No choice really

What else could I possibly post after visiting Miyajima today? There were stunning views all around, and we had a great day of weather for it, but when I loaded up all the pictures...well, here we are. The light was great, the tide was still in, the Fuji continues to do me proud (and alleviate my failings), and if it's good enough for UNESCO the it's probably good enough for me.

So that was that, we went to Miyajima, job done. Not quite.

We took a streetcar (tram to me, hmm, tram...that seems to ring a bell) to the station, then a local train to Miyajimaguchi. Caught the ferry (traghetto, or tiny Calmac but smaller) to Miyajima after picking up conger eel bento boxes from somewhere reportedly famous for them, and headed over towards Itsukushima-jinja Shrine and its famous floating tori. After a few snaps, we headed for a quieter spot to settle down for lunch. The island is home to many freely roaming deer like Nara) who get very interested whenever anyone brings out food.

After filling up, we headed up towards the ropeway to take us part way up Mt Misen, the peak of the island. A relaxed pace trip on this later, we took in the first of a few amazing panoramas of the inland sea area and set off towards the summit. Unfortunately the construction of the viewing platforms at the top wasn't complete yet, but we made do with skirting the sheer edges to see the fantastic views on offer. Equally disappointing was the lack of the mythical vending machine atop a hill, but I guess that will come with the platform. There was a portaloo...

Anyway, back down to the shrine and we headed in to have a look around and pick up an infamously bad fortune. Apparently Miyajima is known for dishing out terrible fortunes, and thus is massively adorned with the unwanted scripts tied up. L did well, she got a stinker. I wasn't too bad, nothing that good at all but some fortune in business and competition apparently, so I held on to mine. Nori, well well. He'd built this place up as the the most awful place for fortunes, such that if you get a good one it is best to tie it up rather than use all your luck getting a good fortune. He only went and got a good 'un. And he kept it.

Well done to him I guess.

Just before heading back we caught the musical sessions of a gagaku ceremony at the shrine. Much use of the pentatonic scale the description said, and that is something I could pick out. We had to leave before the two hours of dancing started, those guys really took their time getting set up and Nori had a train to catch. Luckily he timed it well and is able to rely on the Japanese rail service running to time. But we didn't leave before we had a chat with some camera wielding locals - they took a shine to my Fujis and assumed I was some kind of awesome guy. Of course I couldn't understand a word of it, but that's what I took. Nori confirmed their admiration of my cameras, but nothing else.

One last thing, with 4 minutes to spare at the station we managed (just) to grab some local fried delicacies to keep us going. They are maple leaf shaped dough buns, filled with sweet bean curd. Sold everywhere, but the maple leaf variety are local to Miyajima and only at Miyajima do you get them fried. Yum yum, if you're ever there get some.

And watch out for the deer.