Jessica Wandering

Photos and thoughts on my travels

Shinkansen! And Hiroshima

Bullet Train! Up to 185 mph. Driving from Tokyo to Hiroshima is 10 hours and Bullet train is just under five!
Completely humane leg room and overhead space. No seatbelts because the ride is so smooth.
Fuji makes its own clouds too!
We got there in time for a sunset walk. The park was chosen because it has lots of cats. But neither of the two we saw wanted any pets.
We had a stroll by the river at night too. I really like this city. Big enough to have the variety of places and options, but small enough for people to talk a little on the busses and trains. It is pretty eerie to be on a packed subway in Tokyo and NO one is talking.
The next day we took a ferry to Miyajima.
The famous floating gate
The temple
Very tame deer. They are really little and likely tame because they are fed, though I’m I din’t see anybody feed them.
Team ride up the mountain. We only had enough cash for one way.
I don’t know what kind of tree this is but it is just starting to leaf or bloom and is quite striking.
The view from the top reminds me of Mt Constitution
Neat ferns. Not quite like ours.
Even after the two trams. It’s a hike down and then up to get to the top.
With shrines along the way. This one has a flame that has been lit for 1200 years.
And a bunch of tiny Buddha statues
And other small sacred articles along the way
Near the top you climb through some fallen granite.
And then at the top is another deer. I like how shaggy his beard is.
And the Buddhas start wearing hats.
Then down the stairs begins. They are sturdy but most are tall risers and the trail is mostly stairs.
Occasional flat section where you can listen to the birds
More hats!
Little shrines along the way.
So so many stairs. Again, probably the best maintained trail I can imagine. Not a loose or broken one all the way down. Did I mention Zarah sprained her ankle 2 days before we left? Or that my knee is acting up? 1500 feet of descent is a lot in 2 miles.
Tons of tiny Buddhas with red hats at the bottom temple.
And a peace marker just like the one by the Quaker Meeting House on the NW corner entering the U-Bridge at home.
Entrance to the last big temple, but we didn’t have the legs to explore anymore.

It was a lovely day. So nice to be out of a city after the bustle of Tokyo. The hike was completely wonderful, such beautiful birdsong and enclosed in trees. It was really grounding and good.

jessicaeastre

3 responses to “Shinkansen! And Hiroshima”

  1. Vfelton Avatar
    Vfelton

    Looks lake a really amazing place. I want to go there!

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    1. jessicaeastre Avatar
      jessicaeastre

      It really was a lovely city and a lovely island.

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  2. jenniferlblackburn Avatar
    jenniferlblackburn

    Shinkansen! 🚅 🚄 So sleek! Miyajima looks really beautiful. Look at those relaxed deer! So many tiny buddhas, haha. And a LOT of stairs. Glad your knee is feeling a bit better now thanks to mystical healing! Nice that you got to get out of the city.

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