Miyajima: Itsukushima Shrine

Glory to the Shinkansen making it super easy to get everywhere in Japan in just a few hours. Though my backpack has definitely gotten heavier instead of lighter as I had hoped! I'll have to see if I can mail some stuff before I fly and lighten my load. Good thing I'm a large fellow! Though I do wish they'd make a bigger pack so I could have fit more in.

Anyhow, on to Miyajima. It's a nice small town out on an island not far from Hiroshima. About ~20 min train ride is all. You then hop on the ferry and bam, you're there. Hiroshima has a lot of oysters and I grabbed one of these babies after arriving. Cooked oyster on potato, never a mix I would have thought of. 

Little look inside. Trash cans are hard to find in Japan. Not super common at all.

And a first look at the giant "floating" torii gate. It's actually just sitting on the sea floor but looks to float as it's out in the middle of the water.

5 tier pagoda right next to the shrine.

An interesting herb and tea shop I walked into. The road was lined with lots of places to shop but this one stood out considerably.

Automated line to make local treats.

There's a different breed of deer on the island to that which you find in Nara. Far less aggressive and considerably cuter looking. But you can tell they've still been given treats. I was trying to use this one's hunt for food to get a good shot of it and the gate.. but well... it stuck a little close.

The blossoms here are still holding on though you can see that they're starting to disperse. I'd really like to be somewhere that has a reall good sakura-fubuki. I think that would be some fun images to catch and environment to be in.

This fella was taking advantage of the fallen cherry blossoms that had fallen and hoovering them up. I'd try to find one that actually had a little more action but kind of hard to do without being able to look at each individual one.

Yay! Sort of!

This anonymous shadow is Beau from Holland (I'm going to be mad at myself if I spelled that wrong. Sorry! I'm horrid with names.). She should have let me put up the other pictures I took of her, too. A shadow isn't much for representation of who she is. I met her back around the first attempt to get a deer in a shot. It's a good location for getting yourself and the gate. She had also been to Nara and had bag damage from the deer trying to get into it. Rule #1 when visiting Nara = don't feed the deer or they'll think you have more.

She's a very down to earth and good person. I enjoyed my time speaking with her as she's that type of interesting person you could spend a long time talking with. She's also traveling in a similar fashion to myself where she has a month to get around and is her own guide. Choosing her own destinations and the time spent there.  I loved how she has two cameras with her. One a normal digital camera you can find all over. And an older film camera for capturing that special picture and doing it in a different way. I can understand and agree with that sentiment.

I can't say how long we talked but it was nice to just sit and speak with her. I won't go into further detail as this is enough to help me remember later on.  She had pleasantly surprising and refreshing views on the world and life in general. Really could have talked to her for quite some time. It was wonderful to have met her and a fun connection to have made. Sometimes I fear the world has lost a lot of the people like Beau. 

Mr. Purple, aka Walking Encyclopedia - One of the interesting people you can meet while walking around. Loves summer, dislikes winter. Appears to know numerous facts about locations around the world. Also enjoys listening to metal.

Yessssss.. kind of. I'll count it. I should have had a roll or something and got it to follow me out farther. It's too bad Beau had to get back to Hiroshima. I think these are some of my favorite shots (minus the ones I'm not allowed to share) for today.

Will have to crop this guy out... Never mind walking up next to the gate and spending way too long there with a bunch of people waiting for him to leave!

Definitely liked Miyajima Island. It has a nice feel to it and a great sunset. Plus who can complain about meeting a nice person.

I'm also staying in my first Ryokan here (

http://www.kinsuikan.jp/

). Not in a Japanese style room though I went with the whole meal deal. I was also provided my first Yukata (which I still need to find one to take home and now want to even more as it's nice). I will say I feel a little dinky walking around in it by myself, though! I get the feeling all of the actual Japanese people think I'm odd....

Anyways, here's dinner. And I forgot to take a picture of desert. A plum pudding with ice cream.

Things inside box then go into heated pan next to it. After the fuel has burned out you can drink it as well. Quite good.

Hiroshima Lemon Cider and a Miyajima Island Cider.

I fly to Okinawa on Wednesday and will moving around tomorrow so I'm not sure how posts will go. I'll do my best of course but no promises. 

Second Day with two Awesome People - Hanami at Japan World Exposition Park '70 and Onsen Experience!

Lucky me I had another day with Mr. K and Mrs. N. As it is perfect timing with all the blooming trees and plans it was decided to have a hanami (flower viewing picnic) at the World Expo '70 Park. I'm not overly familiar with all of the expo centers and why they had them a while back. Though I now know of 2! (The first one I knew of was largely thanks to Men In Black the movie. I'm bad with history and especially events.)

Tulips are quite popular and as they bloom early in spring. They're out in force.

I do enjoy the ones all alone.

They need a little attention too.

The weather was probably a little sub optimal. A cold front had come in and some rain was following. Though it never dumped buckets of water on us and remained an occasional light drizzle. It did manage to keep the crowds down some. Where the cherry blossoms only last around a week everybody is out to see them and partake in a hanami.

To commemorate the expo a statue was built. Taiyo-no-to or tower of the sun is a very big and.. interesting statue. I'm still not entirely sure what I think of it. Though "odd" does come to mind first most of the time. I'm not alone in this feeling either from the sounds of things. Though it has become an accepted and liked part of the area!

If a very interesting part.

They were super kind and bought me a Takoyaki to try. It is a local treat. Tako (octopus) is put inside these little balls and has the same sauce as okonomiyaki. They're quite good! Though you need to be careful with the amount of heat you'll find inside.

Closer shot. And speaking of heat, an outsider observation while I'm thinking about it. I don't know if I'm a pansy (ok I probably am) or Japanese people have developed some resistance to it. But food is served soooooo hot here. I can't eat or drink things for 10 minutes while I let them cool down. I'm probably doing something wrong!

A market had been set up selling local goods to all the people bound to show up today. Little bits of food but a whole lot of house hold convenience items. Cups, mugs, tea pots, tea cups, chopsticks, etc etc. Everything you you could want for a kitchen!

Racoon bears are common in japan and good luck. I've seen them around before but thanks to Mr. K and Mrs. N I now know what the statues are! I had no idea what they were when I first saw them... I'll need to visit a zoo so I can see a live racoon bear too.

I had never seen ones so big..

I was tempted to stick my finger in but with as big as they are I decided against it. No need for a headline:

Man loses finger to fish due to curiosity. Fish now weighs more and has developed a taste for humans. Beware the man eating fish.

It's a nice park with beautiful gardens. When I come back some day I think I'll rent a car and go out away from the cities. I love seeing the plants blooming but to be lost in a jungle out by myself finding things like this would be a lot of fun.

I was thinking today that I should really try and get more shots of people and the area. Not just flowers and plants. I'll try to do better with that! Plants you don't have to ask if you can take their photo and they're always willing to co-operate.

The happy couple! They're so fun together. #1 team. I think they should go on a road trip together and record it. They operate quite well as a navigational team!

Mrs. N is such a sweet lady. I know my mother would love her and they have a whole lot in common!

The last of the plum blossoms. Rest in peace my friend.

There was an area selling plants where I found this one. Really cool bloom.

Now time for the hanami! Look what Mrs. N made.

Ta-da!

A yummy yummy bento. It was super good! They are both very good hosts and made sure I ate a lot. All of my veggies too, like a good boy! I will miss having the seaweed you can find in Japan once I go home. For one it is so much better tasting and fresh. And for another you can get seasoned ones such as soy sauce which are really good. I could eat that by itself happily.

Mrs. K is really so sweet. She was out there freezing herself in the cold and rain to give a silly american an experience. She has a heart of gold and a humor to match. She's just fun and enjoyable to be around! Always happy to explain something I didn't know about and has taught me so much. Such a good person. And seems to always be happy too! If I were able to give gold medals for awesomeness, she'd be a recipient.

It reminds me of a penguin..

There's also a tree bridge in part of the park that gives you a birds eye view.

For as big as these birds are they're very agile.

After this they took me to Genkionsen Banpaku Oyuba (I think was the name) to visit an onsen. Also known as a natural hot springs bath. We americans do it wrong. I'm glad that Mr. K was there to educate me on proper practice inside! I had done a little bit of reading but he has it down to an art. And doing it his way was a lot more enjoyable than if I had done it my own way. Which would have been me sitting in one spot slowly cooking myself. 

Mr. K is such a nice guy and I really appreciate his patience with me. Not only is he patient, he is also smart and well educated. Organized as can be and very efficient. And he has such good taste in food too! His business co-workers were lucky to have him as he'd always be able to direct them to a good place to eat. He's impressed me so much! I'd give him a gold medal for awesomeness too!

Admittedly it is a bit different to be in a public bath. Though really it's kind of just like going to the gym locker room for an extended period of time. Aside from not knowing what to do and being the odd man out. I really enjoyed the onsen and will go to some more before I leave. Maybe I'll get lucky and find one with nobody else (or reserve it just for me) so I can take the GoPro in and take a picture of the facility. This one was quite luxurious however and had a bunch of different pools and areas. 

http://oyuba.com/banpaku/?page_id=6#no=0

It's also been nice to be in a car going around. They own a very nice Toyota Aqua which I hadn't seen before. It's kind of like a prius but more efficient? I'm not a car guy.. Best of all was their music choice. It was a lot of the music I had growing up and have fond memories of! The Carpenters, Chicago, Abba, and on. It has a bunch of cool features too. TV, GPS, searching, etc. There's also a toll system for the roads that you insert a card into the car and it pays as you drive past. Handy dandy.

Maybe kind of a stupid observation as we drove around or maybe it's true. But nobody ever looks in cars they pass. It might just be me though I see a lot of other people doing it in the U.S. Where as you pass a car you look at the person you're passing. Curiosity? Arrogance? There isn't a need or reason for it but something I know I always do and have taken notice of before. So, that's my random thought~

Before parting they took me to a local shrine which I was very happy to visit. It was nice to visit one that meant something to people I knew and had some history with them. Mr. K, after learning the animal for the year of my birth (Ox/Cow), got me a charm to keep on me. He really didn't need to but I'm thankful for it and will put it to use! I also got my book stamped and the kind man who did that also gave me gifts from the shrine too. A far different experience from all the other shrines I have been to so far and it was good to have. They said I was lucky to be given a gift. But they probably weren't thinking how lucky I was to spend two days with them already. I am a very lucky fellow indeed.

Thanks again Mr. K and Mrs. N!

Tomorrow on to Hiroshima where I'll transfer to Miyajima to spend the night. Can't miss seeing that island, after all. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a painting too.

A day with Mr. K and Mrs. N - Akashi Castle, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Akashi Kaikyo National Gov. Park, and more

Well, first off. Let's introduce you to the wonderful couple I was so fortunate to spend the day with! To preserve their names I will refer to them further as Mr. K and Mrs. N. I had been introduced to them by a friend of mine who'm I've known for a very long time and met them during her time in Japan. I'm going to have to bring her something back because I owe her for introducing me!

This is them.The sweetest couple you'll ever see. It's reassuring to see couples like this who just go together! 

I have been communicating back and forth via email with Mrs. N as I have gone through Japan and she has been my source for explinations and a lot of really good ideas. I can't thank her enough for being so helpful. She is such a sweet and caring lady! The same goes for Mr. K who had to put up with me all day. He's a very smart fellow and I get the feeling a very good business man. Watching him work would probably be fun to do! Both are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet and there's no way to express it properly. Also definitely patient if they were able have me around all day.

They are the kind of people you're always really happy to meet as you travel and certainly won't ever forget! I could go on and on about them but I'll keep it short and simply say. They're the best!

They go so well together. Kawaii.

First stop was Akashi Castle. This is actually part of the gate area because the castle itself is no longer there. Instead you'll find a really nice park and open area. We were there earlier enough that it wasn't quite busy. Though you could spot people holding spots for a hanami (flower viewing picnic) later on. 

One interesting thing I learned from Mr. K was about the stairs on the way up. The steps are staggered. Longer and farther apart which would make running up them a lot more difficult. When you're walking up them you notice subconsciously that they're not quite right. After he pointed that out I was all "OOhhhh, that makes a lot of sense". Because well, it does! Now in the back of my head I've been thinking about any other locations that I've seen this.

And down into the park area we go.

Mrs. N with her sharp eyes spotted this little fella. Glad she did! I love the "isolated" sort of pictures. Plus it's always good to give it a chance to shine.

Mr. turtle sticking his head out of the water with Sakura reflections in the pond.

Further in there's a much bigger pond with boats that can be taken out. I have a feeling it was pretty busy today and gets a lot of couples coming through in the summer and fall!

I did not expect to find these birds in the trees. I thought they nested on the ground.

Poor girl, nobody should have to have their picture taken with me! She was preparing for a Tea Ceremony at the park and I love this type of dress. I think it's a very beautiful attire and was happy she was kind enough to allow the photo. 

Oh, also. Hair cut. Looks the same pretty much as I get back home.

Moat around the castle. Full of coy and a single swan. They all thought we had food..

Fish market! I'd not been to one yet. It was interesting to see and there's so much fish. Yes, duh me, it's a fish market. That's where one usually finds fish. There were all sorts of good looking and tasting things. Also ran into a man from Japan who was taller than me and had played basketball. There was a good amount of octopus that was dried out for sale as well as fresh. And if you wanted really fresh there were some live crabs and shrimp!

If I remember right, which I'm prone to not do. This was very small fish with soy sauce/other flavorings. It has a nice taste to it but the texture is a little odd to me. Still had it more than one place though! Good overall.

Dried out octopus.

Tastes like chicken! Not really, but it's good. People that don't like chewy stuff wouldn't be it's biggest fan however.

At the other end. I was also given a special treat of deep fried kind of mashed potatoes with meat in it. It was so good. I haven't had any potato for a while too!

Trying some good food. I tried everything without hesitation! Well maybe almost everything, there was one squid that I didn't do. But aside from that I think everything was covered.

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. We stopped at a rest stop that is kind of like a mini-station for cars. Shops and food alongside this nice spot to take a picture of the bridge. In the popular areas for taking photos you can often find a camera stand at the perfect angle to set up a timer and go. So convenient!

Dog club! Or at least that's what I'll call it. Not sure if they ever got the shot they wanted as well..

.. dogs are dogs.

You can also get Soft Ice Cream at the station. Hai, dozo! Yes, please! Yummy yummy.

Then on to the Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park. Also known as: The land of tulips. I'll just let you look through the tulips without my blabbering. I've never seen such a variety of tulips before. It is a super pretty park. Spring really is a great time to visit Japan.

I <3 you my little isolated flower with my color of choice.

Hello George the bunny.

I want to say these are scorpion fish. Something I'll need to watch out for in Okinawa. Their spines are poisonous. And if you're allergic to them, rather quite deadly.

Lunch! I hadn't had a meal that looked like this yet really. Usually I'm just getting the one thing or another. So good, though.

Group shot :D

Awaji, the area we were in, is known for it's beef. This is Hyogo Park if I recall correctly. Fields full of flowers.

Getting ready for tea and coffee! Aren't they cute?

I'm digging the hair cut. Good looking pair of horses.

Now if I was smart and had remembered to do it there would be pictures of the Takosato cracker factory which makes all types of rice crackers. Almond, wasabi, onion, octopus, squid ink, on and on. I bought a bag of Chocolate ones (yup, I'm american) for a snack sometime! Here's a link: 

www.takosato.co.jp

After that we headed back to Osaka. Since I hadn't made it there yet I went to the Umeda Sky Building which has an observation deck that looks out over Osaka. Definitely worth going at night when you can see things illuminated.

Like a lot of places they're made for couples! You could get a heart locket to commemorate your love up here. For me, these spots usually mean I offer to help someone take a picture of themselves instead of trying to selfie it. I don't mind though, I like being helpful! Speaking of which I gave my umbrella to two stranded girls who were trying to use a handkerchief to stop the rain as I came back from the store where I got some fruit for dinner. It was raining pretty hard and I'm no expert but a handkerchief doesn't offer the greatest range of cover. My hotel was close anyways so I figured they'd get more use out of it. Someday I'll be able to speak enough Japanese to really explain I don't need it anymore..

Anyways, night lights and a G'night from me!

Thanks again Mr. K and Mrs. N! I really enjoyed the time I spent with you today.

Kyoto - Nijo Castle, Imperial Palace Park, and Fushimi Inari Shrine

Took a day trip to Kyoto today for a little walk around. It's really a location you'd have to spend more than one day in to see a lot of things. Probably best to stay in Kyoto too. Though it is only a short 30-45 minute ride, it's still better to have that time go for something while you're already there.

First was Nijo castle. The grounds here were very nice and inside the shoguns home there were many wall paintings that were interesting to see. The scenery depicted and style used was considerably different from anywhere else in the world I've been. Also, there is 

uguisubari

or nightingale flooring in the main house which was pretty awesome. Essentially it's floors designed to make noise and squeak when walked upon. Gotta stop the ninjas from getting you, y'know. I was fairly successful in avoiding making noise. Would have been a fun game to play if: 1 - I had someone to play it with. 2 - You could roam anywhere you wanted. I really wanted to test it out more but it's hard to when there's lots of elephants walking behind you making noise. 

Left the Nijo castle and started walking to the Imperial Palace. Saw this fun little shop for food along the way and had to stop. I remember getting ebi-ten-don (if i recall correctly) from Tan popo before it became Takara sushi (also before I really tried sushi) and loved it. This too, was good! I like rice bowls. Pork is just as good as shrimp too.

You ordered using a ticket machine. Which is like a vending machine for food, though it only prints you a ticket that you then give to the workers who bring the food. It's a handy little system. Some people from Australia came in and sat down. Elderly couple with their daughter, her husband and their two kids. They had somehow bypassed the whole ticket = meal thing. After it became very clear they had no idea what was going on I jumped in and helped them out. They did eventually get their meal!

After that I made it to the Imperial Palace and wished I'd remembered that you have to apply to enter the palace! Stupid me. Fortunately the grounds are very beautiful and it was pretty open as it's a cloudy, rainy, windy day. The rain was off and on and nothing like Nagasaki thankfully. Getting that wet would have been bad.

With the wind going so strong there were a bunch of 

Sakura-fubuki (cherry flowers dancing in the wind - Thanks Mrs. N for that knowledge!). I have no idea if these images captured it. I have quite a few. But again.. I can't tell much detail with what pictures I choose.

Next was on to Fushimi Inari Shrine. Where there's thousands of torii gates. Literally! One particular path that I went on has 1,000 by itself. It was a nice place and very pretty. Also goes up into the mountains and if you've been keeping up with my travel. I like mountains!

Except perhaps when I'm running short on time, on a bike, and at the bottom of said mountain.

One problem in the lower section where all the lazy people stay is that you're going to get tons of people in your shot. I don't know if you've noticed, but I try to get people out of my shots! However, I wanted this one in it. I helped the couple that was taking this shot by blocking the path so nobody would get in the way and when I asked if I could take a shot they said ok. Victory (I really wanted a shot like this)!

As you go up the mountain it becomes a lot easier to find spots with nobody around. 

I think cats are ok to have in your pictures.

The style of koma-inu here is much different than other places I've seen. Koma-inu are present at every entrance to the shrines and throughout. Thanks again Mrs. N for educating me on that! 

I think there was a festival coming. From all the decorations and things it sure looked like it anyways.

And now dinner. I met a nice couple who helped me translate the menu a bit as there were no pictures inside or something I could point to outside. I knew what it was inside but wouldn't have been able to order. I talked with a businessman a little bit using my bad Japanese and his small knowledge of English as best we could. And afterwards sat and talked with the couple for a while. They had bought me a beer but being a diabetic I don't drink. Felt kind of bad as it was a very kind offer. They were very cool. Was fun to talk with them!

The white part is actually egg. Never had anything like that before!

I stopped on a shop on the way home and saw these. So yes, I had to get them. Fruit and veggie fruit snacks! Look at me being all healthy.

They were actually pretty good.

Tomorrow I'll meet and hang out with Mrs. N and Mr. K. Been looking forward to this for a long time! I'll spend Saturday and Sunday with them and it should be a whole lot of fun. I'll do my best to update at least a little each night but no guarantees. 

Oh deer, that's a big Buddha. Nara, Todaiji, and a hair-cut.

Sorry in advance, this one will be shorter. The internet here takes forever to upload things which leaves less time to write. Today I went to Nara to see the deer and the big Buddha in Todaiji. Nara has a lot of religious history to it and it's a very pretty place. Saw some brides in white (not the traditional Japanese dress) which was nice. There's a big park right next to Todaiji which houses the Buddha. It is huuuuge. Ridiculously big! The building and the Buddha. I'm pretty certain this is the largest sitting Buddha in the world (don't quote me on that). Which would mean I've now seen the biggest in Japan as well as Thailand.

The deer are also everywhere. Tons and tons of them. Deer are messengers from god and allowed to walk around the park and local area. They of course can be fed from items bought in the area. Supposedly they will bow... but I was not lucky enough to see this sadly. Cute dear though! Especially when there's a horde of them chasing some little kid who was given treats for them.

Soba with duck for lunch

Was tempted to ask them if they sold their paintings. They're water color based which isn't what I normally go for but I've still had no luck in finding a painting to take home. They were quite good.

My stamp book getting another added to it.

All in all I really enjoyed Nara. I'm really enjoying seeing the cherry blossoms in full bloom everywhere I go. Everyone has an energy about them when seeing the trees and it's fun to watch. They're definitely appreciated here.

Local arcade - will have to try this out.

Below is the Osaka underground. I don't know how they did it but there's a huge mall area with shops, restaurants, and other things to do. I was wanting a hair cut and took the opportunity at a barber shop in the underground. First time I've ever been to a barber I think! It was pretty fun, though I was a little worried as I couldn't tell him what I wanted. But we communicated the general idea and he was good enough that he followed what had been done at home. Super interesting to watch him work, I felt like I was a statue. Little clips here and there and eyeing everything up and down. I very well may have to get another in Japan just for kicks.

I was lucky enough to bump into Yoko again for dinner! She was in Osaka for some job interviews and the company was good to have for a meal. She knew a local ramen shop that had delicious ramen and made my task of selecting dinner all the easier. I'll have to try more ramen as there's so many variations of it.. and who can say no to ramen. Definitely glad I'm not applying for jobs in Japan. Seems like a true pain.

Tomorrow I'm off to Kyoto! Maybe they'll have a ramune or painting for me to buy.

Welcome to Osaka

Made it to Osaka today. What a nice city! It's in some ways similar to Tokyo.. but far different. It has a more open feel to it. Kind of more welcoming? Little bit hard to explain. Maybe similar to the difference between being in New York City and Los Angeles?

It's perfect timing for the cherry blossoms. They're absolutely gorgeous here at the moment. There's a bunch of other blossoming trees that I have no idea what they are either. I'd really like to have my own tree at home now!

Visited Osaka castle after going to a shrine to get my stamp! It's the biggest castle I've seen so far and has very beautiful grounds. Tons of people having lunch under the trees too.

I waited around for night to see things lit differently. Equally beautiful!

I love pictures at night. Things with a different feel are fun. There was also a bunch of booths selling things around the castle.

I got one of these! Sooooooo good. But it dripped a little so not the best to be walking with. Unfortunately I didn't really look until it was too late and had sauce spots all over my pants. Wash time! Worth it, in the end. I love this kind of thing.

Dinner. Fried Shrimp. First time I've had some with their heads still on! Basically you do with the head as you would with the tail.

Pork ramen. Love me some ramen

Hope this photo works. Standing by the Osaka castle.

Sorry it's a bit rushed. Took a while to upload these and it just turned midnight. So I'm off to bed!

Shimanami Kaido - A bike ride in Japan.

Hopping on the train to Onomichi from Fukayama this morning I set out to take a bike ride. It is one thing that is recommended for the area and the major reason why I'm here in Fukayama. Something where I'm not on my feet and a wee bit more relaxing. It's a short ride, maybe 24 minutes by train? Not much at all. Onomichi itself is small but easy to get to the bike rental shop. And like most places you go in Japan. Ask the nice people at the information desk to get directions right where you need to go. Bike rentals, in my case!

The ride itself follows routes across islands that would eventually end with you on the Shikoku side. There's suggested routes that are marked in blue so long as you follow them and I assume they'll get you from one side to the other. I didn't start going till probably around 12-12:30PM. 

Like most of Japan the geography and landscape is rugged. Islands here, mountains there. No lack of something new to see every time you round a bend or top a hill. One highlight that I made it to is the Innoshima bridge. Pictured below from various points.

The man above who was fishing would throw out chum in the water after casting. Not entirely sure what he was trying to hook as he had no luck for the bit of time I watched him. He was a pro at it though. All the chum landed within feet of his lure.

This next bridge is Ikuchijima bridge if I remember right. Connecting you to the Ikuchijima island. I didn't cross this one as I felt like I was running short on time. I was all too correct.

My initial plan had been to go to the Habu port and then take a ferry back to Onomichi. This being what I thought I could do based on the map I was reading. Noooot the case. So around 4:20-4:30 I started heading back on the streets again. Mind you I haven't ridden a bike in at least 10 years. Thankfully having been to the gym my muscles weren't really tired but I'm sure not used to sitting on a bike seat for that long! They're not exactly fun.

Oh, another catch to the story. I had to be back by 6 to return the bike. Bit of a time crunch and considering the time it took me to get to that point... welllll yeah. Anyways, here is the route I took! 

http://goo.gl/maps/A701c

 By car the same route is a little over 30 minutes. That's by car though. And as you might have noticed from the images... there's a lot of hills. Super fun awesome fun wonderfully fun hills. I should have asked a Taxi if they'd take the bike and I. I ended up getting to the ferry to cross over to Onomichi around 6 and returned the bike at 6:07. I wouldn't have cared if I didn't get my deposit back so long as I didn't have to figure out where to leave the bike if the fellow had gone home!

View Larger Map

My fault in the end and it wasn't so bad now that I'm back. But he sure was tiring. I should really quit pushing myself so hard. There's no way to blame but me here! So I'll live with some soreness and a bit of a sun burn for a while.

I also thought to try some local Japanese treats. I'd make a horrible Japanese person. I'm sorry to say I didn't like them at all (aside from the strawberry themselves). I have a weird thing with breads that aren't normal to me. These were kind of a doughy shaped things. The starwberry ones also have a bean paste in them. It's not quite sweet but not quite savory, somewhere in between and it just doesn't suit my palette! But at least I can say I've tried them now as I've seen tons and tons of pictures of them for a long time.

Also found this as I was looking at the map on my phone. Say whaaa? I'm somewhat curious if it was just a April fools joke from Google. They're silly like that and I wouldn't put it past them. If not... well I guess I'll have to catch em all.

Breakfast

Non cherry blossom flowers!

And dinner