Shinkansen

Japan has arguably the best train system in the world. Japan is probably most well known for its bullet trains called Shinkansen. These trains can go almost 200 mph.

Hiroshima and the Atomic Bomb

Hiroshima was the first city in the world to have an atomic bomb dropped on it. The bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945 at precisely 8:15 am. Almost all of the buildings in the city within a two kilometer radius of the hypocenter were destroyed. The A-Bomb Dome or the Hiroshima Peace Memorial was one of the few that remained. This building now stands as a memorial to the people who were killed from the bombing.

the way the building looked prior to the bombing

the building and the scaffolding used to work on it

the A-Bomb dome how it normally looks since the bombing

The A-Bomb Dome and the surrounding area after the bombing

the mushroom cloud created from the atomic bomb

the heat of the blast was so intense that it melted and fused together many objects that require thousands of degrees of heat to melt

the bomb itself was about three meters long

Japanese Yen

The money in Japan is called the Yen. The current exchange rate is 1 USD to 117 Yen. The bills come in 10000, 5000, and 1000. The coins come in 500, 100, 50, 10, and 1.

the man on the banknote is Hideyo Noguchi, a Japanese bacteriologist 

North and South Korea

The Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, is the buffer zone that exists between North and South Korea. This area has existed since the Korean War armistice was agreed upon in 1953.

everyone in the DMZ has to wear this armband

The gray building in the background belongs to North Korea. The blue buildings belong to the United Nations

the concrete slab in between the gravel and paved concrete is the the division between North and South

a US soldier accompanied me the entire time I was in the DMZ

these South Korean soldiers on guard must be a black belt in Taekwondo 

inside one of the conference building

the left side of the table is South Korea, the right side is North Korea

me standing next to a Republic of Korea soldier

fake buildings were built by North Korea in an attempt to lure South Koreans over to their side

Dorasan Station is the last stop in South Korea, but it could also be the first stop to North Korea

                                            Pyeongyang is North Korea's capital

Gyeongbokgung

The most famous of Korea’s palaces is named Gyeongbokgung. It was the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty. It was first built in the late 1300's. It was destroyed a few times since then. But now it has been rebuilt to its original glory and is preserved by the South Korean government. 

outside the main entrance

here you can see some mountains in the background of the main entrance

guards in traditional dress

a traditional style drum 

one of the palace's inner buildings

 proof that I was there

a frozen lake within the palace

the band that played during the changing of the guard ceremony

me with one of the guards

Namsan

Namsan is a mountain located within Seoul. The area has a lot of history in the country. Nowadays the area has been turned into a park. On the top of the mountain is NSeoul Tower.

the tower lit up at night

the tower from afar

the geographical center of Seoul on top of Namsan

another view of the tower from near the Korean War Memorial

Korean Food

Korean food comes in many varieties. I had an opportunity to try many new foods while I was in the country. I thought the food would be similar to Chinese food since the countries are very close to each other, but it turns out that Chinese and Korean food are very different!

street vendors sell a variety of rice cakes

markets sell pre packaged seafood and snacks

more pre packaged seafood

a spicy bone in pork stew with multiple side dishes

Korean meals always come with multiple side dishes not always listed on the menu

another street vendor selling fried food