Spindle: In the cities, due in part to space constraints and the more hectic pace of life, breakfast has shifted from rice and friends to easy-to-open packets that require minimal preparation afterwards, such as the cereal that Parcly ate. Presentation remains an important factor for most ponies in choosing said meal; much of the packaging is lavish and filled almost everywhere with eye-catching words.
 
When I opened the beaded glass window, a light thicket of snow was falling down, but it faded under a bright, lonely sun. Sunday it was – the ideal time to track and admire Hiroshima’s hidden gems, now that the major landmarks had been ticked off?
 
Parcly Taxel: Ear fluff ringed when I paced towards outside. Turning around, I was surprised to see cotton buds in a glass on the kotatsu, one of which I magically opened and applied without hesitation. The last three days in Japan, as well as the inbound journey, had been for the most part long-haul treks across land, sea and sky; there had to be some dirt that my flask itself couldn’t cleanse.
 
Spindle: As a city rebuilt from its core after the atomic bomb, Hiroshima is more relaxed compared to neighbouring cities in the lower leg of Japan (west of Tokyo). A “quiet Sunday” effect is noticeable but limited to the streets, with Hiroshima Station busy as ever from ponies on incoming or outgoing day-trips. Such is the extent and reliability of the rail network (JR meshing with private rail operators, e.g. Kintetsu) that self-exploration of Japan is far easier than in other countries like Australia.
 
Parcly: On our way to Saijō (西条), snow also fell in intermittent patches outside. This place is considered the “home of sake”, the alcoholic drink made from rice rather than hops, with many little museums and breweries around. Some of the latter had a steady trickle of ponies tasting and buying the local varieties, while others appeared abandoned for months or “hibernating” for the winter, ignoring for a moment the truth of sake as a counter to cold.
 
I abstain from alcohol, however, so this was strictly a window-shopping tour. I find it somewhat funny that “spirits” is a liquor type: what would true spirits like Spindle think of it?
 
Spindle: I think the term comes from the process of distilling moonshine under the stars. The alcohol that evaporates resembles a spirit appearing from emptiness, representing the moonshine’s essential qualities.
 
Princess Luna: Correct. There was so much sake then that you didn’t find a place with real lunch, did you?
 
Spindle: Not for me, for Parcly! Fortunately there was a restaurant close to the train station whose first floor served Western food and whose second floor served Japanese food. No thinking was needed to decide.
 
Luna: I made my curious genie wander around the suburb for a few more minutes and miss two trains, so that she came back to Hiroshima and her accommodation satisfied by a good walkaround. When she set out again, streaks of yellow were weaved into the sky on its first step towards nightfall.
 
Parcly: The sightseeing bus advanced us one stop to Hatchobori (八丁堀), where I dabbled in the adjoining shopping district of Hondori Hills while night continued on its upwards course. Heating is a given during winter for any building, but entering one after being outside for more than a few minutes? Like windigos nibbling blemishes off my face, my coat tightened and electrified for a brief moment.
 
I had a beef bowl coupled with oden for dinner at Sukiya, a widespread restaurant chain from Yokohama. A raw egg was provided, which I beated to consistency (optional) and poured into the rice for added flavour.
 
Spindle: As I hopped into the taxi that would take us home, I pondered the resupply vehicles already prowling the streets in preparation for Monday’s crowd. Would this be a familiar scene when we packed up for Kyoto, the thousand-year capital? I left that to Parcly, rejoining the ice shard in her heart.