Spring on Miyajima — mountains, beach and greedy deer

Can we just start off by saying how proud I am of the 3 of us? No matter how early we have to leave, no matter when our train leaves or we have a table in the restaurant - so far we have always been on time and managed everything. Even with Kian we manage to divide our time appropriately - I celebrate that.

And so the alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. and we finally had to take the boat to Miyajima at 9:30 a.m. We went out to the open sea via a canal in Hiroshima and then directly to Miyajima. The island is almost completely green, there is only one small village left there.

The boat took us there. First we went to the red tori on the island. This stands, so to speak, as an entrance gate in the sea in front of the Itsukushima Shrine. Incidentally, Tori is one of the top three most photographed attractions in Japan.

No wonder, the sight is unique. And we were particularly impressed by the sea, which shimmered in what felt like 100 different shades of blue (see photo).

Later we took the cable car to Mount Misen. From there you have a wonderful view of Hiroshima, the coast, the sea and the many offshore islands. Wonderful!

However, the second gondola there was a challenge for me. While the first gondola was a normal 8-seater, the second was a large-capacity gondola. More than 30 people fit in there. Or should I say “should fit in”, because it felt like we were already on our feet. Terrible.

But luckily the ride was quick and the view from the top was 1000% worth it.

Back in the village we went for a long walk. Ate traditional cakes and curry filled rolls. Both super tasty.

The numerous free-roaming deer on the island also seem to find it really tasty. They wanted to snatch the roll right out of Siar's hand.

We stayed in the sun by the sea for the rest of the day and just enjoyed the view. It is now spring in Japan and that is reflected in the temperatures. It's bearable at 17 degrees and sunny.

In the afternoon we took the boat back to Hiroshima. At the main station we picked up our tickets for the onward journey to Osaka and went for dinner.

There was something new again. Okonomiyaki. I describe it as a pancake made with noodles, egg, cheese and sauce. Super tasty 😋

Tomorrow we're going to Osaka. Our last stop in Japan. We are very happy and are excited to see what we can tell you.

Hiroshima is definitely our highlight so far. Most beautiful city with the most beautiful surroundings. Would recommend everyone to come here — it's worth it!