On my way walking to the Hiroshima train station. The hostel said it was a 10 minutes walk from the station - it took me 5 minutes to get there...I should have just walked there on the first day haha. As you can tell from the manhole cover, the people of Hiroshima really love their home pro baseball team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Outside the JR ferry port to Miyajima. The statue out front was what interested me.
The view from the ferry ride. You can already catch a glimpse of the giant otorii gate in the second photo.
Arrived at Miyajima. The second photo is of a statue outside the ferry port at Miyajima. You can see the otorii gate through the statue too.
Some photos from along the walk to the otorii gate. I found Saint-Tropez to be an interesting name to give a tourist shop in Japan...I had no clue what it had to do with the actual Saint-Tropez. The second photo is of a deer that was looking for some handouts from the schoolboys eating lunch...there were a lot of deer wandering around like in Nara, though not nearly as much. At night, the stone lanterns are supposed to light up (in the 3rd and 4th photos) - I've been told it's quite scenic.
Almost at the gate. You can see the low tide offered a good opportunity to get up close to the gate.
Up close to the otorii gate, and some views from inside the bay at low tide. The large shrine in the last photo is Itsukushima-jinja, the most famous shrine on Miyajima because when the high tide comes it, it also appears to be floating (you can probably guess it's often referred to as the floating shrine). I didn't go in to take a look since it cost money, it was low tide, and what it had to offer inside wasn't of interest to me.
Then I wandered my way to one of 3 hiking trails that went up Misen, the tallest mountain on the island. I chose the route rated as the least difficult because it was the closest to the otorii gate and it would take the least time (I wanted to get back to Hiroshima before evening, but I'll explain that later on). It was a pretty easy hike going up, mostly stone steps, though it started raining during the hike and I wasn't prepared rain. Luckily it was only like rain so I didn't actually get that wet. It took me around an hour to get to the summit - I finally made it to a summit! But Misen was only a mere 530m tall. Still, after stopping for an ice cream cone at the tiny rest house at the summit (nothing special, it was pre-packaged), I still enjoyed the view. There was a 1.6km long rope-way I could have taken from the base, but it was too expensive for my budget, and more importantly, the view from the top just isn't as great if you don't put some effort into getting there. There were surprisingly some deer at the summit! The descent wasn't the easiest though (even though the descents are almost always easier), but it wasn't because of the trail itself; it was because of my hiking boots! The trail was now wet, and my boots kept slipping all over the many rocks that made up the path. And these weren't even smooth rocks, they had rough surfaces. Still, my boots couldn't grip it and there were a couple times where I could have easily injured myself if I hadn't been able to quickly drop my centre of gravity to help stop myself from slipping off a rock. So a quick aside here that I think needs to be said: I had bought the North Face Dhaulagiri hiking boots, which were supposed to be top-of-the-line hiking/backpacking boots with all these fancy features like a special Vibram sole, fancy ankle support, and constructed of breathable waterproof Gore-Tex. I obviously looked up reviews of the boots, though there were only a couple, but they were all positive. Well here's my review in case anyone out there is looking for more than just a couple: They are terrible boots. Don't buy them! If you value your safety, look elsewhere (these weren't cheap boots either). I already mentioned how even as being brand new, they were slipping all over the wet sidewalk tiles in Shanghai. These boots offer no grip, and the stitching inside the boot have already begin to tear quite a bit (which I've now learned are a common complaint of North Face boots). Anyway, now that I've got that out, enjoy some more pictures!
Making my way to the trailhead, at the Hokoku shrine grounds. The first photo is outside Senjokaku hall, which is also known as the Pavilion of a Thousand Tatami Mats (though apparently there aren't any actual mats inside, it just refers to the large size of the floor inside...I didn't see it since I didn't pay to go inside). The second photo is of the five-storied pagoda, that's constructed from a blend of Chinese and Japanese styles (which is not supposed to be very common in Japan).
A young deer feeding...I've never seen it this close before (I was a metre away, and the mother didn't act worried at all).
At Momijidani-koen, a park I had to go through to get to the trailhead. Can you spot the deer in the second photo?
At the trailhead; I took the harder way (to the right).
Views from along the hike. There were supposed to be wild monkey along the trails, but unfortunately I didn't see any. I found out later that they all hang around the rope-way station...I guess sometimes the easier way is more rewarding, but what kind of lesson is that (hahaha)?
From the plateau below the summit, where a few temples have been built. Both photos are from an area known as Misen Hondo, where the famous Japanese Buddhist monk Kobodaishi Kukai trained for 100 days. The first photo is a peek inside Daisho-in, the main hall of Misen Hondo, and the second photo is of Kiezu-no Reikado (Eternal Fire Hall in English), with a fire inside said to bit lit by Kukai and supposedly has stayed lit continuously for the past 1,160 years.
Making my way through the final winding path of apparently strange-shaped rocks (they didn't look that strange to me) to the summit. There were quite a few of those tiny rock memorials at and around the summit.
At the summit! The 5th and 6th photos are some views from the observation deck of the rest house. I found it quite funny how the deer knew there was food inside the rest house (it actually watched me for a bit while I ate my ice cream), but knew not to come inside! I also ate a couple protein bars at the summit for lunch, which prompted one of the deer to adamantly follow me until I walked into the winding path.
On the way back down, watching a mother deer clean her child.
An "interesting" shirt I saw at a souvenir shop walking back to the ferry port. In case you can't see the smaller text (since I shrunk the photos for the blog), it says: "Quench your thirst of hert with the collection Parody's-T Super Homo's Mad'am ni Try. Feel the bodily sensation you've never experienced befor." If you ignore all the selling errors, I'll let you think you about the phrase, especially the last sentence haha.
The tide had started to rise (obviously) after my hike...there was already enough water to make the gate look like it was floating (though not the full effect).
On the way back to the ferry port, making my way through the street only lined with souvenir shops, small restaurants, and stores selling Japanese treats. There were several stores all selling the treat I bought, all with mini-factories making fresh treats inside. It was only around 80 yen (about $1 CDN) for one, so I figure I'd try one. They're sweet paste baked inside batter in a shape of a maple leaf. I chose the one with green tea flavoured paste.
Back at the ferry port at Miyajima...there were so many school kids, at least a couple hundred! I guess Miyajima is a popular school field trip.
On the ferry ride back, watching another ferry boat depart for Miyajima.
I found out in the hostel the night before that the Carp had a home game this night. I read that the Hiroshima baseball fans were one of the wildest baseball fans in Japan, so I knew it was something I had to see if a ticket was reasonably priced. And it wasn't too bad - 1600 yen (about $20 CDN) for a ticket in the unreserved section (the cheapest seats). The game was at 6PM, which is why I missed the high tide at Miyajima (which was after 6PM). Unfortunately, I didn't make the best use of my time when I got back to Hiroshima...I walked to the baseball stadium (about 15 minutes from the station) to buy the ticket, then walked back to the hostel to drop off my bags (since it was a hassle to bring in bags like it is here), and then walked back to the stadium...a wasted 45 minutes, all in the rain. But at least I got to pick up some dinner (there were a lot of little shops selling food on the street leading up to the stadium) on my second trip back to the hostel, since food inside the stadium was probably very expensive (which it was). It wasn't bad either; I bought fried udon and deep-fried chicken. The baseball game was a great experience - the game itself obviously isn't any different, but the fans are fanatics, in a crazed yet organized manner haha. It's a bit difficult to describe, it's more of a "you have to be there" kind of thing, but it's very different from how the fans are in North America. The Carps won (it was almost a blowout for the first half of the game), so you can imagine how happy the fans were. But apparently, I didn't get to see the full extent of frenzy the fans are known for. The Carp played the Yokohama BayStars that night, a "mediocre" team to put it lightly, so it wasn't as exciting as if the Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo's team) came to play, which I've read are the Carp's main rivals (so the fans apparently go ballistic). So even though it wasn't fuly packed, the fans still made watching the game a lot more enjoyable.
At the stadium, with my ticket.
The view from the seat I chose (in the unreserved section, there's no assigned seats, just first come, first serve basis).
The teams warming up. The Carp are in the white and red jerseys.
Some views before the game. I decided to try a chocolate churro...it's another treat the Japanese need to work on replicating hahaha. The concession stands sell the usual American stadium fare, but also Japanese food! You know you're in Japan when you're watching a baseball game and the spectators around you are eating their meals with chopsticks instead of their hands haha.
The fan zones - entire seating areas sectioned off only for fans of the home and away teams. This was just before the game started. You'll see below, by the 2nd inning, as more people trickled in, the Crap side was packed...the BayStars' side was still just as empty...how sad hahaha.
The Carp mascot, a big blue bird/chicken/alien thing...don't ask me how that relates to carp.
The Carp score their first run.
Fans going wild after the Carp score their 2nd run.
A contest winner hugging his buddy at the middle of the 2nd inning...you can see the Carp were already up 4-0.
The BayStars already having a mound meeting.
Some action shots from different angles (and me) as I walked around the stadium.
Making my way to try out the caramel popcorn...it wasn't too bad, but not as buttery as it is here. The beer girls were everywhere in the stadium (you can see one walking in front of me in the first photo). It was quite amusing watching these tiny Japanese girls carry these huge tanks of cold Asahi beer on their backs, selling fresh tapped beer...must be a backbreaking job.
Strikeout!
The Carp fans going crazy, especially in the fan zone, waving banners like soccer fans! You can see the section had filled up (as well as the regular reserved seats). The Carp fans had a lot to cheer about that night, which was great for me to see.
The Japanese really know how to watch baseball.
Things finally going the BayStars' way - they scored on a Carp error (3rd base was overthrown).
The fans go wild after the Carp score a home run (and more)!
The Crap win it, 9-5 (notice the near blowout by the end of the 2nd inning)!
As I left the stadium with the crowds, I could still hear the fans in the fan zone cheering about the Carp's win!
I kept seeing these fruit jelly desserts at the convenies, so I finally decided to try one after the game. The jelly had a sweet somewhat-berry flavour to it, and I'm assuming the white blocks inside the jelly were pieces of a fruit, but I couldn't tell which fruit it was.
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