Pretty colors at sunrise.
I didn't want these lines in my photo, and the window only opens this far, so I have to very carefully hold my phone.
I don't think it would survive that fall.
Chance of rain all day today.
A little room with internet.
And laundry.
Laundry works pretty much the same everywhere in the world: you have a washer...
... and a dryer.
A vending machine with detergent.
It's out of order.
But you can get it at the front desk, along with coins. Many things in Japan take 100 yen coins, so it's good to have a few extra of those; it's around 60 cents.
I don't know what almost all of that says, but I do understand 6am to 1am.
There is a spa.
Although we didn't go to it.
A view outside.
To the side.
A bit farther.
Breakfast.
Asian food.
American food.
People put stuff on the tables to reserve them.
This was one person sitting alone. I'm not sure if Japanese etiquette allows us to sit on the other with of the table, but since there were no other open chairs, we did.
I think this means if you're in a hurry and don't want to wait for the elevator, you can take the stairs.
We noticed as people got on the elevator, whoever was closet to the buttons was unofficially designated to press the "close doors" button as soon as the last person got on.
I wonder if elevators change the number of people allowed based on location and approximate person size?
Laundry is done.
A sculpture by the train station: Morning by Katsu Zenji.
Pokemon Center?
I guess it's a store.
But there are many wall panels.
With different Pokemon.
More down there.
One on the seat.
A fun mural on the train ride.
Crossing a river.
Most places around the world air dry their clothes rather than use dryers.
Nice balconies.
This way to the ferry.
We have to go down into this tunnel, under the intersection, and then back up. Wouldn't it be easier to have a crosswalk and a traffic light?
At least there were some nice murals down there.
Deer in a park.
Tiles.
Kabuki dancer.
Another.
The three women again.
Up and out the other side.
A statue.
The ferry building.
Even though we have regional tickets that cover the ferry, we still needed to pay a visitors tax.
I don't really mind paying the tax, but it was a pain having to wait in line to pay it.
Got it.
Here comes a ferry.
One of the ferries gets really close to the Great Torii, but we just wanted to get there, so we took the direct route.
Boarding.
Miyajima Island.
Looking back towards Hiroshima.
There's the Great Torii.
Everyone getting pictures.
A closer shot.
It was pretty cold out.
So we stood in theinside area for a bit, as it was much warmer.
Getting off.
Arriving on the island.
There's a row of shops along the road.
And deer.
Eating up whatever food he's dropping.
They were quite tame.
Wondering if Ogii has any food.
Not so interested when she doesn't.
Ogii getting pictures.
Petting it.
Me trying.
It was about a 20-minute walk to the cable car up the mountain.
The deer by the shops.
Oysters.
What's that?
"Shopping Street?"
Ogii wants to go that way.
Another ferry and some kayakers.
Walking along the water's edge.
Selfie.
Some deer.
The Itsukushima Shrine / Great Torii.
Through some stone.
With us.
You want to see it during high tide because it looks like it's floating.
A building over there.
Let's check it out.
Shrine.
The torii from this side.
A bit closer.
Guardian statue.
This couple was getting married.
This way to the cable car (called a ropeway here).
More shops.
A map of the area.
The wedding couple again.
There's a shuttle bus that takes you to the ropeway, although we had to wait for the next one.
A tourist map with info on Mt. Misen.
Some of the best sights.
We bought a round-trip ticket. I think you can also hike up and down the entire mountain, but it's a very long ways.
The next shuttle bus is here.
Getting out.
Then another line at the ropeway. I like when they have signs letting you know how long the wait is from your current spot.
Cutouts.
We bought tickets down below, and now we're in the line to buy tickets. Although I don't know if we can go around all of these people or not; I don't see a "already have tickets" shortcut line.
Info on some of the halls.
This one worships ogres.
A fire that has burned for 1200 years.
At the cable car.
Many tools on the wall.
We're in.
Looking up.
Many cars.
Pretty trees.
Time to get off.
Although we're only halfway there at the transfer station between two ropeways.
The next one.
It fits many more people. We picked the wrong side to be on.
Although we can still get pictures above people's heads.
A map of sights.
At the final stop.
A picture of a frog under some mushrooms.
Which way should we go?
Let's head to the observatory first; it's close.
A nice view from here.
With me.
With us.
Ogii using the binoculars.
A deer up here, too.
Down from there.
And now the long hike up the rest of the mountain.
The path was mostly easy, although you did have to watch out for rocks and roots.
And rain gutters.
It was a long hike, but thankfully there were a few benches to rest on.
A little shrine.
Inside.
More stairs.
This area had a couple of different halls.
Misen Main Hall.
Reikado.
With the eternal fire.
Mikido.
With a bell.
Now up some more.
Another small shrine.
Cairns.
A massive boulder.
Are these little sticks really helping to hold this rock up?
If so, I better add another one, just in case it helps.
Another one over our path.
Getting close now.
A little cave.
We made it to the top, with Mount Misen Observatory.
Great view.
The other way.
Down below is the top of the ropeway.
Zoomed in on it.
A large sakura tree.
With us.
With Ogii.
They keep the door of the small bathroom closed so it doesn't freeze in the winter.
There was a little souvenier store. We bought some coffee.
Another cherry blossom tree.
Some little buds.
After a little snack, we headed back down.
Definitely easier than going up.
We took a different route which went by the Dainichido temple.
Back at the Misen Main Hall.
Prayer bell.
Some flowers.
Ogii found one on the ground and put it in her hair.
It looks like deer have been scraping this tree with their antlers.
What's this?
A person counter.
Back at the cable car. We hiked up and back, although we didn't go over to the west.
Not too many other people right now.
Here it comes.
A little beach. I wonder if anyone ever goes to it.
Some deer at the stop between cable cars.
Beware of poisonous snakes.
You might have to share a cable car.
Back down.
Us.
Different cable sizes.
Rather than take the shuttle bus, we walked down.
Some more deer.
Watching us.
Carp.
They want food.
A little bridge.
Another temple.
I like how the sign says "10 min walk, if you run a little."
A big store.
Food vendors.
Although the deer might follow you if you have food.
We stopped here to eat.
A deer snuck its head through the fence.
And ate some fries.
More shops.
Cute.
We had a drink with gummy bears in it.
A deer resting in front of this store.
Looking through the hole at the floating torii.
A statue.
Red and green leaves on the ground.
There was a bit of a line for the ferry.
But the ferries are big, so we all got on.
And back off.
Stained glass fish.
A little robot out of wood holding a sign.
Then we took the train back into Hiroshima.
And then a bus.
Wants seems like a great name for a store.
The bus was pretty full.
Mother and Child in the Storm statue at Peace Memorial Park.
A mother struggling to survive with her children.
Flowers and the Spring of Prayers fountain, which commemorates the atomic bomb victims who died crying for water on the scorched city.
Hiroshima Victims Memorial Cenotaph, with the Atomic Bomb Dome in the distance.
Looking through it.
There's a flame at the other end.
A pledge to never repeat the evil of war.
From the side.
Statue of a Prayer for Peace.
Children's Peace Monument, inspired by the death of Sadako Sasaki, who folded more than one thousand origami cranes before she died from leukemia from the atomic bomb.
With a crane at the top.
Other children.
Around the sides.
A crane inside.
And more at the base.
There are displays around with many more paper cranes.
Many forming images.
The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.
What it looked like before the bomb.
Peace Bell.
Ogii ringing it.
Some nice trees.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
The two walls have different textures.
Surfaces that were directly exposed to the 6,000°C thermal radiation had a rough texture because the surface of the rock literally boiled during the explosion.
Surfaces that were shielded from the blast by other objects remained smooth, which created a nuclear shadow of the object that blocked the heat.
A view around the area.
With listings of surrounding towns.
The walls in the Hall of Remembrance are covered with 140,000 tiles, the number of atomic bomb victims who died by the end of 1945. The scene is a panoramic view from the former Shima Hospital.
You can search for victims.
Before and after aerial photographs.
Back to the train station.
This time we reserved our shinkansen seats.
And got some snacks from a little store on the tracks.
There was also a 7-Eleven store.
So we had a mix of American and Japanese snacks.
A cookie.
There was free wifi on the train. And the trains in Japan are known for running on time, but this one was running 19 minutes late.
Arriving in Himeji, with a replica of the castle in the train station.
There were also some cutouts there.
We should have bought a selfie stick.
Although a Japanese person walking by offered to get a better picture.
And old chair.
To carry around the royalty.
Apparently pay phones are still common in Japan.
Cute benches that look like animals.
Shops at the station.
A Russian Beer Hall.
Our hotel was a few blocks away. It was mostly dark, but there were a few shops open.
We stayed at the Himeji Castle Grandvrio Hotel.
Our room.
Bathroom.
Multiple slippers for guests.