TTT2019: Day 7--Hiroshima to Miyazaki

Miyajima is that island with the orange torii close by Hiroshima.  Scroll down to my visit there yesterday.

Miyazaki is often mistaken for Miyajima, but is about as different as can be.  Miyazaki is both a prefecture and city located in the southwest corner of Kyushu.

I had half a chicken and musubi for lunch, with beer and sake:

We took an alternate way to Miyazaki from Hiroshima, transferring in Kokura, then Oita.  The first two hours of our ride from Oita to Miyazaki was the most beautiful sakura trip I've ever experienced.  Add up all the cherry blossoms I've seen throughout my life, and this two-hour period exceeded that number by at least a factor of ten, if not 100.  There are mountains and mountains and mountains full of fully bloomed Sakura.  Tourists don't travel this route, and this was my first experience at this.  Unfortunately, the setting on my camera was on "P," which badly distorted the actual scenes:

Interestingly enough, even though we were traveling south, there were only a few cherry trees in blossom from hour 2 to 3 because, I would guess, the cold ocean currents cool this region of Kyushu.  On the return to Fukuoka tomorrow we are taking the traditional path of Miyazaki to Kagoshima-Chuo, where we catch the shinkansen to Hakata, or Fukuoka.  

The Miyazaki Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort opened in 1994, which is the first time I came here.  I know of no one from Hawaii or Japan who has ever stayed in Miyazaki overnight.  I made this out-of-the-way journey because I wanted to maximize my Japan Rail Pass miles, and stayed here, and also the Sheraton in Sapporo.  That hotel is no more.  In 1994 I had no idea that Miyazaki was world-famous for Japanese Wagyu Beef.  Both the sturgeon farms for caviar and the highly-prized mangoes came a decade and more later in this 21st century.  Amazingly enough, there is no tour to any of these facilities.  If they now find a way to grow truffles, they will have a monopoly in Japan of the finest cuisine.

We again got a nice corner room with a terrific view.  However, the camera setting was still on P.

Brunch was at the Pine Terrace.  First time I ever had five soups and noodles in one meal:

The Executive Lounge opens at 5PM for free food and drinks.

-

TTT2019: Day 6--Hiroshima

We boarded the Sakura Shinkansen, taking us from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima.  My traditional bento with sake and beer:

Teriyaki beef over rice with egg and side something, with beer and sake, plus tsukemono chips.  A bit much you say?  Well, I got significantly one-upped today by an Indonesian couple.  They said that they went to a special outlet at the Shin-Osaka Station and had them fix for them an octopus over rice bowl, and two kinds of Japanese wagyu beef:

You will note that their can of beer is larger than mine, and, they had half a carton of sake.  Jen and Judy once lived in San Francisco and Hawaii, and now own an island in Indonesia, where they own a skin-diving resort  which is for some a bucket-list site.  Clearly, I'll need to upgrade my Bullet Train meal package.

That photo below is shown because in it is Himeji Castle, the largest in Japan.  It is located in the city of Himeji.  

On arrival, we were met by my Blue-Bar Pigeon:

Just at the foot of our hotel, the Hiroshima Sheraton, is a sightseeing loop bus system which is free if you have a Japan Rail Pass.  We went to the Hiroshima Peace Park:

There were only a few blooming cherry trees:

The next must if you're in Hiroshima is to catch the JR train from Hiroshima to Miyajima, then board the JR ferry to the island:

That's an oyster farm.  Then, of course, the famous Miyajima Torii, the Shinto Itsukushima Shrine.

Sakura here and there up the hill.  Many deers on the island:

This one was standing in line to enter the restaurant.

A samurai named Taira, who almost became Shogun.  Sights and cuisine:

Spaghetti sandwich?  Actually this makes sense, for many have garlic bread with pasta.

Returning to Hiroshima, we got a corner room at the Hiroshima Sheraton, and I show these two photos, because this is what we see, imagining what they looked like after Little Boy, the Uranium Bomb, fell on 6August1945:

Hawaii has a special sister-city relationship with Hiroshima, for many, if not most, of Japanese roots can be traced back to this area.  I am the only one I know in Hawaii who is originally linked to Hokkaido.

The executive lounge here is fine:

In particular, I had a Suntory Japon on ice, a green tea liquor which I'll need to get at Duty Free before I leave for Honolulu.  I was talked into this photo taken by Mystery Lady:

-

TTT2019: Day 5--Osaka

Today was non-stop touring, so I'll just post a lot of photos with little texting.  Our first visit was to the top of our building on the 60th floor, Harukas 3000:

A lot of stuff for kids.

Then, on to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan:

Even some plants:

Yes, even a Blue-Bar Pigeon.

Ah, but the sealife.  Certainly the two Whale Sharks were the stars, and here they are:

There were other attractions:

I took about a hundred more photos, but let us move on to Osaka Castle:

Across the street is Osaka NHK, and note that the cherry blossoms have not yet bloomed.  There were exceptions:

Of course, there is a castle, and the second photo is a reflection of Osaka Castle:

At this point I was so hungry, so bought a grilled hot dog and a can of Sapporo:

A bit unsettling, but a crow watched me eat.

Back to the Osaka Marriott Miyako, I took a bath, followed by my executive lounge dinner:

Final photo taken by Mystery Lady.  Tomorrow, on to Hiroshima.

-