I was feeling a lot better after a good sleep ready for my day trip to Miyajima today. The sun was out in the morning so all is good.
The JR Pass covered the ferry to Miyajima so I just needed to hop on a short train and then the ferry. It was only a ten minute journey but immediately you could see the famous Torii gate and Itstukushima shrine.
Once we rocked up, there were deer knocking about like in Nara. I headed straight to some of the sea level viewpoints of the Torii gate to take some photos. The tide comes in in the late afternoon so you can walk under the gate but in the day it is submerged in water. There is something cool about it like it’s not secured into the sea bed at all, it is supported by it’s own weight despite being in and out of the sea each day.
With all the gift shops here I was concerned about another purchase but I managed to survive. I did buy two of these chocolate pastry snacks in the shape of maple leaves which are produced on the island. In all the shops they have the machines churning these out and you can buy them straight out of production.
I went through the shrine and saw the gate from another viewpoint but I was really keen to go on the ropeway and do some trekking up Mount Misen.
I had decided only to go on the Ropeway one way and trek down. The Ropeway only took you so far anyway but it seemed a lot higher than Koyasan even was (not sure if it is or not). Actually, I think I remember them saying something like 500 odd metres above sea level. The ropeway ride was cool and when I got there, the trekking began!
There’s loads of trails and stuff to see up Mt Misen. I was expecting a fair trek but I was not expecting complete full on nature walk. No concrete footpaths here, boulders, dirt tracks, squeezing through rocks, ducking under rocks and all sorts. It was a class trek to the Mt Misen summit and had some amazing views.
I was dripping after reaching summit because again the humidity was ridiculous. It was weird on way up too, I don’t know if it’s a Japanese thing on Mt Misen but every single person you passed said ‘Konichiwa’ (hello). It was kind of cool but when you’re passing tens and tens of people and you are blowing out of your arse, it can get quite annoying. I somehow managed to refrain from saying ‘Konichif***ingwa’ and got to the summit without any international incidents.
While I was up there I ticked off the monuments and places of interest they had on the map (Eternal Flame, Plum Trees and another 5 ‘wonders of mount misen’) and then headed down. Of course this time, I was not only going down what I had previously climbed, but also down what I had ropeway’d up earlier.
I have to say, even though trekking all the way up would have been exhausting, I would have preferred it because walking down was brutal. Imagine massive boulder steps, I’m 6ft 2 but I had to jump them all. It was so harsh on the knees, and when the steps gave you a break, you then had to put more strain on the knees to stop you picking up too much momentum.
I think it was a 3-5km decline and it was tough, and I dirtied my trainers which I was tamping about. By time I got down I had calves like Cristiano Ronaldo and knees had been beaten up even more than they were already. I filmed some of the decline because at one point, I was so sure the steps I were taking were going to be my last. It was a pretty dangerous decline and nobody around as they were all sensible and took ropeway.
When I reached the bottom I wandered around the shops and treated myself to some weird Japanese snack. It was like a fish stick (consistency of a scallop) with asparagus and bacon. It was really good but no idea what the fish was, doubt it was scallop given it was streetfood!
After that, I hopped back on the ferry and made my way back to the hotel. I was chatting to some English guy who was covered in tattoos on the way back. I asked him how he’d been getting on and he reckons fine. Japan are not fans of tattoos and they associated people with lots with the Yakuzu tribe (Japanese mafia).
To be honest, he was not getting my full intention after he declared he was a Man U fan and he was absolutely convinced they were signing both Neymar and Bale. Think he was edging for me to suggest go for a beer in the evening but that wasn’t happening, totally deluded.
I had a quick turnaround and went back out for dinner because I wanted to be back for the arsenal match. My macbook pro really is cream crackered so Apple will be fixing that when I get back, but it meant I had to watch game on the ipad.
I went to the same restaurant as last night. I had the Gyoza again and the Salmon Sashimi but I also had a miso soup and some other Tuna sushi. It was all very good but a bit too much this time with the sushi.
I went to the shop to get some munchies and then back to the Ryokan to watch The Arsenal. I have really liked Hiroshima and Miyajima definitely slots into one of the best parts of the trip. Hiroshima is a cool place and liked the Ryokan I was staying in too. Tomorrow, it is time to head to Kumamoto. My trip really ramps up towards the end now, lots of bag carrying and one night jobs before a final hurrah in Tokyo.
I woke up pretty tired and no time for a shower. Lugging the whole lot of bags, no shower, tired and massive hair makes me feel minging. Worst part is with Japan hotels is you never can check in prior to like 2 or 3pm so on the days I’m travelling I’m rank, knackered and have to carry my full small backpack around with me in the day.
The train to Kumamoto was great, it was quite empty and I was grateful. When I got to Kumamoto I dropped the bags and headed on the streetcar to the massive Kumamoto Castle grounds.
The grounds were really impressive, I kick started the day with some shaved ice and they bung a speciality of Kumamoto on it which is like some bean bite type thing.
Immediately noticeable is the Kumamoto mascot everywhere Kumamotomon I think his name is, he’s pretty cool. I wandered around the grounds and went up the main castle tower to see all the samurai gear and it was a great view up top.
There were loads of other places on the grounds to see and I ticked them off. I also visited a new shopping and restaurant little complex but was feeling rough, so decided to skip the Samurai residence which I really wanted to see. I am hoping I will feel human tomorrow and can squeeze it in before heading to Shimabara on the ferry.
I headed back to the hotel and it was a nice one. Private bathroom, double bed and most importantly… two pillows. For some reason the Japanese give a pillow per person, even worse, in the Ryokan and lesser hotels you get this tiny rock hard thing, the size of a pissing loaf of bread. This was too much of an opportunity to miss so I am not ashamed to say it was shower and bed at 3pm to around 6.
When I woke up I WhatsApp called home (I love this service) and then headed out to some dinner. I had forgot it was Sunday so not a lot was open, so I felt less guilty about sleeping through the day. A lot of Kumamoto’s beauty is well away from the centre, unreachable for me, so I am sorry Kumamoto but I am kind of glad I was here for my sleepy Sunday.
