WE DRIVE TO HIROSHIMA THEN WATCH SHUNAN LIGHT UP!
27.12.2024
Left for Hiroshima around 9.30am, after a good breakfast. We are headed down the Sanyo tollway with Hiroshima DFO our destination. In the past, Mami and I have bought some super cheap bargain clothes and footwear and we are hoping we can do so again today. Youko is also with us today and as usual I think she is there to buy things for Mami and then to hit the food court with gusto.
The traffic on the tollway was not too busy and we made it to Hiroshima in good time. We had no trouble getting a spot in the car park, with lots of empty places. That’s usually not a good omen for those people who are looking for a bargain,
The omen of the near empty car park was not far off the mark. Mami got a shirt and two jumpers at reasonable prices but anything I would have liked was way to takai (expensive) The sleeveless grey puffer jacket was priced at $180 and the man bags I looked at were either out of my price range, or too small to carry my laptop.
We took a break from shopping and went to the food court, had lunch and then made our way home. This time I was the passenger and Mami was driving, as I had tummy pains of the gastric type. So, not really the day we had in mind when we started out this morning. I have already informed Mami she is now in control of today’s blog as of the end of this paragraph.
Today, I’d like to share a bit about my hometown, Shūnan City, located in the southwest of Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture. As of May 31, 2023, the city had a population of 137,019 with a population density of 210 people per square kilometer. Covering 656.29 square kilometers, Shunan is known for its stainless steel processing, petroleum refinery and storage and chemical industries. However, despite its industrial focus, nearly 80% of the city is covered by forests.
I’ve always felt fortunate to have grown up in this nature-filled, mid-size city with a relaxed, country town atmosphere. It is so nice to be able to come ‘home’ and just chill.
Shunan is famous for 2 things, one is the unique sight of Narrow-winged Cranes migrating over the region, the only place in Honshu where this occurs. We are planning to see those cranes in the near future, so I will talk more about them then.
Another highlight is the annual city illumination display, which runs from late November to early January. During this time, 700,000 LED bulbs light up the city.
The weekend before Christmas, the town hosts a Christmas festival featuring markets with food trucks and craft stalls. This year, the festival took place on the 21st, and as we were unaware of any dates, we missed it, but I remember enjoying it as a teenager, especially on the nights I was allowed to stay out late.
Rob and I enjoyed travelling to the Tokoyama station in the middle of Shunan’s CBD. This is where the light show is centred. We parked in a multi storey car park next to the Shunan City Library and were able to take some photos from the balcony of the second floor. The bottom floor of the library has a Starbucks. After school has finished for the day, the library has flourished as an after school meeting place for students to chat with friends, read or study. It is never empty. I’m sure this could also work in Australia.
From the library we wandered the street, and were so pleased to see such a wonderful array of lights. It was fantastic and I hope the photos we took do it justice. It truly was magical.
