Miyajima

Then I took the taxi to Hiroshima station where I deftly maneuvered and muscled into the train bound for Yiwajima-guch (port). Arrived at port, bought round trip ferry ticket. I brought along an umbrella from the Hotel ( this is important later), it was supposed to rain.
Took ferry across to Yiwajima. Arrived. Was immediately greeted by a herd of wild deer. No, really the deer on Miyajima are wild but tame, they follow you around looking for food, they're everywhere.
Walked toward Ikishuma (sp) temple where the gate is. Took some pictures. Paid to go into the temple...my first experience with Buddhism. As you enter the temple, you are expected to wash your hands. There is a ladle and you pour water over your hands. Inside the temple there are gifts you can buy for the shring for "Safe Driving", "Find Eternal Love", etc.
Some of theses are prayer cards you hang around the kneck of a Budha. Absolutely amazing shrines, I didn't take a lot of pictures, because I know, if I was praying I'd be really pissed off if someone took my picture.
After taking more pictures of the gate, I wandered around a bit...then I decided. Forget about it. I may never get back here, I'm going to climb Mt. Miisen. Now, understand, usually there's a cable car that brings you up, but there was a typhoon in October that destroyed part of the temple and brought down the cable car.
OK. So, I head up Mt. Miisen. Along the way I hit a temple that is the headquarters for one of the modern sects of Budhism and a pleasant pagoda. The temple was outstanding, pictures to follow. I then continued my trek up the mountain, thinking that the path to enlightenment would come through hard work. It's 3km mostly uphill. There are steps, but I'm sure some of them are 100's or 1000's of years old. ...then there was the snow...I hadn't expected that, it was sunny but the snow from last night still covered the steps. The trip became more difficult as I tried to keep a footing in the slush.
Along the way I found a waterfall or two and beautiful views of greater Hiroshima looking back from the island. Finally, exhausted and sweaty ( I was in a suit) I made it to the top. It took me a good two hours.
"Rippa" is magnificent in Japanese, that describes the view, it felt like the top of the world. And because the cable car was broken, there was no one else at the top...except for...get this...more deer. I paused, ate my calorie-mate ( a Japanese meal substitute) and started down. Down sucked just as bad as coming up...there was snow, but there were no steps for the first 1/4 mile. Somewhere along I twisted my knee up sliding down a slushy path. So, the rest of the trip down was grueling...and, somewhere in there,I almost fell, but the umbrella steadied me...and broke...oops. It was the hotel's anyway.
I finally got to the bottom and went looking for the 5 level pagoda (pictures) adjacent to the pagoda is the 1000 mats building. It's hard to explain, but it was very cool.
Finally, I went back to the gate because I saw the tide was out. There were a couple of kids who asked me to take a picture, they did the same in return. Best picture of me in years.
So, afterwords I went shopping. Then I went to head back to Hiroshima and things got wierd/
Very wierd. I was getting on the ferry and this old man came up along side me. He spoke some broken English to me and pointed out the beautiful view. He smelled of sake or sucho, I couldn't tell and I guess I didn't care, he was friendly. We continued talking. He asked me to stad by the railing so he could take a picture. He said he'd send it to me. Old, man I figured, sure, what the heck, he's probably lonely.
So we talked during the ferry boat ride. He told me about his family asked about my job.
Then we got off the ferry and he brought me to one of those places that sells those maple leaf things (check out miyajima tourism sites for info)...he buys me more, stuffs a whole bunch of things in my bag.
So, we ride the train to Hiroshima together speaking in a combination of his broken engligh and my broken Japanese. He asks me what I'm doing tonight, I felt he might invite me over for dinner, but I didn't want to be the guy some poor woman's drunk husband brings home, so I lie about a train I need to catch later that night.
Instead, he asks me to wait with him after the train. We get coffee, buys me more cookies, and thanks me often for spending time with him.
So, on the train, he tells me he used to be a schoolteacher but he lost his job. Tells me he couldn't stand the students anymore ( he thought elementary) I told him wakarimashita ( I understand). From there he goes on to tell me that he worked for awhile as a bodyguard for the Yakuza. ( Japanese mafia, though they don't like to be called that).He procedes telling me about his experience, he asks me whether I'm with the police of Yakuza....if you can believe that...maybe he thought I was a somewhat shady character..I'm sure that changed once I told him I was an engineer.
So, we sat in this coffee shop for about a half hour and attempted to talk. He asked me to wait for him a couple of times and in grattitude I suppose (for being there when he got back) he bought me *more* Japanese confections, he would not let me refuse. Eventually, I think he got tired, and I again told him I had a train to catch later that night.
He left, very happy, I left confused, but chuckling.

BTW, Supposedly, Hiroshima is run by Yakuza, or maybe this is their preferred town to operate out; the "big boss" has a mansion in the hills. Yakuza is seen as "good gang" in Hiroshima, they are dedicated to seeing it become a great city...they've done an excellent job.

Yeah...I don't know what it is with me and ex-mafia types...but this guy claimed to have been shot twice protecting the boss. Previously, in North Carolina on Spring break back in the 90's I ran into a guy (who also just came up to me and started talking) who had 4 wives ( One in each of several countries and was in town, I inferred to make sure a Duke/Chappel Hill (UNC) game went the way he expected...and to visit his American wife. Several memebers of the now defunct WCW were in town and until now it was probably the most surreal experience of my life.
Anyway, afterward I took the tram (as opposed to the $15 taxi (tram was $1.50) back to A-bomb dome to get a night shot or two. Headed back to the hotel and somewhere along the way lost the cookies. I also had to explain how a 190 lb man broke an umbrella in the snow...
The tram is actually pretty fast and easy to use. When I got back, I headed to the grocery store and bought lots of little bottles of sake, some beer, and Green Tea ice cream with beans on it to go with dinner.