Day 10: Kurashiki and Aloha Hiroshima

We really made good use of our JR Pass by taking the Shinkansen everywhere we could go.  A short ride got us to Kurashiki, a town that was formerly used as a film set for old samurai movies.

However it's been gentrified with paved sidewalks and modern restaurants and shops.  Susan was disappointed that the old town with narrow streets and alleys, full of tiny shops was not as she remembered five years ago. 

The lovely river that flowed down the center was lined with willow trees and wisteria which was probably in bloom last month.  The side street was very cute and quaint and we found clothes that fit us! This was quite an accomplishment as Japanese clothes do not fit typical American bodies, yes, even us.

Our soba lunch was delicious; in a small family restaurant.  We both had thoughts of getting back to reality and home.  From this experience I can honestly say that Japan is not expensive if you eat local-style and travel by train and subway. 

The furoshiki bag/purse idea has been growing on me since Tokyo; got a small one to use for evenings and it also packs flat too.

Wayne made reservations at a tempura restaurant and pre-ordered our dinner.  Wow!  How special and there were only eight seats.  He bought out the restaurant just for us four.  A sweet young couple own the place and do all the work.

After dinner we joined Cheryl at a street fair "Yukata Matsuri".  It was crazy busy with food and toy vendors lining the shopping areas.  People were walking all over the place because the roads were closed.  Lots of fun.

The walk back to the hotel was not as long as I anticipated and being Friday night, there were lots of young people out enjoying the evening.

Back to Hawaii tomorrow--we are prolonging the vacation by traveling from Hiroshima to Narita by Shinkansen; should take us about 4 hours with one transfer.



Day 9: VIP tour of Hiroshima Prefecture Art Museum

The entire delegation from Hawaii was treated to a VIP tour of the Hiroshima Art Museum current exhibit of Taira no Kiyomori.  The staff even translated the entire audio tour into written format just for us!  Again, with bus tours, there is never enough time to really enjoy the presentation.  The exhibit was well done and educational but since I haven't been following the Taiga drama, I am familiar with only a little of his story.

On to Miyajima Island and Istukushima Shrine.  A bus tour day but still lots of walking.  The short ferry ride to Miyajima Island reminded me of going to San Juan Islands in Puget Sound.  Oysters are farmed here and were part of our special lunch.  Anago bento and deep fried oysters (kaki) were delicious.  From there we were escorted to the Momiji Manju shop.

It is a nice walk along the island shoreline to Istukushima Shrine.  This shrine is famous for it's 'floating torii" and shrine building that appear to be floating in the bay.  It is even more stunning in person.  Unfortunately the tide was out so the ocean bottom was exposed.  The little town is lined on both sides of the street with tourist traps.  The shrine was spare and stark but zen-beautiful.

We were warned about the wild deer that inhabit this island and how they are scavengers because they are a protected species.  Well, Susan was holding our package of Momiji Manju when the deer attacks it and rips it apart, causing a package to fall to the ground.  Screaming at it didn't seem to help so I hit it on the head with my water bottle.  He dropped the bag long enough for us to scramble away to relative safety! 

A short break at the hotel then we were escorted to the Hiroshima Carps vs Seibu Lions baseball game.  This was my first baseball game and it was a blast!  VIP indeed!  Special passes to a "luxury floor" stocked with American sandwiches and cold cuts, beer and soft drinks in pitchers and seats in a nice sky-box!  What a view!  the Governor stopped by to see Brian throw out the first pitch.  We all were issued red baseball caps and Y1500 to spend courtesy of the prefectural government.  What a way to see a game!

Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium

Wayne, Richard Lim, Gov. Yuzaki, Brian, Mark, Norman

After the game, Cheryl, Susan and I walked with the crowd to an izakaya because the American food was not satisfying.  Fun girl talk and we all had to run to catch the last train to our homes and hotel.