It's hard to believe that our vacation is more than half over. The wonderful memories we've been making in Japan will stick with us, like a bad joke from poorly-translated sign! :-)
The ryokan we're staying at on Miyajima Island is called Auberge Mizuhaso. Last night's incredible, multi-course dinner was certainly a feast for us. Little did we know that breakfast would not disappoint, either! They treated us to an assortment of foods with their "Western-style breakfast" menu. First up, we had fresh fruit - oranges, strawberries and kiwi, all cut up and beautiful arranged. Next, we had a croissant, a roll, vegetable soup and sausage. In a small cooking pot, we were next served bacon and an egg. Once the cook pot heated up, it quickly cooked the bacon and egg. Finally, we were served yogurt and corn flakes. What a breakfast!
Shortly after breakfast, we were greeted by our guide for the day, Ms. Etsuko. As a resident of Hiroshima, she was eager to show us her hometown. Our itinerary today would include tours on both Miyajima and in Hiroshima. We walked through Miyajima, on our way to the ferry back to Hiroshima. We first stopped at the Itsukushima Shrine. Like the Itsukushima Torii gate in the bay, the shrine was built on short pillars, making the shrine appear to float atop the water at high tide. From there, we passed the five-story pagoda near the water front.
As we left the shrine area, we reached the long row of shops in Miyajima's shopping area. The shops stretched from the end of town, all the way to the ferry dock itself. We meandered along the streets, looking at the various wares for sale. Etsuko-san told us that Miyajima was famous for its ironwork, as we examined some cute windchimes. We also saw iron tea kettles that were also made on the island. Hiroshima is famous for a locally made sweet, known as a momiji-manjyu. "Momiji" means maple leaf (as in the Japanese Maples that dot this region) and "manjyu" is the name of a Japanese confection. In this area, these momiji-manjyu are maple leaf-shaped sponge bread sweets, filled with a sweet filling. We saw manjyu filled with sweet cream, cream cheese, chocolate, green tea, and a host of other flavors. Not wanting to miss out, we sampled a cream cheese manjyu and a chocolate manjyu. YUM!
Further along the shopping area, we reached a stand selling bacon-wrapped fish cakes with short stalks of asparagus. We ordered one, and the vendor dipped the cake into frying oil. In a few seconds, he pulled it out and we enjoyed the extremely tasty snack. At this moment, it seemed obvious the foods of Japan would be what we would miss most...
At the end of shops, we found a path that lead to a shrine high atop the mountain. We took a shuttle bus that drove us to a cable car ropeway. This would carry us to the very top of Mt. Misen, the highest point on the island. The cable car was separated into two lines, with a midpoint station between the foot of the mountain and summit. When the car reached the peak, we were able to see all of the Seto inland sea, a sheltered bay that hosts many small islands. With the morning's fog just starting to clear, we could see all of Hiroshima and most of the small islands nearby. With our sightseeing on the island complete, we would now head to Hiroshima for more sightseeing with Ms. Etsuko.
The ferry took us across to Hiroshima, moving smoothly across the quiet waves. Now back on the mainland, we headed into town to explore with our guide. From the ferry station, we took the JR rail line back towards Hiroshima central station. Along the way, we encountered a young couple from America on their honeymoon. We had our first lengthy conversation with other Americans in Japan - it was an enjoyable way to spend the trip!
The train arrived at Hiroshima station in enough time to catch the same sightseeing tour bus we caught yesterday. This bus would take us downtown to a restaurant where we could sample a variant of okonomiyaki native to Hiroshima. Unlike the batter-filled okonomiyaki we had in Kyoto, this one featured cooked noodles and bacon. It was quite tasty!
After recovering from lunch, we headed to a small, but beautiful garden. The garden included many lush trees and flowering bushes. A central lake in the garden had many small islands that were connected with small bridges. The tranquil waters in the park attracted many guests, including large carp that were more-than-eager to devour the fish food we tossed to them.
Our day with Ms. Etsuko eventually drew to a close. We said our goodbyes and took a taxi back to the train station. While waiting for our train, we treated ourselves to McDonald's ice cream (yes, that McDonald's) and had a delicious apple cake from a nearby store.
Our train took us back to the ferry, and we were soon back in Miyajima. Our ryokan had another wonderful meal in store for us. However, unlike last night, we were no long the sole guests. A nearby table now included a French-speaking couple. The tables behind us were arranged for a large party of 12. Our hostess, whom we learned was named Tomoko, again served us an eleven-course. Tonight's fare started with a generous helping of appetizers - an aperitif of local sake, bamboo shoots, beans and salmon sushi. Next up, more sushi, followed by a steamed Japanese potato. In a cook pot on our tables, water was set to a rapid boil. We were given lettuce, bamboo shoots and thin slices of pork: a delightful dish know as shabu-shabu! As if that weren't enough, we had peanut-crusted tempura shrimp. Next, we continued our meal with salad and thin slices of Kobe beef. We tasted cooked eel (a local delicacy) with sushi rolls, accompanied by Japanese soup (not miso) and tea. Finally, we finished our meal with a delightful butter cream cake and strawberry gelato. We're not sure we'll ever eat like this again, once we leave Japan....
With the evening cooling down, we took a walk along the waterfront. A few other couples wandered the dark streets, but we were largely by ourselves - and the local deer. Karl took a few pictures of the floating shrine, then called it a night. After a quick dip in our tub (and an update to our blog!), it was time to call it a day!
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