2016年 12月 22日 (木)
Today, we travelled westward to Hiroshima. Before making a U-Turn heading eastward... but stopping a fraction of the way at an island called Okunoshima, or more famously known as “Rabbit Island”.
As we weren’t stopping by our bnb, we found ourselves a luggage room owned by the Chugoku JR Bus Company. Inside, were the sweetest ladies I’ve come across. We were talking and they informed us that they closed at 18:00. I thought it was all right and proceeded to hand over our luggage. Before entering the luggage room, I had been calculating the time it would take to get us to Okunoshima and back. Even after, I was still working it out and it was at that moment I realised my small blunder (of course). The moment we stepped in, the ladies already began retrieving our bags and getting our money back. The best.
Thank to my little mishap, we were rushing to another luggage room that would accommodate us, as directed by the kind ladies. This luggage room was hidden away towards the back end of the station where commuters normally don't reach. Place closed at 20:00 and costed ¥400.
Hiroshima to Osaka takes about 2hrs on the shinkansen. Travelling a fifth of that distance to the ferry port on a regular train was equally as long…
believe in the heart of the cards
tfw all Exodia cards
Arriving in Hiroshima, the weather wasn’t great; the gloomy skies were coming down with rain and the humidity felt yuck. Coming off the train at Tadano-Umi station, it was still very much the same. Despite that, there were still plenty of people wanting to visit the island.
Tadano-Umi port was a short walk along some small roads. Arriving at the port, there was a small booth selling rabbit food and merchandise. The ferry tickets aren’t sold there but through the vending machine instead, with our round trip costing ¥620. There wasn’t much information about the ferry timetable online and the one piece I did find wasn't reliable. So here’s one that’s straight from the source.
With an uneventful 15mins, we reached land and young Wilson lit up like a Christmas tree as we saw the horde of bunnies rush to us. There was soooo so many… and with this innumerable amount of bunnies meant an exponential amount of excrement and an inversely proportional amount of excitement (not Wil, he was over the moon).
Tiptoeing around the minefield of poop caltrops, we made it up to this museum before making another U-Turn back for the ferry. The island’s attractions, barring the bunnies, seemed lacklustre and the wet weather didn’t help us stay any longer. The rabbits though… they were so freaking adorable, especially the teeny-weeny babies. Annoyingly, every time I tried to photograph the little ones, the older bunnies would come up and try to hog the limelight.
⏩ it’s very late, we’ve collected our luggage and were now waiting at the station. Hiroshima’s public transport is predominantly tram based and booooy do I hate it. This one first time experience was enough to ruin it for life.
Our bnb was only reachable by the #1 tram. At the stop, the #2 tram rocked up and stationed itself. People were getting on and off, the usual process. Except… it stationed itself for another 15+ minutes. And people were still getting off… only to get back on… and then off again... I could clearly see our #1 in the distance waiting to pull up. More minutes passed and more passengers came and went. What?!
When the #1 tram finally docked, we had to sit through more idiots coming and going for another ten or so minutes before actually moving. Only to stop… we moved merely metres from where we were. What was supposed to be a 20min trip turned into an hour long F U.
As soon as we made it to the bnb, we (read: I) bolted off to make it to Nagata-Ya Okonomiyaki before doors closed. Spoiler alert: we made it.
Securing a table grill side, we were able to watch the chefs prepare the okonomiyaki. Strategically getting our stomachs grumbling with the mouth-watering display of cooking.
The food was fantastic. With the range of okonomiyaki available, we were spoilt for choice. Portions were appropriately sized, textures were great and each mouthful was packed with a delicious flavour punch. Pricing is in the cheapish to mid-range and was well worth it.
Returning to the bnb, we were able to fully appreciate its entire glory. Similar to the Kyoto penthouse bnb, we had an entire floor to ourselves. Multiple rooms with ample space, bathroom fully decked out with just about everything a hotel would have and a lovely kitchen and dining space - it was glorious. There’s even a TALKING REFRIGERATOR. Located in the heart of the city, it is an incredible stay and I wholeheartedly recommend staying there.
Spending the night in the comfort of the bnb, we enjoyed each other’s company and the amazing wonders of Japanese television. Thanks for reading and join me next time for our visit to Miyajima and our departure for Nagoya.
Itching for another hit of adorableness? Hop over to Carolyn's post for more cuteness.