardens? I think not.