Atom Tan

Hiroshima.

In which contains- Islands, Deer, Squid on a Stick, A Remembrance Ceremony and the Scottish

I couldn't get accommodation in Nagoya as initially intended so I shot straight to Hiroshima, this had the added bonus that I arrived on the 64th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. I didn't get to my hostel until late, it was about a half hour outside of town, so by the time I got to the centre we had reached the floating lantern part of the proceedings.

The Scots that I had picked up at the hostel joined me in floating a lantern down the river and we sat in a park watching the whole this ebb to a satisfactory conclusion.

I had met my first Scots, Adam and Sheena, on the train to the hostel. We got off too early, and got lost for a bit in the insane heat and then finally wormed our way to the Hostel. Adam by the way looks almost exactly like a young version of Dr Harris from Monkey Dust, for those of you who have watched that program.

My second Scot introduced himself in a rather interestingly agro way (who, as I write this, has just bought some pastry in the shape of a turtle. Apparently he couldn't resist). Japanese hostels often say that they have private rooms but don't it is one big room that has been subdivided. As I talked to a Canadian Stephan shouted from nowhere, as I told her I was English, 'Oh no not a fucking Englishman!' I was going to make a sarky comment about the highland clearances but chose not to for fear that I returned home to find Carlisle ransacked.

Instead I somehow managed to foster a now legendary partnership with everyone's favorite Galweigan, with Valentine in his name.

Stephan John Valentine Sharp, to be precise.

Steve is constantly smiley, brakes out into dance or song ocationally in the street and has trebled my whiskey intake. He is good for the banter is its making the trip fly by now. He came here with his brother on about the same day I did, soon however they had a bit of a falling out and chose to travel alone. Steve seemed pretty down about this but I think my company is good for him and his mine.