Miyajima, Japan

Miyajima is a brief train and ferry ride from Hiroshima (all included in the Japan rail pass). It's another one of Japan's top landscape views and we made a quick morning stop there.

To be honest, I think we miss timed our visit to Miyajima. The best time to go, from a photographic point of view, is at high tide when the Shinto Shrine Gate appears to be floating out at sea. Still a beautiful scene, we got there at low tide when tourists can walk up and touch the gate instead (so getting an obstructed camera shot).

It's quite a pleasant town, although lots of tourists and cheap souvenir shops, and you can walk around it in an hour or two really. There are very sociable dear that wander around, even trying to get into the restaurants for a free feed and the local delicacy seems to be fish rolls. They taste similar to Thai fishcakes and you can have them in lots of different flavours; spring onion, bacon &asparagus, chilli. Jason liked them and tried quite a few.

We then spent the afternoon trying to do our Christmas shopping and found a decent Indian restaurant for a curry and a beer. Lovely!