After a reasonably quiet night, i hired a bike yesterday, and was headed towards the Imperial Palace when i met a couple of American guys who were headed the same way. We had to book onto a tour of the palace, so we went to find the castle. The castle was pretty cool, with great gardens. in the rooms where the shogun had meetings, they marked all the trapdoors and hidden panels were the samurai hid! We went to get dinner, ordered it out a vending machine, then went back to the palace. the tour guide was so funny, she emphasised certain words in an unusual way that was amusing. the palace was good, and we learnty about the style of architecture, the colours, and how the emporer enters. we cycled to a vending machine and got a beer, as it was 28 degrees, and started ctycling up to the golden palace. was crossing a road at a green light, when a car drove straight into me! i didnt fall over peoperly, but he dented my beer can and spilt half of it! if you are hit in japan it is always the drivers fault, and quite an audience developed! i was fine though, and got back on my bike. we cycled all the way to the temple, to find that it was shut! so cycled back to the hostel. it was downhill which was good, as it was 8 miles back, and was exhausted after so much cycling! We stopped at a few smaller temples and shrines on the way between all these too! Had a short rest, as feeling a bit ill from having a cold and the sun on me all day, then went to meet the americans again. we went to a sushi restauraunt where tyou sit on mats on the floor, and started talking to the japanese buisness men next to us. one of them was the ceo of a sake company, so he bought us some bottles, they all spoke great english, so we joined the tables together. The sushi was so good, not like the packet stuff in England! We went to a tiny bar after down a back road, where there was about 5 japanese people, and they were playing funk records, got talking to them, and ended up staying there til 2am having such a great time! The japanese are so frinedly, and these lot were really funny! went to another bar after til 4am but it was quite quiet! back to the hostel, then up again at 7am, to get back on the train. Got to Hiroshima at 10am, and met a couple that i had met in Kyoto yesterday. We all got the tram to the hostel, then went off to peace park. the park is beautiful and very moving, although packed full of japanese school children! we went in the museum which was really interesting and i learnt a lot about the bombing. It was interesting how neutral most of the commentary was, with Japan not placing blame, but asking for peace in the future. Some of the stories and pictures were really sad. We walked back through the park, looking at the childrens memorial and the memorial clock, as well as the a-bomb dome, then up to Hiroshima Castle. The castle was really interesting as it was of course blown up, but its foundations are still there, and they had a museum about how they rebuilt it in the traditional style using old methods. we went to a noodle bar after wards, then walked threough the city. Went to a 5 story arcade complex and watched some of the crazy games they have here! played on the dance machines, then went to the photo floor. Erica and i dressed up in these crazy dresses, then you have your photos done, thenyou can decorate them, the pictures are hilarios! Went to the supermarket then back to the hostel. the hostel is japanese style, with the sleeping mats on the floor, and mats to sit on instead of sofas, and no shoes allowed. Off to Nagasaki, the second nuclear bomb site tomoroow bright and early so having a quiet night tonight! So much to see in so little time!