• Oh Deer!

    15. maj, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    This morning began with an early wander to the port, where we boarded a small ferry, loaded up with 7/11 breakfast goodies, for the 45 minute trip to the island of Itsukushima, also known as Miyajima. The island is famous for its friendly deer and the giant orange Great Torii Gate, which stands partially submerged in the ocean.

    The gate was breathtaking, actually, the whole island was. Everything is just so green and vibrant. We started our day by wandering along the shoreline walk and visited our first 16th-century Shinto shrine. The bright red architecture was stunning, and we decided to pull our fortunes. Becs received a glowing prophecy of prosperity and success, while Phill... well, he joined the many others who tied their less-than-stellar fortunes to the wall and pretended we never spent 100 yen on it.

    We tried a local treat: Momiji Manju, a type of wagashi that’s baked into the shape of a Japanese maple leaf. The ones we had were filled with red bean paste. We're still warming up to the idea of beans in desserts, but we both really enjoyed them!

    After eating and admiring the shrine (and getting countless photos of the floating Torii gate), we took the cable car up Mount Misen, which stands at a respectable 535 meters. From the top cable car station, we hiked to the summit, an easy feat, of course, and we definitely weren’t outpaced by sprightly Japanese elders... not at all. (Bec had a BPM of 160, she needs to go to the gym it seems)

    We had planned to hike all the way back down, but we lost track of time soaking in the serenity, so we opted for the cable car return instead.

    Back at sea level, we explored the long shopping arcade and tried another Momiji Manju, this time with an apple filling. 10/10 would eat a whole bucket.

    As our time on the island came to a close, we picked up some snacks from Lawson’s and sat on a bench to enjoy the view. Then the deer came. Hungry and fearless, we watched them steal food from three unsuspecting tourists. Not ours, though. We’re seasoned pros - we have two cats at home who believe all food is communal. One deer even paused to get a scratch from Phill’s shoe before we topped it all off with an ice cream for lunch desert and caught the ferry back to Hiroshima.

    Back in town, we laundered some clothes and relaxed a bit before heading back out for the evening.

    Onward we journeyed to Hiroshima castle. The original was built in 1589, but after that day on August 6th 1945 they rebuilt. Its main keep is five stories tall, and its grounds are surrounded by a moat. Also within the castle's precincts are a shrine, some ruins and a few reconstructed buildings of the Ninomaru (second circle of defense).

    After watching some Koi and admiring the detail of the buildings we made our way to an Izakaya for dinner. Which is pretty much a tapas bar! Here we enjoyed way too much food and a few beverages.

    We'll see you tomorrow in Osaka!

    Step count: 26k

    PS: Hornets? Terrifying. Why are they the size of birds
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