We could keep going with all of the other places we went while in Okinawa, but we think it's time to move on to some of the other things we were able to do before the end of 2012... but one final image from Okinawa: JELLYFISH. Yes, tis true, we ate jellyfish. It was cooked/boiled a tad and smothered in some type of Italian dressing... tasted kind of like gummy bears with that kind of texture too. Ick. Worth doing once to say you did it. Never again.
So moving on: y'all have already seen pics from our couple of other visits to Miyajima Island, but back in October, we went specifically to hike while it was still pleasant outside and the fall foliage was in full color (and of course, to eat oysters, always Miyajima to eat fresh oysters). There's a cable car option to take to the top of Mount Misen, but we opted to tough it out and do the hike, which turned out to be a little over a mile. Doesn't sound like much, but let me tell you, a mile straight up a mountain feels like a marathon, LOL!
It's so funny to me - Joel and I feel like we're in pretty good shape, but man, when it comes to some of these steep, uphill, stair climbing type hikes, we get worn out FAST! But, all these older Japanese folks just truck it up the mountain-side like it's nothing. When we hear them coming behind us, we act like we're going strong and not out of breath, but as soon as they pass us (we lie to ourselves that "allowing" them to pass us doesn't really give us away), we stop for a rest and to catch our breath! The things we do to save our image... :)
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| Gotta have a picture of the giant Torii Gate from the ferry |
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| Grilled oysters! |
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Fried oysters!
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| Largest rice spoon in the world |
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| We had to stop and take pictures of all the beautiful trees... it was a great time of year to come to the Island |
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| Getting distracted on our way to the mountain... this statue was several hundred thousand dollars! |
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| Nice to know that if we run a little, we can cut 3 minutes off our time to the mountain, LOL |
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| These are nice stairs here at the start of the hike... it turns in to rock slabs, packed earth, and fallen trees in just a few seconds up |
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| Koi pond |
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| Nice benches to sit and enjoy the scenery |
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| Lots of folks from base come here to get their family pictures taken at this time of year |
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| Almost to the top! |
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| Trust me, you want to chill when you get to the top... you're tuckered out and the scenery is just stunning |
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| I believe this picture is of Hiroshima |
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| LOTS of islands |
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| We stopped at the fire hall, which is practically at the top of the mountain... pretty cool, but SO smokey! |
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| We followed these steps up a ways more to see shrines and such |
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| More scenic shots from the hike down the mountain |
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| We love to take pictures of Japanese signs... these two were on the train ride back to Iwakuni :-p |
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| Well, would you? |
Japan is so fun. :)
I can totally relate to the "saving your image" thing. When I went for a hike on the Daishoin course, I had to stop and catch my breath after every several steps! It was an endless climb on stone steps. And whenever people, especially the older ones, passed me while I was gasping for air, I pretended to take pictures of the scenery and greenery to save face. These old Japanese people really amaze me.
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