Floating Torii

After our somber visit through the Peace Memorial Park we decided some sushi would lighten the mood. It took a bit of searching but we eventually found the “roto,” a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant at the train station. Most normal people put wasabi in the soy-sauce, but not Jason, who managed to stir Japanese green tea powder into his sauce! Guess the waiter just didn’t realize that’s how we eat our sushi! Being fair the green tea did look like wasabi with a slightly different texture. ^.^

After the sushi experience we trotted down to Miyajima, a small island off the coast of Hiroshima that is filled with Japanese history and religion. The area is filled with temples, pagodas, and the orange “floating torii” making it a very sacred place. So much so that in the past, women were not permitted on the island and old people were shipped off when it was time to die, therefore, preserving the purity of the island. But times of changed, and now the village is teeming with tourist, shops, and deer that try to eat your clothes.

Another sight to behold on the island is the world’s largest spatula, over 5 m in length. However, we were disappointed to learn that it was not for flipping the world’s largest pancake, but for scooping rice instead.

We met two other Americans on the ferry ride over to the island, one happened to be an oyster expert. Since, Miyajima is well known for their oysters so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. We had a mix of grilled and deep-fried oysters, all which were very tasty.