I had a perfect day, except that I walked 12 miles and now I’m pretty worn out again.
I started with a hotel-included breakfast. It was pretty good. Starting the day with 8 hours of sleep and a sit-down breakfast is a very good beginning.
Add to that, I had stunning weather. A day of torrential rain like in Kyoto really makes me appreciate it.
I walked to the Hiroshima Art Museum and Shukei-en Gardens but they were not yet open. So I walked to the Hiroshima Castle, hoping to beat the day-trippers from Kyoto. It was nearly empty and really interesting. Obviously, it’s a rebuilt structure after the atomic bomb. All wooden structures in Hiroshima were instantly incinerated. BTW, you might think that Hiroshima is wallowing in the whole atomic bomb thing, but not so. There’s the Peace Park and A-Bomb Dome. Then around town, there are the odd displays of “how this building looked before” the bomb. “Here’s a lone clay shingle that survived along with these 6000-year-old oyster shells.” Hiroshima is lively and fun. It’s not too big but has good public transportation systems and top-notch shopping. They have moved on from the bombing but seem to expect the visitors that come to learn about it.
I walked back to the art gallery, which was lovely, and even stopped for a cup of tea in their cafe. The adjacent gardens were just about the prettiest I’ve ever seen. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
I walked to the Hiroshima Station and rode the train to the station where you catch the JR Ferry to Miyajima Island. It’s Insta-famous and it was mobbed. But lovely still. The deer were eating cherry blossoms and sleeping despite toddlers trying to ride them and grab their ears.
I took the required photos of the “floating” tori gate and made my way up, up, and further up to the ropeway or cable car system that takes you to the top (or almost) of Mt. Misen. The views of the Seto Inland Sea were absolutely gorgeous. It really took my breath away. I spent some time eating my lunch (I was starving by then!) and attempting to draw a view of the islands and sea.
Then I reversed all that distance and took a taxi back to my hotel to get ready for my food tour. It had been canceled! Bummer. I ate at a nice fish restaurant. At a stall in the covered market, I ate a fresh, hot custard-filled fish-shaped pastry. The filling choices are sweet potato, red bean, and custard. I wonder if they would consider chocolate because that would have been even more delicious.
Today, I walked 12 miles, rode the subway, rode two trains, rode in a taxi, rode on a ferry, and rode on two different kinds of gondolas.
