miyajima

from hiroshima you can catch a train and then a ferry to a beautiful island called miyajima, and because we didn't think we'd done quite enough for the day, why not? miyajima hosts a giant floating gate that has been around for four hundred years, so it attracts quite a few tourists from japan and abroad. coming off the ferry we were met with some deers that seem to roam the town at their own will. it was a bit sad as most of them are a bit smelly and crusty, and seem to rely on tourists scraps for food. i saw one pull a cigarette packet out of an ashtray and eat it. foil, plastic, and all. then it chomped down some cigarette butts for dessert. i thought afterwards that we should come back with some nicotine patches, and try to help these poor deer kick the habit. i wrote down the quitline number on some paper, and figured that was about all i could do for them. nj and i rented bikes and rode around the island for about two hours just checking it all out. miyajima has an aquarium which has a panda dolphin that i really wanted to see. but it was really expensive, and looked a bit dodgy. nj thinks that maybe it's just a regular dolphin, that they just spray painted to look like a panda. i'm undecided... anyway, it looked cool in the photos. at about five o'clock, we decided to head off, and stay the night at kyoto, before meeting up with my good friend from university, yukari, the next day.





plenty of activities for kids on the island. can't resist, never will.


the very stunning orange gate of miyajima.


one of the manky deer that roams the island, in search of cigarette packets.


there are many temples adn shrines on the island.