Hiroshima Part 2

Last time, I left off on a somber note. This time though, back to the usual, cheery adventuring!

Dinner that night was the famous Hiroshima okonomiyaki! If you don't know what okonomiyaki is...

then you have not yet truly lived.

Go to Japan. Eat some. It's delicious, I promise. I usually eat Osaka style okonomiyaki, so this was  a first for me too. Even after devouring it, however, I am still not exactly sure how they are different... (I too still have much to learn)

After stuffing ourselves silly, we took a leisurely walk along the river back to the hotel, where we turned in for the night.

The next morning started with breakfast on the top floor of the hotel, from which there was a spectacular view.

Overlooking Peace Memorial Park

On the river right below us, there was a floating restaurant boat that has been in business all the way since the Keio Era (1865-1868!) Unfortunately, since it only serves oysters, and only three out of five of us liked oysters, we did not go there to eat.

Instead, we quickly took a streetcar to go get a rental car, and started the hour-long journey to Miyajima, the shrine island. After a quick ferry to the island, we found ourselves promptly greeted by the sight of dozens of deer wandering the streets. What are deer doing in a place like this, you ask?

Deer deer

Well, Miyajima, or Itsukushima was viewed as a sacred island where only the most devout were allowed to set foot. Deer, however, were considered to be the messengers of the Shinto gods, so they were allowed to roam freely around the island. It's a similar situation as in Nara, where there are also many shrines and temples.

Miyajima is known most famously for it's "floating" shrine and torii. While at low tide, you can walk right up to the big red torii, at high tide it appears to be floating on the water.

Insert Heroic Pose Here

Sorry about the finger smudge.

Throughout history, commoners would steer their boats through the torii, and to the shrine. The shrine itself is also built on stilts over the water. This is so that commoners could come pray as well, without ever actually setting foot on the sacred island.

Incredibly beautiful

We ate lunch at a nearby restaurant. Hiroshima is known for its anago (a type of eel), so we decided to eat that. It was very good! I forgot to take a picture before devouring it...

So here is my sister and her meal instead

Miyajima also has a very nice aquarium. Since it was still early afternoon, and the weather was very hot out, we decided to go check it out. As well as the many schools of fish on display, there was also a very large tank full of oysters.

On the large list of foods that Hiroshima is well known for, oysters are very prominent. On the ferry into the island, I had noticed that there were many floating rafts. Apparently, those rafts were supporting strings of oysters like this one above. Did you know?: oysters have the ability to take in dirty water and expel clean water. This might help in future ecological projects...

There were also dolphins! They were adorable (anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love whales and dolphins.) I did not get any pictures, but I did get a video (well, many videos).


I was also able to pet a penguin!

He was very sleek.

After finishing our adventures at the aquarium, we decided to take another food break. I finally was able to try the famous Hiroshima yakigaki (grilled oysters)!

A drop of lemon, a dash of sauce...absolutely delicious

This yummy snack was swiftly followed by another at a tea shop, where we also dined on green tea flavored shaved ice. Mine was covered in sweet condensed milk, and had mochi balls on the side.

Perfect Japanese dessert for a hot day. 

With this, we wrapped up our day at Miyajima, and took the ferry back to our rental car. After getting back to the hotel, we took a short break, and then decided to go eat...again. (Remember, a significant portion of traveling is about enjoying the food!)
Dinner that night was at an izakaya near where we had okonomiyaki the night before. I'd describe an izakaya as a somewhat kid-friendly bar that serves great food. This way, the adults got to drink good beer and everybody got to eat more awesome Hiroshima delicacies. I apologize because I once again devoured the food before remembering to take a picture.

The walk back to the hotel once again took us alongside the river. The lights on the bridge were very pretty.