Got myself up and out before 7 this morning, and using the magic of the Strava heat map feature found a runnable trail up and over a nearby hill. Unexpectedly there was the remains of a WW2 anti aircraft battlment nestled on the ridge, then further along a peace pagoda containing ashes from the Buddha. This pretty much set the scene for the rest of the day; horrible memories contrasting with feelings of hope and forgiveness.

We were both looking forward to the hotel breakfast, the one in Osaka was fine, but basic. Trix was rather taken by a cheese and bacon bread roll / cake, whilst I was very happy with my western and Japanese mix. Can’t turn down octopus for breakfast!

The robot tray shelves moving around the restaurant had cat faces, which made happy noises and stopped when you tapped them on the nose, very endearing and must make it easier for the staff to clear tables – everyone was willingly loading them up with dirty plates.

Bit overcast and neither of us was particularly in the mood for museums or temples, so we had a slow meander trying to find volume 14 of Spy Family in English, a sort of treasure hunt through the cities bookshops. The last one we tried was almost a winner, volume 13! But no more, luckily it was time for a little bit of lunch, and what luck, an okonomiyaki restaurant just where we needed it!

“Savoury pancake” is the translation, but really it’s a pile of omelette, meat, cabbage and beansprouts layered and cooked on a hot plate. With an optional (essential) topping of local oysters. Super tasty but not all that nice to look at, so I’l spare you the photo.

The rain started just before our cycle tour did, but despite knowing the forecast and being told to bring waterproofs, we just rolled our eyes, shrugged at each other, “we’re from England, this is standard, it’s fine”.

Our little eBikes were just the job for weaving through pedestrians as we did a circuit of the central part of the city, with Shin stopping us every now and then to explain why the fairly innocuous thing in front of us was actually genuinely interesting.

This tree for example, it was in the blast zone, you can see the scorched trunk. There are 159 of these, and most of them lean in towards the hypocenter (the point on the earths surface directly below the actual explosion, which was about 600 meters up), because the damaged side grows more slowly than the relatively unscathed side.

“This tree is a bomb survivor, and it has a special plaque, look!” Shin was very chatty and bubbly, you almost forgot that his mother was an in utero survivor, but died of lymphoma when she was 61.

Shin did a little poll after a while, “How are you all feeling? What’s your emotion?”

Unanimously we said “sad”. Hard not to be, and he expected that, then showed us lots more hopeful things, like the flame that will burn until all nuclear weapons have been destroyed, and facts like Japan hasn’t been in another war since WW2, and that the more friends you make around the world, the less likely you will want to drop a bomb on that country.

The rain had stopped by the time the tour ended, and it was way past our supper time. Time to get a tram, another bomb survivor (they had parts of the network up and running 3 days afterwards, driven by 14 year old girls).

We wanted yakiniku (barbecue) but both of our stomachs protested loudly when they heard how long the queue was. Udon it was, great bowls of hot broth warmed and sedated us nicely.

We’re heading to Kanazawa tomorrow, it’s going to be a bit of effort with 3 different trains (and a short bus ride), so we’ve taken some expert advice and … had most of our luggage sent on to Tokyo, where we’ll meet it in a few days. Just feels so wrong, but it’s so normal, and so easy. Just popped downstairs to the front desk, quick chat, a phone call, bit of form faffing (them not me), and all sorted. £30 seems pretty reasonable, well it won’t if it doesn’t turn up, fingers crossed!