Thank you so much for your video, I’m going in May this year and it is on the tour to visit Hiroshima. A most inspiring and wonderful people the Japanese.
How awesome. We hope you have an amazing trip. Did you see our entire series from our 40+ days in Japan? We were thrilled that our daughter also got to experience Japan for a week. We definitely want to return and explore more! Let us know what you think when you return! -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
I love you japan japan earth in Paredese japanis people very good people long live japan world's is nation no war no violence no vepon world all people brother hood ilove huminisam girish kumar iam frome india
It's a very special country, indeed. Thanks for watching. Here's our full series from our 40+ days in Japan if you're interested. -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Hi Carol, It's a difficult place, but it also it is very inspiring. We were absolutely amazed that within hours of the bombing, the Japanese people were working on getting things back in order. As you can see from our video, it is thriving. The focus on peace here and the efforts to prevent nuclear war are impressive. I think you might actually appreciate seeing the resilience of the Japanese firsthand, but of course, only you can decide whether it would make you too sad to visit. Thank you so much for watching. We have a full series from Japan if you're interested. It's a beautiful country. -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
I’m from Sydney Australia My husbands hometown is Hiroshima I’ve lived there for 42 years and raised 4 children there I have seen many changes in Hiroshima over the years It’s a city that is growing and ever changing for the better
Very cool, Penny. This is wonderful to hear. Thanks so much for watching and for sharing this. We initially weren't sure of how it would be, but Hiroshima ended up being such a special and inspiring place. -Judy
I am so glad to hear this, Alex. We were surprised at how much we enjoyed Hiroshima. At first we worried that we wouldn't be received well as Americans or else that it might be too depressing of a place to visit. Of course, there is so much tragedy and loss that it is a hard place to visit, so we don't want to discount any of that, but the hope that transforms it was such a surprise. When you visit, you should definitely make time for the okonomiyaki here, which was the best variation of any that we ate in Japan! -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Thank you so much! We had such a wonderful experience in Japan. it was definitely a bucket list country for us, and even after 40+ days, we still didn't see enough! -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Thank you for coming to Hiroshima. It is a small city, but it is surrounded by warm weather and nature of the sea, rivers and mountains. Perhaps because of the mild climate, many people are kind, cheerful and have love for their city. Prices are low, security is good, and the streets are beautiful.
Hi Sunny, We weren't sure how Hiroshima would receive Americans, but we were pleasantly surprised. We admire the attitude of peace that Hiroshima has chosen to foster. We cannot overemphasize how much we loved its version of Okonomiyaki! We highly recommend Hiroshima! Our full series from our 40+ days in Japan is linked below if you're interested. -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Another special place to visit in Hiroshima is Mitaki Temple. Also, maybe you already know about the Japan Rail Pass which allows foreign tourists to ride the Shinkansen for a much reduced price over a set period of time-really cost effective if you’re traveling to several cities. (Also, it covers the cost of the ferry to Miyajima!)
Thanks for the suggestions. The Japan Rail Pass is prohibitively expensive for most people these days unless you are doing a lot of travel in a short period of time. For the 40+ days we were there, we couldn't justify the cost at any part of our time there. We have a full series from Tokyo, Kyoto, and our Ryokan experience if you're interested in it. -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Ahhhh, I see. I didn’t realize that you were here for so long. I live in Japan so don’t always know what costs are for tourism here. Thanks for letting me know.@@FindingGinaMarie
Thank you so much for watching, Helen! We agree that Hiroshima's response to what happened during WW II is inspirational. We appreciate that you shared this comment with us! -Judy
Hiroshima, The last place on earth I thought I would ever visit only a few years ago! Boy was I wrong, It was not an easy visit in the Peace Memorial Park area but the rest of the city was AMAZING.
Hi Kenny, The museum was especially hard, but then when we saw how the Japanese people turned it into something powerful, we were inspired and humbled. I'm so glad to hear you were able to visit. -Judy
From what we've read, the renovations all were positive. What did you prefer in the museum prior to the renovations? The new computer graphics of the blast sound much improved and the personal stories also seem worthwhile. Thank you for watching. Our full series from our 40+ days in Japan is linked below. -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
One of the better aspects of 2023 was finding this UA-cam channel of yours. The journey you’ve taken has been enjoyable to watch and although I’m only up to your Poland visit, I just watched this one on Hiroshima. I do plan to visit the city some day, although I won’t have time in April when I go to Japan for a bike tour. The origami cranes in the building’s glass wall was something I’d not hear of before. Again, thank you for sharing your lives as full-time travelers. It’s great food for thought. Happy New Year, Kevin and Judy!
Thank you so much for following along with us! We are so happy to have you with us on the ride! It means more than you can know! We are incredibly happy with this new life and it's people like you that keep us inspired. Happy New Year to you and yours. And you are singing our song when you mention a bike tour in Japan! Have a fun trip! -Judy
I have done 4 trips to Miyajima Island over the past 6 months taking family and friends from Australia. I really recommend going up to the peak on the ropeways if it's a good weather day .For the more adventurous you can walk from the top ropeway around to an adjacent higher peak to a Temple . There is an excellent medium sized aquarium on the island . The ferries from the peace park can't always run due to tides and get booked out on peak days so you can also choose the much cheaper option of taking the train to the Miyajima JR station which is at the ferry wharf for the car ferries that run every few minutes. Total cost less than 20 USD return and not too much longer than the Peace Park ferry.
@brendon408 We absolutely should have given ourselves an extra day in Hiroshima so we could have explored more on Miyajima Island. It took everything in us to not get too distracted and miss our train to our ryokan in Otsu. Thanks for the suggestions! -Judy
Visited the peace memorial and was honoured to have a talk from a bomb survivor, will live with me and my family forever, also got a free earhquake for good measure
Hi Gary, How interesting of an experience you had. I would have loved to have the opportunity to hear from a bomb survivor, but I can't imagine how that went. And an earthquake?! We had one of about 7.4 when we were in Taipei. That will shake you up. It seems you were safe, but that could have been scary! -Judy 🎥 Would you know what to do in a natural disaster while traveling? ua-cam.com/video/n2GVpBDAeww/v-deo.html 📝 Emergency Packing List and Natural Disaster Preparedness Guide: findingginamarie.com/request-emergency-list
WOW! I think this was my favorite of your entire Japan series. Hiroshima brought tears to my eyes, but I loved the perspective of the young lady about working for peace moving forward. I think the BIG cities (like Tokyo) are not my thing, but the smaller and more historical places like today’s video are more to my liking.
Thank you, Rebecca! We didn't love Tokyo, either. We really liked Kyoto, but Hiroshima surprised us so much! Our guide's perspective wasn't what we were expecting at all, and it brought tears to my eyes to hear such a balanced perspective. Thank you for watching and for always taking a moment to drop us a thoughtful note! -Judy
i will be solo traveling to Kansai region this October and I’ll definitely include this on my itinerary. thanks for a very informative vlog. more travels to come! 🫶🏼
Thanks for watching, Steffi! We think you will love it, too! Have an amazing trip; Japan is a very safe country. Here's a link to our series from our 40+ days in Japan. -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Thank you for watching and commenting! It was a privilege to have this much time in Japan where we could document so many places. What a great country. 🇯🇵 Happy New Year! - Kevin
This video makes me regret going to Osaka over Hiroshima. We didn’t really enjoy Osaka and Hiroshima looks like a nicer more contemplative experience. I too struggled with just the idea of going to Hiroshima as an American and being a tourist, I still do but this video gives me more to consider next time I get to Japan. Thanks for the effort putting this together
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your encouragement. Our daughter was interested in Osaka and we were worried it would be too rushed. We are glad we went to Hiroshima. I think if you visit you will be inspired and encouraged, too. -Judy
Hi Luis, Here's a link to the okonomiyaki restaurant (葉亜葉): maps.app.goo.gl/g2Z8LtPiMVCGnPEv6 We hope you enjoy them as much as we did! We spent 40+ days in Japan, so if you're interested in watching any of the other episodes in our series, here's a link to it. -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Nana Pam, thank you for watching! Of course! We stayed at Hotel Kuretakesou Hiroshima Otemachi (if you book through our link, it helps our channel at no cost to you: www.hotels.com/affiliates/finding_gina_marie/hiroshima). We hope you'll watch our other videos from Japan to get a sense of other things you can see and do while you're visiting. Happy to answer any of your other questions. We'd love to know what you think of Hiroshima when you return! -Judy Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Thanks for this very informative and interesting video. Am planning to visit Japan and 9 other Asian countries in 2024. After watching this video, I’ll include Hiroshima in my list of places to visit.
How exciting, Eva! We are making the rounds through Southeast Asia right now and are having a wonderful time. We'd love to know where you are headed. We've got videos coming out from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. We are potentially looking at Philippines, but is there some other country in Southeast Asia that you think we should include? Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Happy New Year! I am planning to visit Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Taiwan, Hongkong, Korea and Japan. My goal is to visit 100 countries, currently have visited 75. Philippines : I highly recommend that you visit it. There are so many beautiful places to visit, many foods to taste and locals are friendly and helpful., speak English as well.. Rate of exchange between the US$ and Philippine peso is about 58 so it is a cheap country to visit. I still have some family members living there so I visit it once a year. Happy New Year and happy travels!
Hi @evacalder7386 We are pretty sure we're going to lock in a month in Philippines. Because of the way we travel, we're interested in staying in one place for a month. Do you have recommendations of where to stay (with good, solid WiFi) and a suggestion of must-see things to do? We're looking at arriving in late March. It seems that Cebu City might be the most worthwhile, but we are open to all your suggestions! -Judy
Hi Adrian, She was a little hard to hear at times and she was fairly green in her role. But we did appreciate her insights, particularly her view of how Hiroshima fit into world history. Overall, the value of the tour was worthwhile considering everything we saw and did, and it included the price of lunch. Here's a link if you're interested: link.findingginamarie.com/HiroshimaTour. We may earn a small commission if you book it, but it should be at no cost to you and helps support our channel. -Judy
@FindingGinaMarie thank you for the quick reply. My wife and I love your videos. We have seen a number on Japan recently, but rate yours the most, very insightful. Aiming to do Kamakura as well.
@@claudiahansen4938 Happy New Year, Claudia! I hope 2024 is a fabulous year for you! I'm so glad to hear you felt that way, too. Of course it was sobering, and I had a mix of feelings, but then seeing how Japan has turned it all around into something powerful was so inspiring. Thanks for watching. -Judy
Kevin and Judy, one of my more joyful 2023 discoveries was finding your UA-cam channel. Your videos offer a great vicarious experience! I’m watching in sequence and am up to your Poland era, but just watched this episode on Hiroshima. In 3 months, I’ll take a solo trip to central and northern Japan but plan a follow-up trip a few years later with my wife and Hiroshima will be one of the foci. Yes, it has a tragic history, and it was good to hear that the locals voiced their thoughts that there was culpability on both sides (and more sides than the USA and Japan; ask the Chinese about Nanking,1937). Near Hiroshima is Kure City, offering another side of WWII with its IJN Yamato museum - I hope to see that too. Again, thank you for the videos and for sharing your new global travel lives!! Happy New Year from Scott in Minneapolis.
How wonderful for you both. Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your experience. We wish we would have had more time in Hiroshima. It is definitely worth the time and we are glad you got to experience it! Below is a link to our entire Japan series from the 40+ days we spent there. -Judy 🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
I enjoy your videos very much. Thank you! We are going to Japan in early April. My original plan was to land in Tokyo, spend 4 days then move to Osaka for 10 days and use it as our base. We’ll be in Japan for 3 weeks and then we’ll board a cruise back to USA from Tokyo. Is using Osaka as a base a good idea? Any suggestions? We’re in our 70s and moving from city to city is too stressful.
Hi Oscar, thanks so much for watching and for the compliment! Is there a reason you are choosing Osaka as your base? We'd probably suggest Kyoto instead, although it's a little more expensive. Kyoto is more traditional and there are more temples and interesting sights than Osaka. Osaka is more of a modern city with a busy nightlife, but great for foodies and night street food. For us, we didn't do much at night, so we didn't really need that vibe. It's a little more like Tokyo, which we had enough of in four days. There's a lot to see, but it was too hectic/frenetic overall. Our opinion is biased because we did not visit Osaka, but we made a conscious choice to skip it since a modern city wasn't really what we went to Japan to experience. But we're hearing that a lot of people like Osaka because it's cheaper and can be a good base. We didn't do a lot of day trips to other cities. Our only reason to bounce around the way we did was that our daughter decided to join us after our plans were in place so we had to juggle things around and caused us to have to do some backtracking. We think you could have a lovely experience by spending four days in Tokyo, three days in Hiroshima and the rest of your time in Kyoto, especially since some of the sites get crowded early and a train to Kyoto for some of those from Osaka might not be ideal. Have you seen our entire video series from our 42 days in Japan? I'll link it below. If you've made nonrefundable plans for Osaka, or that it's cheaper is the reason it's more favorable, we think that also will be fine. We'd love to hear what you decide and what you think of Japan when you return. It will be a beautiful time of year to visit! -Judy Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Thanks again for your timely response. So far, we only have plane and cruise reservations I’m still researching options. I picked Osaka for convenience to other places. I hope to buy a train pass and hit nearby cities, including Kyoto. I’m also looking at seaside small towns that are more traditional and without the tourist crowds taking pictures of flowers ( not my thing!)
Makes sense to us. We enjoy seeing as much as we can of a city whenever possible before moving onto someplace else, but we travel full time and need some downtime that seeing too much in a short amount of time doesn't really afford us. Sounds like you've got a great plan then! Our Kyoto temples video will hopefully let you cherry pick which ones look interesting to you. We'd love to hear about your favorite places when you get back. And a cruise on the return seems like that could be a nice way to relax and adjust your body clocks for the return home. -Judy
Do you have some reason for saying this? If you watched our video, we give a lot of good reasons that Hiroshima is worth seeing. If you disagree, it might make sense to explain why. -Judy
We did not delete your comment. Apparently it must have violated one of the guidelines of UA-cam and they deleted it. We never saw the comment. You can try again. So long as it’s not offensive or disrespectful, we do not block comments.
Thank you so much for your video, I’m going in May this year and it is on the tour to visit Hiroshima. A most inspiring and wonderful people the Japanese.
How awesome. We hope you have an amazing trip. Did you see our entire series from our 40+ days in Japan? We were thrilled that our daughter also got to experience Japan for a week. We definitely want to return and explore more! Let us know what you think when you return! -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
I love you japan japan earth in Paredese japanis people very good people long live japan world's is nation no war no violence no vepon world all people brother hood ilove huminisam girish kumar iam frome india
It's a very special country, indeed. Thanks for watching. Here's our full series from our 40+ days in Japan if you're interested. -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
My Mother’s family was from Hiroshima. I don’t know if I should go there because of personal grief 😢
Hi Carol, It's a difficult place, but it also it is very inspiring. We were absolutely amazed that within hours of the bombing, the Japanese people were working on getting things back in order. As you can see from our video, it is thriving. The focus on peace here and the efforts to prevent nuclear war are impressive. I think you might actually appreciate seeing the resilience of the Japanese firsthand, but of course, only you can decide whether it would make you too sad to visit. Thank you so much for watching. We have a full series from Japan if you're interested. It's a beautiful country. -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
I’m from Sydney Australia
My husbands hometown is Hiroshima I’ve lived there for 42 years and raised 4 children there
I have seen many changes in Hiroshima over the years
It’s a city that is growing and ever changing for the better
Very cool, Penny. This is wonderful to hear. Thanks so much for watching and for sharing this. We initially weren't sure of how it would be, but Hiroshima ended up being such a special and inspiring place. -Judy
I am now adding Hiroshima to my Japan trip after watching this. A fellow American. Keep inspiring!
I am so glad to hear this, Alex. We were surprised at how much we enjoyed Hiroshima. At first we worried that we wouldn't be received well as Americans or else that it might be too depressing of a place to visit. Of course, there is so much tragedy and loss that it is a hard place to visit, so we don't want to discount any of that, but the hope that transforms it was such a surprise. When you visit, you should definitely make time for the okonomiyaki here, which was the best variation of any that we ate in Japan! -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
I almost skipped this video because I though Judy was an AI voice.
I don't know if that's a compliment or not! It's really me. 😉 No AI at all! Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
How lovely couple you two are!! Welcome to Japan !❤
Thank you so much! We had such a wonderful experience in Japan. it was definitely a bucket list country for us, and even after 40+ days, we still didn't see enough! -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Thank you for coming to Hiroshima. It is a small city, but it is surrounded by warm weather and nature of the sea, rivers and mountains. Perhaps because of the mild climate, many people are kind, cheerful and have love for their city. Prices are low, security is good, and the streets are beautiful.
Hi Sunny, We weren't sure how Hiroshima would receive Americans, but we were pleasantly surprised. We admire the attitude of peace that Hiroshima has chosen to foster. We cannot overemphasize how much we loved its version of Okonomiyaki! We highly recommend Hiroshima! Our full series from our 40+ days in Japan is linked below if you're interested. -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Another special place to visit in Hiroshima is Mitaki Temple. Also, maybe you already know about the Japan Rail Pass which allows foreign tourists to ride the Shinkansen for a much reduced price over a set period of time-really cost effective if you’re traveling to several cities. (Also, it covers the cost of the ferry to Miyajima!)
Thanks for the suggestions. The Japan Rail Pass is prohibitively expensive for most people these days unless you are doing a lot of travel in a short period of time. For the 40+ days we were there, we couldn't justify the cost at any part of our time there. We have a full series from Tokyo, Kyoto, and our Ryokan experience if you're interested in it. -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Ahhhh, I see. I didn’t realize that you were here for so long. I live in Japan so don’t always know what costs are for tourism here. Thanks for letting me know.@@FindingGinaMarie
@@boolena We always appreciate the insights and recommendations from our viewers and especially locals. You are lucky to be living in Japan! -Judy
Brought a tear to my eye, ❤ this vid…thanking you both 🤗🤗
Thank you so much for watching, Helen! We agree that Hiroshima's response to what happened during WW II is inspirational. We appreciate that you shared this comment with us! -Judy
Hiroshima, The last place on earth I thought I would ever visit only a few years ago! Boy was I wrong, It was not an easy visit in the Peace Memorial Park area but the rest of the city was AMAZING.
Hi Kenny, The museum was especially hard, but then when we saw how the Japanese people turned it into something powerful, we were inspired and humbled. I'm so glad to hear you were able to visit. -Judy
Great video, thank you! We will be there in 2024 one of the places I’ve always wanted to visit.
How awesome, Annette! Yes, Hiroshima was surprised us so much! We'd love to hear about your trip afterwards! Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
The museum before the renovation was much better
From what we've read, the renovations all were positive. What did you prefer in the museum prior to the renovations? The new computer graphics of the blast sound much improved and the personal stories also seem worthwhile. Thank you for watching. Our full series from our 40+ days in Japan is linked below. -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
One of the better aspects of 2023 was finding this UA-cam channel of yours. The journey you’ve taken has been enjoyable to watch and although I’m only up to your Poland visit, I just watched this one on Hiroshima. I do plan to visit the city some day, although I won’t have time in April when I go to Japan for a bike tour. The origami cranes in the building’s glass wall was something I’d not hear of before. Again, thank you for sharing your lives as full-time travelers. It’s great food for thought. Happy New Year, Kevin and Judy!
Thank you so much for following along with us! We are so happy to have you with us on the ride! It means more than you can know! We are incredibly happy with this new life and it's people like you that keep us inspired. Happy New Year to you and yours. And you are singing our song when you mention a bike tour in Japan! Have a fun trip! -Judy
I have done 4 trips to Miyajima Island over the past 6 months taking family and friends from Australia. I really recommend going up to the peak on the ropeways if it's a good weather day .For the more adventurous you can walk from the top ropeway around to an adjacent higher peak to a Temple . There is an excellent medium sized aquarium on the island . The ferries from the peace park can't always run due to tides and get booked out on peak days so you can also choose the much cheaper option of taking the train to the Miyajima JR station which is at the ferry wharf for the car ferries that run every few minutes. Total cost less than 20 USD return and not too much longer than the Peace Park ferry.
@brendon408 We absolutely should have given ourselves an extra day in Hiroshima so we could have explored more on Miyajima Island. It took everything in us to not get too distracted and miss our train to our ryokan in Otsu. Thanks for the suggestions! -Judy
Visited the peace memorial and was honoured to have a talk from a bomb survivor, will live with me and my family forever, also got a free earhquake for good measure
Hi Gary, How interesting of an experience you had. I would have loved to have the opportunity to hear from a bomb survivor, but I can't imagine how that went. And an earthquake?! We had one of about 7.4 when we were in Taipei. That will shake you up. It seems you were safe, but that could have been scary! -Judy
🎥 Would you know what to do in a natural disaster while traveling? ua-cam.com/video/n2GVpBDAeww/v-deo.html
📝 Emergency Packing List and Natural Disaster Preparedness Guide: findingginamarie.com/request-emergency-list
WOW! I think this was my favorite of your entire Japan series. Hiroshima brought tears to my eyes, but I loved the perspective of the young lady about working for peace moving forward. I think the BIG cities (like Tokyo) are not my thing, but the smaller and more historical places like today’s video are more to my liking.
Thank you, Rebecca! We didn't love Tokyo, either. We really liked Kyoto, but Hiroshima surprised us so much! Our guide's perspective wasn't what we were expecting at all, and it brought tears to my eyes to hear such a balanced perspective. Thank you for watching and for always taking a moment to drop us a thoughtful note! -Judy
i will be solo traveling to Kansai region this October and I’ll definitely include this on my itinerary. thanks for a very informative vlog. more travels to come! 🫶🏼
Thanks for watching, Steffi! We think you will love it, too! Have an amazing trip; Japan is a very safe country. Here's a link to our series from our 40+ days in Japan. -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
What a great series! Thanks for all of the effort that went into it. Best wishes to a great start to 2024, and Happy New Years! 🥳
Thank you for watching and commenting! It was a privilege to have this much time in Japan where we could document so many places. What a great country. 🇯🇵
Happy New Year! - Kevin
This video makes me regret going to Osaka over Hiroshima. We didn’t really enjoy Osaka and Hiroshima looks like a nicer more contemplative experience. I too struggled with just the idea of going to Hiroshima as an American and being a tourist, I still do but this video gives me more to consider next time I get to Japan. Thanks for the effort putting this together
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your encouragement. Our daughter was interested in Osaka and we were worried it would be too rushed. We are glad we went to Hiroshima. I think if you visit you will be inspired and encouraged, too. -Judy
Perhaps visiting next year, mind sharing the name/address of the Okonomiyaki restaurant you went to?
Hi Luis, Here's a link to the okonomiyaki restaurant (葉亜葉): maps.app.goo.gl/g2Z8LtPiMVCGnPEv6
We hope you enjoy them as much as we did! We spent 40+ days in Japan, so if you're interested in watching any of the other episodes in our series, here's a link to it. -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
@@FindingGinaMarie Arigato Gosaimas!!!
@@luisfigarella671 our pleasure! Have a fabulous trip!
Hi, can you share your hotel? I'm planning a visit in april. Thank you!
Nana Pam, thank you for watching! Of course! We stayed at Hotel Kuretakesou Hiroshima Otemachi (if you book through our link, it helps our channel at no cost to you: www.hotels.com/affiliates/finding_gina_marie/hiroshima). We hope you'll watch our other videos from Japan to get a sense of other things you can see and do while you're visiting. Happy to answer any of your other questions. We'd love to know what you think of Hiroshima when you return! -Judy
Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
@FindingGinaMarie thank you so much! I will be watching those videos. Thanks for the link too. Have a great day
@@nanapam2702 Thank you! We hope you get to enjoy some cherry blossoms while you're there! -Judy
Thanks for this very informative and interesting video. Am planning to visit Japan and 9 other Asian countries in 2024. After watching this video, I’ll include Hiroshima in my list of places to visit.
How exciting, Eva! We are making the rounds through Southeast Asia right now and are having a wonderful time. We'd love to know where you are headed. We've got videos coming out from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. We are potentially looking at Philippines, but is there some other country in Southeast Asia that you think we should include? Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Happy New Year! I am planning to visit Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Taiwan, Hongkong, Korea and Japan. My goal is to visit 100 countries, currently have visited 75.
Philippines : I highly recommend that you visit it. There are so many beautiful places to visit, many foods to taste and locals are friendly and helpful., speak English as well.. Rate of exchange between the US$ and Philippine peso is about 58 so it is a cheap country to visit. I still have some family members living there so I visit it once a year. Happy New Year and happy travels!
Wow, that is quite a goal. Sounds like you are well on your way! Thanks for your insights! -Judy
Hi @evacalder7386 We are pretty sure we're going to lock in a month in Philippines. Because of the way we travel, we're interested in staying in one place for a month. Do you have recommendations of where to stay (with good, solid WiFi) and a suggestion of must-see things to do? We're looking at arriving in late March. It seems that Cebu City might be the most worthwhile, but we are open to all your suggestions! -Judy
We loved your video. Would you recommend your local tour guide?
Hi Adrian, She was a little hard to hear at times and she was fairly green in her role. But we did appreciate her insights, particularly her view of how Hiroshima fit into world history. Overall, the value of the tour was worthwhile considering everything we saw and did, and it included the price of lunch. Here's a link if you're interested: link.findingginamarie.com/HiroshimaTour. We may earn a small commission if you book it, but it should be at no cost to you and helps support our channel. -Judy
@FindingGinaMarie thank you for the quick reply. My wife and I love your videos. We have seen a number on Japan recently, but rate yours the most, very insightful.
Aiming to do Kamakura as well.
@@AdrianSmith-f7l That's a huge compliment. Thank you so much for letting us know! We wish you a wonderful trip! -Judy
MY niece was in Japan and went to Hiroshima, she said it was unforgettable !😑
It really was, Enrique! We were a little disappointed we couldn't stay longer. Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
♥@@FindingGinaMarie
Happy New Year, Judy and Kevin! We only spent a day in Hiroshima but it surprised us.
@@claudiahansen4938 Happy New Year, Claudia! I hope 2024 is a fabulous year for you! I'm so glad to hear you felt that way, too. Of course it was sobering, and I had a mix of feelings, but then seeing how Japan has turned it all around into something powerful was so inspiring. Thanks for watching. -Judy
Kevin and Judy, one of my more joyful 2023 discoveries was finding your UA-cam channel. Your videos offer a great vicarious experience! I’m watching in sequence and am up to your Poland era, but just watched this episode on Hiroshima. In 3 months, I’ll take a solo trip to central and northern Japan but plan a follow-up trip a few years later with my wife and Hiroshima will be one of the foci. Yes, it has a tragic history, and it was good to hear that the locals voiced their thoughts that there was culpability on both sides (and more sides than the USA and Japan; ask the Chinese about Nanking,1937). Near Hiroshima is Kure City, offering another side of WWII with its IJN Yamato museum - I hope to see that too. Again, thank you for the videos and for sharing your new global travel lives!! Happy New Year from Scott in Minneapolis.
Hiroshima is surprisingly beautiful! 🤩 Me and my wife loved it 🙏🏼🥹 also the views from the ferry! And we did hiking on Miyajima!
How wonderful for you both. Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your experience. We wish we would have had more time in Hiroshima. It is definitely worth the time and we are glad you got to experience it! Below is a link to our entire Japan series from the 40+ days we spent there. -Judy
🎥 Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
I enjoy your videos very much. Thank you! We are going to Japan in early April. My original plan was to land in Tokyo, spend 4 days then move to Osaka for 10 days and use it as our base. We’ll be in Japan for 3 weeks and then we’ll board a cruise back to USA from Tokyo. Is using Osaka as a base a good idea? Any suggestions? We’re in our 70s and moving from city to city is too stressful.
Hi Oscar, thanks so much for watching and for the compliment! Is there a reason you are choosing Osaka as your base? We'd probably suggest Kyoto instead, although it's a little more expensive. Kyoto is more traditional and there are more temples and interesting sights than Osaka. Osaka is more of a modern city with a busy nightlife, but great for foodies and night street food. For us, we didn't do much at night, so we didn't really need that vibe. It's a little more like Tokyo, which we had enough of in four days. There's a lot to see, but it was too hectic/frenetic overall. Our opinion is biased because we did not visit Osaka, but we made a conscious choice to skip it since a modern city wasn't really what we went to Japan to experience. But we're hearing that a lot of people like Osaka because it's cheaper and can be a good base. We didn't do a lot of day trips to other cities. Our only reason to bounce around the way we did was that our daughter decided to join us after our plans were in place so we had to juggle things around and caused us to have to do some backtracking.
We think you could have a lovely experience by spending four days in Tokyo, three days in Hiroshima and the rest of your time in Kyoto, especially since some of the sites get crowded early and a train to Kyoto for some of those from Osaka might not be ideal. Have you seen our entire video series from our 42 days in Japan? I'll link it below. If you've made nonrefundable plans for Osaka, or that it's cheaper is the reason it's more favorable, we think that also will be fine. We'd love to hear what you decide and what you think of Japan when you return. It will be a beautiful time of year to visit! -Judy
Japan travel series: ua-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0V4Brx4J0uWJdQENFZKWBT.html
Thanks again for your timely response. So far, we only have plane and cruise reservations I’m still researching options. I picked Osaka for convenience to other places. I hope to buy a train pass and hit nearby cities, including Kyoto. I’m also looking at seaside small towns that are more traditional and without the tourist crowds taking pictures of flowers ( not my thing!)
Makes sense to us. We enjoy seeing as much as we can of a city whenever possible before moving onto someplace else, but we travel full time and need some downtime that seeing too much in a short amount of time doesn't really afford us. Sounds like you've got a great plan then! Our Kyoto temples video will hopefully let you cherry pick which ones look interesting to you. We'd love to hear about your favorite places when you get back. And a cruise on the return seems like that could be a nice way to relax and adjust your body clocks for the return home. -Judy
nah
Do you have some reason for saying this? If you watched our video, we give a lot of good reasons that Hiroshima is worth seeing. If you disagree, it might make sense to explain why. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie I tried to explain, but you deleted my comments.. so thanks for not letting the truth come out.
We did not delete your comment. Apparently it must have violated one of the guidelines of UA-cam and they deleted it. We never saw the comment. You can try again. So long as it’s not offensive or disrespectful, we do not block comments.
@@FindingGinaMarie ive said three times now IMO, sadly justified by knowing the history...... wonder why it's deleting.
@@FindingGinaMarie I also said it was a sore subject.