Miyajima

Nice view!

The next morning we have breakfast at the ryokan restaurant.  It's a nice combination of Japanese and Western items (unlike our room). ​ They have thick bacon and hash browns, which is always good! Almost everyone is wearing their yukatas, so we fit right in.  About half the guests are westerners and half are Asian.

Steve, enjoying sitting in a "real" chair.

Breakfast of champions!

The ryokan main entrance, complete with carp pool and fountain, shaded by trees.

After taking some scenic photos around the ryokan we walk 10 minutes to the entrance of the ropeway.  Along the way we see deer.  They're wild and roam around the island.  Some have good size antlers, something I've never seen in the deer in the south US.  They generally don't bother you, unless you have food. It's illegal to feed them, but they've learned people can provide refreshments.  Apparently, they love ice cream - we saw them practically bite the cone out of people's hands (and if they didn't share the ice cream, they seemed just as happy to eat your t-shirt instead). They didn't hurt anyone, but they would move right up to you, and people and kids could pet them.  

Ryokan garden in daylight

Someone has a sense of humor.

Hey, that's us!

 

Will pose for ice cream!

I find the ropeway a little scary!

Once we reach the ropeway we take it up near the top of Mount Misen. We have beautiful views of the islands and the Seto Inland Sea, and can see Hiroshima in the distance.  We're about 500m above sea level and it's a gorgeous day, with beautiful weather - 80 and mostly sunny.

my panoramic photo

After taking lots of pictures we hike about 20 minutes to Reikado Hall​, home of the eternal flame.  Supposedly, it's been burning nonstop since the early 800's (when Buddhism started being practiced on the island).  It was used to light the Flame of Peace memorial in Hiroshima.  We also see ​Misenhondo Hall ​a​nd ​Sankido Hall.​  At that point we decide not to hike 10 more minutes uphill to reach the summit - the pictures can't be better than what we've already taken (or maybe we're tired of climbing - Steve is having Mt. Fuji flashbacks).

the eternal flame (inside)

Reikado Hall

Also around are cute little Buddha states - they're almost as good as the Jedi & Harry Potter ones we saw in Vietnam. 

I don't know if the pearls go with the hat...

He looks like a coach yelling at his team to hustle.

​Something interesting while we're climbing - people keep saying konichiwa (hello) to us as we go up. No one ever says hello like that to you in Japan. The only thing I can think of is ​people are doing a "health check" for you. If it's too strenuous for you to talk while you're hiking, then you need to take a break. This must be considered good hiking etiquette - it's always initiated by the person going downhill, to check on the people working harder as they climb uphill. Once we realize what's going on, we start saying konichiwa to everyone we pass on the way down.​

It's not floating during low tide!

After taking the ropeway to the base of the mountain we walk through the small town. There are lots of souvenir shops, street vendors and restaurants. Apparently, the other thing Miyajima is known for ​a​re rice scoops. Every shop sells them, and will write your name or other expressions on the paddle (I have no idea what they say, because it's always in Japanese.  Eat more?  Rice is healthy? This looks good?). Somehow we walked down the street without seeing the world's largest spatula, over 5 meters long. I guess that means we'll have to go back!
 

5-story pagoda in daylight - just as pretty

Making fresh momiji manju (cookies)

As we walk by the shops and restaurants we see some regional specialties, which we decide to skip.  I like Pretz sticks and I like oysters, but I'm not sure if the two should go together.  And one restaurant serves rice burgers - as in rice in place of a bun.  How does it not break apart in your hand?

At least they're cheap - only $4!

Like the hat & pearls above, I don't see
these flavors going together.

 

Your choice of four different flavored burgers.

It's pretty good!

We also learn Miyajima has their own beer - appropriately with a deer on the label.  We don't skip this!

We also can't pass up the mojito booth.  I order a grapefruit mojito and Steve has a kiwi one. No open container laws here, so we can walk down the street carrying our drinks. At the end of the road we arrive at the traditional craft shop.  I'm excited to see some hand carved ginkgo leaf wooden plates.  I remember seeing them almost two years at the traditional craft shop near us.  I still don't want a 5-plate set for over $1000, but they have some individual plates for sale, so I'm able to buy one to display at home.

Making the mojitos!

The manhole covers here are decorated with maple leaves (painted, not forged like I've noticed in other cities). 

Some are painted red, some green.

After returning to our ryokan, we're ready for our dinner - shabu shabu tonight. We also enjoy talking with our server - we have dinner earlier and she must have more spare time. Turns out she lived in NYC for a bit in college, so we're able to make comparisons with Tokyo (she was in college there, too). She loves Broadway shows and had seen a lot while she was in New York.

tonight's menu

the roll-your-own sushi course

Steve making up his roll...

...and getting ready to eat it.

After dinner we have shiatsu massages, which helps​ my back.  Normally I like sleeping on a futon, but these feel as hard as concrete. Instead of being one thick mattress, it's four thinner pads. Steve helps me out on our second night and grabs some more from the closet, so I sleep on 6 layers. That's better!

 
The next morning Steve wakes up early so he can stream some college football games. Then after breakfast it's time to head back home. This was a fabulous weekend getaway!

Japanese-style train picnic

One Last Road Trip

Mt. Fuji from the shinkansen

We've gotten the word that we'll be moving back to the United States.  At the time of our return we'll have spent two years in Japan.  It's been a wonderful experience, but we miss home and we're looking forward to being around our family and friends again, along with the familiarity of being in the US.

Before we leave, we have time for one last road trip!  We want to visit Hiroshima and a nearby island, Miyajima.  The museum in Hiroshima is dedicated to memorializing the victims of the nuclear bombing and promoting peace.  I almost feel like it's a duty to go and understand what we're (humankind) capable of, to see the consequences of those decisions, and use it as a warning about directions to take in the future.  Around the time we're in Hiroshima, North Korea is testing missiles and nuclear bombs.  I don't think they've gotten the message.

the comfy chairs in the green car

The ride down on the shinkansen is a blast.  It's incredible - it goes up to 200 mph, but doesn't feel like you're moving.  I keep an open bottle of water on a small tray, without worrying about it spilling, even when we slow down for a stop.  The distance to Hiroshima from Tokyo is 500 miles and it's unbelievable we can be there in under 4 hours, with 8 stops along the way.  Part of the fun is being able to bring our own snacks and drinks!  We create our own picnic.

train version of a picnic

Panel explaining the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

After a quick taxi ride from Hiroshima Station, we arrive at the Peace Memorial Museum.  As we walk around listening to the audio guide, I notice about half the visitors are foreigners and half are Japanese.  The museum is enlightening, but doesn't really have any information you wouldn't easily find on Wikipedia.  There is one interesting electronic display that recreates how the city appeared before the bomb, then the explosion and how the hyperblast obliterated the city center.  I think the museum does a good job of communicating what happened (and sharing it's peaceful mission) without a lot of bias and emotional language.  (Side note: The museum actually acknowledges that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor to start the war, unlike the history (Edo-Tokyo) Museum in Tokyo.)  I find it fascinating that plants started growing back just a couple of months after the explosion - scientists had thought it would take decades before nature renewed itself.

After and before models of the Atomic Bomb Dome Building.

From the museum it's easy to walk out the back into the Peace Park. There are a couple of memorials here (Flame of Peace; Children's Peace Monument) but not much else.  I didn't see anyone using the park the way they might in other places - walking dogs, jogging, etc - it's pretty quiet, except for the tourists and a tour group. 

The Memorial Centograph framing the Peace Flame and the Atomic Bomb Dome in the background.

View of the Bomb Dome Building from a distance.

You can then walk over the bridge on the far north end of the park to see the Atomic Bomb Dome Building, originally named the Industrial Promotion Hall.  It's one of the few structures that's still standing at the hypercenter.  The impact blast was almost exactly above the building, so the thick outer walls and steel dome were not completely destroyed (though everyone inside died immediately).  As other partially destroyed buildings were pulled down and rebuilt, it was decided to leave the Atomic Bomb Dome to serve as a reminder of the suffering caused by nuclear weapons, in the hope of creating a ​lasting ​peace. The building is maintained to remain in the same state as it was after the bomb hit.

I still find cool quilting patterns in bridge designs!

Look closely - the gray dot on Itsukushima is where we are!

From Hiroshima we take the (regular) train down to Miyajimaguchi Station, so we can catch the ferry to our next location, Miyajima. The island is known for having one of the three most scenic spots in all of Japan - the "floating" torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine.  Both the gate and the shrine are built over water, so at high tide they appear to be floating. A torii has been standing there since ​1168​, and replaced as necessary. The current one has been standing there since 1875.  That's just amazing - over 140 years.

the tokonoma

We're picked up at the ferry station by our ryokan, Iwaso. We have a Japanese style room, and when we walk in we realize our previous ryokan rooms were Western-Japanese style. The only items are a low table with two chairs, and on the balcony is a small coffee table with two chairs - that's it, except for the tatami mats (though we do have a bathroom and toilet - but not all the rooms here have private ones; and a tv, but we never turn it on). There's no lamps or any other furniture, though there is a tokonoma (alcove)​ ​w​ith fresh flowers and a scroll. Steve is a little bummed, because he likes to stretch out on a couch. There's plenty of floor space for him, though!  I would have taken a picture, but it would be pretty boring.

Our yukatas and belts, nicely folded (you know
I never was able to fold the belt back that way).

Our momiji manu, with the tatami mat in the
background (because there's nothing else in the room)!

Once we settle in our room we're served iced tea and momiji manju.  Momiji manju is a cookie/cake with a soft filling, usually red bean. The ones in Hiroshima prefecture are in the shape of a maple leaf, and they're the specialty in the area. They're okay, but I wouldn't go of my way to eat them. (Side note: the next day we find some with other flavors, and I have a chocolate filled one. It's better - I'd be more likely to eat these!).

Not our favorite oysters, but they
get style points for presentation.

Steve goes down for a quick dip in the onsen while I finish unpacking. (There are no drawers to put anything!)  Then we have our kaiseki dinner served in our room. It's fun to relax in the privacy of the room, while wearing our yukatas (though Steve's legs have a hard time with sitting on the floor at our low table). Our server speaks English well, so that helps with understanding what we're eating. Oysters are the other specialty of the area, so we order two sets of 5 grilled oysters (NOT typical of Japanese - they would only order one set. She verifies​ with us three times that we want two orders​. That's only 10 oysters - I want to tell her in the US they're usually sold by the dozen). They're fine, but it'​s like they're missing something. We wonder if maybe they do​n't have as much salt in the water where they grow.

First course!

the dinner menu

Eel course

After dinner, while they set up the futons for sleeping in our room, we walk five minutes to see the torii gate illuminated at night.  It's pretty, but I don't know if I'd call it one of the most scenic sights in Japan - maybe I'd feel differently if I follow the Shinto religion. 

Is this really one of the top 3 scenic sites in Japan?

I try capturing the stone lanterns along the path beside the torii gate.

We come across about 20 - 25 people while we're out - the island is much quieter at night after the ferries stop running.  We change into "normal" clothes since we left the ryokan, but about half are wearing the yukatas from their hotels.  Only the locals and the people staying on the island are around, so it feels much more private.  We take a couple more photos as we wander back to our ryokan. 

The five story pagoda looks beautiful
lit up at night!

The illuminated garden at our ryokan is lovely, too.

Alaska Reading

Incredible!

It's easy to find books based in Alaska, so I have a nice variety to pick from.  My favorite of the bunch is actually a recommendation from our food tour guide, Jared.  He recently started teaching history at an Anchorage high school, so I ask if he has any reading he recommends. The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury is one of his picks, and it's an exciting tale. It's one of those perfect non-fiction publications that has an excellent overarching plot with lots of side bits that explain little known facts of history and science that add to the drama. (Such as France requesting dog teams for help during WWI because they were having a hard time moving supplies in the deep snow, so an Alaskan brought over a group of 400 dogs to successfully assist operations.)  I'm constantly reading out small tidbits to Steve and muttering, "Wow" to myself in disbelief at what humans and canines are capable of doing.  It's up there with Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, which is probably my favorite non-fiction book. 

My favorite non-fiction book!

With some proof reading, this would be a better book.

What sells me on The Alaskan Laundry is the involvement of the main character, Tara, in the fishing industry. As one of the big businesses for the state, I want to learn more about it (and I don’t watch a lot of reality tv, so I’ve never seen Deadliest Catch, etc).  Tara is running away from problems at home when she arrives in Alaska, so she’s a bit gloomy.  Her experiences working and living there are realistic and believable, according to reviews written by people from Alaska (except she manages to find jobs very easily with no experience).  I learn a lot about the different aspects of fishing and crabbing, but not too much – you don’t get bogged down in the details.  I suppose this would be categorized as modern day Alaska women’s fiction (you have to mention the state – it influences everything in the narrative). 

There are a few small continuity issues.  Sometimes it seems like a sentence is missing that connects two events (or it could be a problem with transferring the text to e-book form). If the publishers don’t make an effort, sometimes the spacing is wrong (such as when there should be a few blank lines between paragraphs, which usually indicates to the reader that time has passed before the next events).  For example, Tara is in a skiff with the crew to go into town.  But she decides to get off and return to the boat before they go to town.  Then she’s grabbing some candy bars and walking to town…but I thought they were anchored out, so how can she walk??  It disrupts the flow of reading because you stop and read back over the past few sentences to see if you missed anything so it makes logical sense.  It occurs more frequently in the first few chapters, but then it doesn’t happen as often, so it becomes easier to read.  Having the editor take another look through the content would have been beneficial.  Overall, I’m glad I read it. 

The Wind is Not a River is historical fiction, taking place during WWII, while the Japanese have possession of the Aleutian Islands.  Chapters alternate between the perspective of a husband and wife.  He’s a journalist who has embedded himself with a military flight and has his plane crash on one of the islands.  His part of the story is mainly about trying to survive.  (A piece of advice – don’t read two novels that involve small plane crashes and characters slowly starving to death, right before you’re about to take a small plane flight. The pictures in your head during the trip are not pretty.)  The wife’s tale focuses on trying to find out what has happened to her husband.  It’s well written, and interesting.  I didn’t pick up any good survival tips in this one, though…except maybe you should look for a cave to sleep in.

I'd skip this one!

The Quality of Silence is the third title I’ve read by Rosamund Lupton.  The pace of her plots are always slow, and there’s lots of internal dialogue (thoughts) expressed by the characters. The bestseller focuses on a mother and her precocious, deaf 10-year old after they arrive in Alaska.  Once there they discover her photographer husband is presumed dead in an explosion along with the rest of the natives in a village (relatively) close to Prudhoe Bay. Despite the evidence, they’re both determined he’s still alive, and they need to be the ones to find him.

The novel loses all credibility. Without giving away too much, the mother at one point decides she’ll drive the 40 ton truck along Dalton Road, probably the most dangerous road in the world.  With no experience driving on ice or in trucks.  In negative 40 degree weather.  Over and through mountains.  During a snowstorm with hurricane strength winds.  And professional truckers telling her over the CB that everyone else has gotten off the road.  It should end with them driving off the side of the mountain…but it doesn’t.  Other than the fact I learn a lot about Alaska – fracking, truck driving, wildlife, etc – I would have put it down.  It did make me want to watch an episode of Ice Truckers!

Very good, not great, non-fiction

The Floor of Heaven: A True Tale of the Last Frontier and the Yukon Gold Rush by Howard Blum is more of a biography of three different men, who all end up in Alaska, than a history of the gold rush, so it's a little different than I expect.  It's still good (but not at the same level as The Cruelest Miles).  All three men are different and lead fascinating lives - one a creative con man, another a cowboy-business man-top Pinkerton agent and the third an AWOL Marine who marries a native and makes the discovery that starts the Klondike gold rush.  Chapters shift from one man to the next, so sometimes you have to flip back to reacquaint yourself with that person's chronicle.  Occasionally, their lives intersect.  I think with a better title my expectations would have matched the story line, and I would have appreciated it more.