Hiroshima - Day 3

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We got up early on Sunday (7am, after a 2am bed after the football) and made our way to Miyajima, a mountainous sea island to the south of Hiroshima. We caught the ferry and first saw the Oh-Torri, the world famous dedication of love. We then went to the local temple and caught sight of a traditional Japanese wedding taking place there and a stunning location it made too!

From there we made our way up the Rope Walk and a greater contrast to the hubbub of Japanese cities couldn’t be found! The cable car took us up into the mountains of the island and into such tranquillity. The transit was in two parts and the second gave the impression of being floated up to the mountaintops. We arrived at the beginning of the footpath to the top of Mt. Misen and this involved a kilometre walk up to the top, on paths through the forest. There’s no doubting it was hard work, but the views were spectacular and there were even sights on the way up, including a temple with an eternal fire that has burned for over 1200 years.

Without doubt Miyajima has to have been one of the most fantastic places we have ever visited and really made our already great trip wonderful.

After returning to the JR station, we decided on the spur of the moment to go to Iwakuni to see the three-arched bridge there. One word of advice - never trust their maps! What looked like a short walk was in fact a twenty minute bus ride away and that was after we had walked for over a mile! The bridge itself was nice, if a little overblown, but it was a novelty and at 300 yen each to cross it, wasn’t too costly.

We returned to Hiroshima on the Shinkansen and then went for a rest after all our walking in the heat and then we had dinner and a quick visit to the hot baths to unwind. Monday will see us leave Hiroshima and head back east again to Kurashiki. More soon!

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Photos

O-Torri
Floating Gate

Floating Temple
The shrine appears to float when the tide is in

Sign
Don't know what the girl is catching in her hands, but it can't be good

Cable Car
Yeah!!! more heights

Miyajima Deer
There are deer all over the island

Monkey Signs
We didn't see the monkeys, I was very disappointed

Eternal Flame
Fire had burned continuously here for hundreds of years

Comments

[Susan]

Excellent pictures and commentary Alistair keep them coming. Didn't deserve to lose on Saturday. As usual Chelsea got that last minutes scrawpy goal. You got the one they wanted anyway. Keep enjoying yourselves Love Susan xx

[Dorothea]

so what do the japanese eat for breakfast? How you getting on with the food? seen any really wierd things on the menu?