After a rejuvenating night of business hotel sleep, my friends and I descend to the Hotel Regalo's restaurant area for our free breakfast. Miso soup, rice, and salad anyone? I am quite pleased with tea in hand, as flurries still fall from the sky through a picturesque window setting, displayng the kawa (river) that splits Hiroshima in two. Miyajima is an island 40 minutes outside the city by train. a short ferry ride will grant you entrance to this island full of wild deer, Shinto shrines, and okonomiyaki restaurants. It just so happens that I love okonomiyaki and wild deer, so I was happy as can be! We rented bicycles to cruise around the various international communities of tourists. The large red gate at the waters edge marks the entrance to a booming shrine originally built
... read more