Yuko greeted us in the hotel lobby. Since we arrived in Japan, she was the fist person we could ask in-depth questions to about anything we needed. She gave us all kinds of insider information that we needed to know. Like how to tell if a gaurdian lion is a male or female. She knew all the best places to stop for various things like pictures, food, drinks and shops. I never had to figure out what to do at a ticket kiosk or cash register, I gave her the money and she quickly handled the transaction for us. That was so nice and efficient! Before we even got to Japan, she asked us about our dietary restrictions and she picked out 3 different choices of where to eat.
We got to the ferry and she made sure we boarded on time, she always brought us to the front of the line anywhere she could, she offered to take pictures of us, as we were traveling for our honeymoon. More than anything, Yuko showed us her love and pride for Hiroshima. We already loved Hiroshima since we got here, but she helped deepen our love and understanding.
We took the subway and street car and showed us how to break 1,000 yen on the streetcar into coins. By the time we were in front of the Sadako statue I was bawling (This is the appropriate response). Yuko was very professional and caring, she proposed an activity, so we went inside and made paper cranes to offer. That was super nice. Paper cranes are very difficult for me but with her instructions I felt very confident, and we both succeeded quickly. A lot of what we saw, heard, and talked about set a grave mood, and we both (me and my husband) agreed we got a lot out of the museum, the surrounding buildings, and memorials, on which she provided extensive information on for us. Like how the survivors faced a lot of stigma for years after the bombing and couldn't get proper medical care.
She then showed us trees that grew back afterword, it was the perfect end to that part of the tour. The Phoenix trees.
We had a bit of extra time, and since our hotel was right across from Hiroshima castle, she offered to take us there and show us around. If we had gone there alone, we would have thought the entrance was all there was to see, or that the shinto shrine was the castle, but she led us around, showed us more surviving trees, told us about the stone the castle was built on, checked out the shinto shrine and took a picture of us at the castle. We saw the torii gate that was still standing, and she got us back to our hotel. We were blessed to have a guide as kind and smart as her.
It was a wonderful day, our best day in Japan, for sure. Sorry my ideas meander a bit. I hope it makes sense.
