Today, three of my favorite girls and I had an adventure in Osaka. We went to the aquarium, and it was super rad. The crowds there were completely nuts; SO many children and their families. But the animals were awesome. We saw whale-sharks, otters, sting-rays, and a bunch of other really cool stuff.

Other than that, today was pretty uneventful; lots of cleaning and packing. I’m coming home tomorrow, which means I’m going to have a big blog entry about my trip and what-not. It’s going to be meaningful! <3

I can’t even begin to explain the impact that Hiroshima made on me. We went to all of the museums in the area, but the one that hit me the most was the Peace Memorial Museum. It had everything from artifacts to pieces of buildings and clothes from the atomic bomb. I was so amazed at how somber I felt, seeing these things in person. Though the amount of school children there was outrageous, I still was so heartbroken and fascinated by everything I saw there.

It’s incredible to walk through the city of Hiroshima as well. After knowing about everything that happened there 30 years ago, and seeing the thriving city that it became… I’m blown away. The entire place was completely destroyed by the bomb, and by destroyed I mean practically vanished into dust. And to hear the hustle and bustle of the streets and the number of people bowing and praying to the monuments is just beautiful.

Hiroshima is a place that I will never forget.

The “cats” and I went to Nara yesterday afternoon. The city is so old, and seemingly infested with both school children and tourists. But, of course, the best part about this place was the wild deer. Those fellas don’t take any prisoners when it comes to food, let me tell you. Vendors were selling these waffer-cookies to feed to the animals, and they went crazy just by seeing them in someone’s hand. It was kind of hectic; it, as in being chased by wild deer in public.

We also ventured to The Great Buddha. Though I don’t practice Buddhism, it was definitely a site to see. The size of this shrine/temple was outrageous, and with good reason. I was disappointed, however, with the tourism and shops inside of the wooden structure that held everything. I feel like Buddha would be pretty pissed off if he could see what his shrine has become.

My last thoughts on Nara: I liked it, but I would probably go back when there wasn’t so many people. Oh, and at a time when it’s not incredibly humid out.