March 23rd – Hiroshima

Apparently, the powers that be in Tokyo have decided that today is the first day of Japan's spring (based on the percentage of cherry trees in blossom in Tokyo) – unfortunately, no-one told Hiroshima, because it was decidedly cold and wet here, and scarcely a bit of blossom in sight.

This meant that we didn't do too much exploring on the drenched streets of Hiroshima, and were mainly sheltering from the rain as it got heavier and heavier over the course of the day, in the covered shopping arcades.

Even though we've been here many times before, you can't help but marvel at the fact that this busy and vibrant modern city has been built over a site that was just radioactive rubble in 1945 – it's remarkable.

When we got back on board, there was a brilliant preformance by an incredibly cute xylophone ensemble troupe of local girls, in white dungarees and pigtails. It was much better than it sounds, and it was so joyful and high-energy that the entire audience came out with enormous grins on their faces.