Trains, Bikes, and Planes

 

Summary

This will be a shorter post, since there was only 4 days left in our trip! We took the train all the way from Katsuura to Hiroshima, which took almost a full day (with a few transfers along the way). After spending a couple nights in Hiroshima, we went to Onomichi. There, we rented bikes and did a 2 day bike trip called the Shimanami Kaido across some islands to Imabari. Then, we flew back to Tokyo, and then back to Vancouver. 

Full map

Last few days

Highlights

Miyajima Island

While we were in Hiroshima, we took a day trip to a nearby island called Miyajima. It was pretty touristy, but it was really nice! We got to see a Torii gate out in the middle of the ocean, and hiked up to the top of the island for a nice view of the area. They also had these deer that were pretty aggressive in trying to get food from the tourists. 

On the ferry over

Torii gate

Deer! They were eating everything, including some of the paper maps 

Statues with knitted hats 

Top of the hike

Peace memorial

While we were in Hiroshima, we took some time to explore the peace park, and also the peace museum. The museum was very impactful, and showed both the horror and suffering from the atomic bomb, but also ended with a note of hope and a call for “no more Hiroshima”. 

I think the most striking part of the museum for me was the panoramic photos of the city after the bomb. It was hard to capture just how completely destroyed the city was, and it was shocking seeing the same rivers and landmarks that we could see just walking around the city. It felt very real how badly it got destroyed. 

Art made from paper cranes

Atomic bomb dome, one of the few buildings that survived the bomb

Flame of peace, which will continue burning until there are no more nuclear weapons

Atomic bomb dome on the panoramic photo

Another part of the massive panoramic photo

Bike tour

The 2 day bike tour we did was really amazing, and one of the highlights of the whole trip for me. The route took us across 6 islands, connected by 7 bridges. The ride was so pretty, along the coast with the ocean and island views for almost the whole way. 

There were also lots of stops along the way to see different sights and attractions! The bridges were also really cool to see, the final one was over 4km long. 

Bike path

Top of a lookout we climbed up to

It was a LONG climb to the lookout

Random roadside attraction

Bonsai trees!

The “lemon monster”, this area is known for lemons and citrus 

Ice cream!

Rose garden stop

In front of the final bridge

Views from the bridge

Made it!

Also, a funny story from this last photo. The woman who took the photo for us was walking her dog (which was a super tiny dog). While she was taking the photo, her dog managed to squeeze out of the leash and started running away!! Its legs were tiny, so it couldn’t run very fast, but the woman wasn’t very fast either. I didn’t want to chase it and scare the dog more, so we just had to watch as this slow chase happened and try not to laugh. Thankfully she caught it after chasing it around for a couple minutes. 

Trains

I’ve really enjoyed travelling by train in Japan. The seats are super comfy, and I find it really relaxing just to sit and look out the window. Also, I don’t usually get nauseous like I do on the bus or planes sometime. 

Also, the bullet trains were super fast and really efficient to get around with. I’ll miss taking the trains when I’m back in Canada. 

Bullet train arriving

Views from the train near Katsuura

Food Review 

Momiji

On Miyajima Island, they are known for momiji, or maple leaf shaped deserts. We tried some of them which were really good! They had a machine making them fresh in front of you. 

Momiji with red bean filling

With ice cream!

Machine making them fresh

Onomichi ramen

On the bike ride, we got to try Onomichi style ramen, which is known for using a soy sauce base instead. I usually find the normal style of ramen to be too rich and creamy, but this one I really liked! I think it also helped that we had been biking for the whole morning at this point and we were super hungry. 

Other Photos

Temple in Setoda, where we spent the middle night of our bike trip

At an okonomiyaki spot in Hiroshima

Hiroshima victims memorial 

Final Note

This marks the end of another trip! I really enjoyed my time in Japan, and experiencing the Japanese culture. There’s still so much more to explore, and I hope someday I can come back. Thank you all for following along!