If I wasn't already a convert to this lifestyle, my day in Hiroshima certainly sealed the deal. It was one of those days that started with no plans and ended with a treasure trove of memories.
We woke up like any other day in our home cabin on the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship, checked out email on our phones, then got up and went upstairs to the breakfast buffet and had our favorite - a bowl of fresh fruit with yogurt and granola.
"What do you want to do today?" This was our discussion over coffee. There was a group of residents going together on a walking tour of the war memorials. We had not signed up for that because we signed up for the one in Nagasaki and that was enough. It looked like a beautiful day (although very hot) and we were itching for some activity in nature after having seen so much of the big cities lately. We would even be ok with staying on the ship today but we remembered hearing about Miyajima Island that was a short train ride and then a ferry to where the "floating Torii gate" was. Id love to get my own photo of that sight that is in so many brochures of Japan. We could go this morning and be back on the ship by the hottest party of the afternoon. Sounds like a plan!
The Journey and Our First Greeting
We hopped the free ship shuttle to the local train station, took about a20 minutes ride to the ferry and another 15 minutes to the island. As soon as we got off we were greeted by the local deer! People must be obeying the signs for"don't feed the deer" because they didn't seem to be looking for handouts not they sure were tame. Pretty too.
The Floating Gate and a Surprise Performance
We had seen the Torii gate from the ferry so we knew which way to go. There were plenty of people but not really crowded. The red-orange gate was indeed quite a sight and we took several photos. Then! We saw people setting up the drums for a taiko performance.
Back in Florida we would enjoy taiko performances at the Morikami Japanese gardens in Boca Raton. I think mom even took classes. Also at Epcot in the Japan section. The precision of their synchronized drumming is very impressive. And, their movements are fun to watch also.
A Mountain View and More Drumming
They were fantastic and we had good vantage points to take photos and videos.
After the drumming we decided to take the ropeway tram up the mountain to see the view. The walk up to the tram was thru a gorgeous primeval forest. Definitely getting our nature fix today
Here's a 2 minute video of the day.
The day's magic didn't end there. When we returned to the ship, another taiko performance was underway on the pool deck. A local group, including a charming group of kids, put on a show for the residents. It was the perfect end to a day that had started with a simple question: "What do you want to do today?"
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