Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Tori Gate at Miyajima Island

image by Southworth Sailor
image, a photo by Southworth Sailor on Flickr.

Staying in hostels definitely puts one in close contact with other travelers. Such was our experience in Hiroshima. We picked up a traveling companion for the morning. Adam just finished his two and a half year service with the Peace Corp. in Bulgaria and was doing some travel on his way home to Atlanta. The skies over Hiroshima were the familiar liquid grey of the Pacific Northwest. We took a short train ride and ferry to Miyajima Island and the famous Tori Gate and Shinto shrine. Behind Mt. Fuji, this is the most recognizable site in Japan. We were able to enjoy the sights, eat and do some shopping in the market before a rain squall drenched the area which knocked down a tree over the train tracks and delayed our plans. We spent the afternoon traveling to the metropolis of Osaka. We are staying in a hostel type hotel rather than the Internet hotel that Calvin had planned for us. Our feminine contingent was not so sure. The nightlife of Osaka does not seem to slow down for the weeknight as the streets and bars were filled with young people and workers sharing a drink with friends.

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