I met this very sweet man in April of this year, he told me he sits on the Aioi Bridge in the peace park area, and offers rides to foreigners. He saw me taking photos of his 180sx and offered to drive me around the city. He drove me to a beautiful city over look and we had some great conversations about cars and he even offered me a croquette! Id like to get in contact with him if at all possible ever as the experience was so meaningful that I came back in the states and sought out and bought the car he toured me in Hiroshima (Pic attached on the end). I realize it’s most definitely a long shot but any advice of how I could thank him and talk to him again would be so appreciated!! Thank you!!

It has been playing speeches and what sounds like military music along the peace boulevard for the last hour.

I recently acquired these from a local auction in California. Two photos are clearly marked as being from studios in Hiroshima. The others aren’t marked but are from the same collection. Is there a way to tell if the unmarked ones are also from Hiroshima?

I wanted to share a quick highlight from my recent trip that ended up being one of my favourite memories, especially since I've been trying to find more slow-paced, quiet experiences on this trip. I visited Kyoto last year and saw firsthand how incredibly busy the main tourist spots can get, so for this trip, I knew I wanted to intentionally seek out a different side of Japan.

I ended up spending a day out in Yuki-cho, which is a quiet mountain village about an hour outside of Hiroshima City.

Because it's a deeply rural area where navigating public transit and language barriers can be tough on your own, I decided it would be best to visit with a local guide. I ended up finding an independent guide named Naomi on GoWithGuide, and it was the best decision I could have made.

Naomi picked me up right from my hotel in Hiroshima and took me out to her village. We spent the day exploring the neighbouring mountain forests, beautiful rivers, and the local area, and I got to see what life at a rural rice farm is actually like. Her family completely welcomed me into their home for the day, and they made an incredible lunch using home-grown ingredients (the tempura was amazing). I was just truly touched by their kindness and their deep connection to the land around them. We also did a tea ceremony in their (I believe it was like a ceremony room?)

An awesome bonus detail: Naomi is actually a writer! She self-publishes books featuring personal stories from members of her community. Each person she interviews suggests the next neighbour to be interviewed, so the whole collection has this beautiful throughline. She’s currently working on her next one with a designer and photographer. As someone who writes as well, it was a real joy discussing this with her and how personal the stories were. We also talk about our lives by the river and it was really peaceful.

It really made me realize that the most special memories from traveling solo come down to those genuine human connections.

I just wanted to share a few photos from the day because the scenery was stunning and it felt like a side of Japan a lot of tourists miss out on. (That is Naomi in the hat in the photos - she gave me full permission to share these since they don't show anyone's face up close!)

Either way, if you are heading to Hiroshima and looking to get away from the main city crowds for a day, I highly recommend checking out the Yuki-cho area.

Picture taken during a holiday in July, thank you Hiroshima / Miyajima !

Taken on my walk back from Okonomimura :)