Day Ten- Miyajima/Hiroshima

I defy anyone to look at this photo and not want to go there:

 It is Miyajima, an island which is about forty minutes outside of Hiroshima. After a 10 minute trip on the good ship Misen Maru, we arrived at Shrine Island.

 It is B E A Utiful. There are loads of naughty deer, and of course the famous O-Torii gate which belongs to the Itsukushima shrine.

 We arrived at low tide and walked out to the gate. Rumour has it that you get good luck if you touch it, so we gave the massive columns a good, firm rub.

 We were so lucky with the weather. The sun was wonderful, and if anything it was a little bit too hot. We went into the Itsukumisha shrine to get out of the heat for a while. Luckily it is very nice too. It's on stilts for when the tides are high in the winter. The tide was right out while we were there but it must be really good to see it while it's floating.

 To me it seems quite strange that orange is such a popular colour in Japan when it is rarely used in the West. While it is not a colour I would choose for anything, it kind of works!

 Engrish- it never fails to be funny.

 It was so hot it would have been virtually impossible to survive without an ice cream and a paddle.

 The five storey pagoda was lovely. Well, it would have been much nicer if it hadn't been up a hill, but you can't have everything.

 As I said, there are lots of naughty deer. While they are quite cute, they ought to learn to behave. It is really not acceptable to go through someone's bag to steal their postcards for a quick snack, no matter how tasty and delicious they smell!
One day I will go to Japan when the leaves are extra beautiful in the autumn.

 Another of Miyajima's attractions is Mount Misen. You go up in a cable car and at the top is a monkey sanctuary. There were no monkeys when we were there (I think it was too hot!) but there were some fairly decent views.

 By the time we came back down, the tide had come in and the Torii gate looks like it is floating. Lovely lovely lovely.

 We just had time for a Miyajima leaf cake fulled with jam before heading back to Hiroshima for tea. Okonomimura is a "food theme park"

 It is a four storey building containing 25 restaurants...which all sell the same thing. Luckily that thing is Okonomiyaki (Hiroshima style) so it is all right.

 We found a restaurant with spare seats and watched the man make our Okonomiyaki. There is a difference between Osaka style and Hiroshima style, I am not sure which I prefer, but Hiroshima style does involve an egg so I think that is slightly in the lead at the moment. I loved watching the man make them, and the end result was BERRY DERISHUS.
Oh, just one more thing... we were on the tram and this little sign caught my eye. Apart from the baseball cap, it reminded me of a family I know. A ginger daughter and her younger brother, dad with glasses and mum with wings. I don't remember posing for it though!