Getting Reacquainted 8 – The Inland Sea – 瀬戸内海 [Setonaikai], Day 2

Sunrise - [if it doesn't, seen or unseen, nothing else matters]

on the beach

"preservation" area and mom and pop store

     Day 2 greeted us with a breathtaking sunrise. After a leisurely cup of coffee in the futon, we headed for a last soak in the hot spring bath followed by breakfast, checkout and a stroll along the beach and breakwaters before setting off to the ferry landing for the 10:10 boat to Omishima Island.

house overgrown with weeds and vines

     We arrived early in the port town of Kinoe and had some time to explore what the ferry attendant told us was a “preservation area”, which means older wooden buildings constructed in a traditional Japanese style. We found the old street in a somewhat dilapidated and abandoned looking condition. Many of the old houses were in a state of disrepair, some in a rather advanced state of decay, overgrown with weeds and neglected vines. The few inhabitants we saw around a shop with some fruit and vegetables on display on the side of the road were elderly—a good example of the depopulation and abandonment of the rural towns and villages by the younger generations. Even the ferry landing was in a state of neglect and disrepair, but the ferryboat showed up right on time. In Japan, the trains (and ferries) run on time--no matter what!

street looks empty and abandoned

ferry arriving [note broken rusty pipes], on time

many small dry docks among the islands

goin' fishing

one of the suspension bridges on the Shimanami Highway
(not my photo, courtesy of the web)

what the well-dressed "pirate" wore

"pirate" boat with flag logo

     Our first destination after landing on Omishima Island was the interchange to get onto the Shimanami Highway and head south to Oshima Island where there is a “pirate” museum that Road Buddy wanted to see. They weren't really pirates of the peg leg and eye patch variety. They started out as guides for merchant boats through the tricky currents and whirlpools around the islands becoming quite successful and wealthy “businessmen” in their own right. 

whirlpool
(courtesy of Japan Travel -
 on the web)

     Today there is a museum in their honor. You could also take a small tour boat across the road from the museum to go out and have a look at a whirlpool and we were considering doing that as well. However, the time we arrived at the boat landing was too early to see the whirlpool, since the tide was not right, so we just looked around the museum for a while and then started to head back north on the Shimanami until we started to feel hungry and got off the highway at a rest stop on Ikuchi Island to look for some sandwiches, but couldn't find any.

intricately carved gate at Kosanji Temple

     While waiting for Road buddy I was looking at an information board about the area and noticed a colorful intriguing looking temple on Ikuchi Island called Kosanji. When she returned I told her about it and showed her the poster [similar to the photo on the right] and we decided to go and have a look and perhaps find a convenience store with sandwiches and potato chips and do a picnic at the temple. 

Conclusion later...