Miyajima Island: Part II

We stopped for a quick snack of momiji manju (maple leaf shaped cake with red bean filling). Miyajima is known for these, and there were tons of different shops selling them. The momiji manju machines were fascinating. We were able buy a couple of manju hot off the press.




This place was cute. There was a tiny seating area, and they had free tea.



There were two choices, skin on and skinless bean filling. I thought I would like skinless, but it turns out I like the texture of the skin on better.


Other places had other fillings like chocolate and custard. There was also a place that sold deep fried momiji manju on a stick, which my sister and BIL tried.


Hello Kitty Momiji Manju!


Next we took the ropeway up Mt. Misen. We bought a one way ticket and planned to hike down.




Whaddayouknow? Another pictorial map!


I had read there were wild monkeys at the top of the mountain. These signs would certainly indicate that is the case.


And my personal favorite:


However, no monkeys were to be seen :( There was a nice view of the Seto Inland Sea, however.




We started the trek down and realized maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do the one way trip. I especially felt bad for K, who had j on his back! Fortunately, it was not a hot day. After tons of stairs (some of which were a bit treacherous), we finally made it down the mountain. Someone told us it would take about an hour, and I think that was about how long it took!

j was a trooper!


Having worked up a good appetite, we were ready for lunch. We found a place serving Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, so we thought we should give it a try.

Here is the front window display complete with a diagram and felt model. Love it!


Unlike regular okonomiyaki, which has all of the ingredients all mixed up, Hiroshima-style is carefully cooked in layers. It takes some skillz!

The final result was delicious, all the more so because we were so hungry. We split two among the four of us.

I also appreciated that they didn't cover it in kewpie mayo as I have had on previous occasions. I think we have a new food truck concept!

After we finished, we saw a place selling Hiroshima buns right across the way, so we gave them a try too. Beef or conger eel? Beef, please.

These were very hot, temperature-wise. I imagine they would be really good on a cold winter day.

To top it all off...one green tea soft serve. D really liked this one.


Finally, we saw the world's largest rice paddle:

Impressive.

I think we returned back to my sister's place around 3 p.m. My sister and I then headed back out for a brief visit to a nearby fabric store. (Very exciting, about five floors of sewing/craft supplies). My BIL showed us his Japanese cooking by making beef-rice bowls for dinner. Yum. Also, we learned that Lawson's (a popular convenience store chain) makes a mean tiramisu. Who knew? We briefly considered going out on the town after dinner, but decided to take it easy. This was probably our most relaxed day of the trip, and we needed it.