Monday, August 7, 2017 – Hiroshima, Japan
It was a rainy morning as Typhoon Nora passed by to our east. After watching her “wobble” like all typhoons and hurricanes do, she missed us and did not interrupt any of our travel plans. We got a little wet from a couple of outer bands, but it ended up being a pretty nice day.
We took a train and ferry to Miyajima, a small town on an island just off the coast. It is a nice little town with very tame deer who wander around freely. It is also home to Itsukushima Shrine and Itsukushima Floating Gate. The shrine and gate are built in the tidal shallows where they are surrounded by dry land at low tide but by water at high tide, giving them the appearance of floating.
From the town you can wander trails up the mountain towards the center of the island. We were walking a gorgeous path alongside a creek with a series of waterfalls when Aaron noticed a snake on a rock about waist high right next to him. Chrissy had already passed it and I was bringing up the rear. There were a couple moments of panic which we all laughed about later.
We left Miyajima and went back to Hiroshima to spend our last afternoon in Japan. We browsed in some more used bookstores and had a snack at Mr. Donut. When we came across Mr. Donut I recognized the logo but realized I hadn’t seen it in a long time. Thanks to Google, while we were enjoying our donut and coffee we learned that Mr. Donut and Dunkin Donuts were started by two brothers-in-law who built rival chains. In the 1990’s Dunkin bought Mr. Donut in the US and either closed or converted all the locations to the Dunkin brand, but Mr. Donut is alive and well in Asia. Useless trivia, but now you know too.
We finished the day with a dinner back at Okonomimura, a fantastic final meal for the trip. The next morning we would head to the airport for the long journey back home.
And with that, another great adventure came to a close. What a great trip it was. Japan is a beautiful place with beautiful people. I am looking forward to returning someday.
Where Are We Going Now? 