Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan

After a sobering morning it was nice to get away from the city and immerse ourselves in nature. We took a river boat to Miyajima Island and hiked to the top of Mt. Misen for some fabulous views. It is a sacred mountain where we came across many shrines, large and small, as well as several temples. It made the hike so interesting and it is amazing that the two religions can co-exist so harmoniously. The other highlight was the large Torii gate in the ocean. When we arrived it was surrounded by water and when we left it was low tide and you could walk right out to it. We got to savour some very large fresh oysters which are abundant here as they are farmed in the waters just off the island.Read more