Today (and what a beautiful, sunny day it was; seriously), I felt well enough to visit Amanohashidate, one of the three most beautiful spots in Japan.
I wasn't that well enough, I guess, because I forgot to bring my camera, but I got to use Niels' for today.
The train ride wasn't very spectacular, save for that fact that the train we got into was the same model we saw in the Mojiko Railway Museum a few days
earlier. A comfy ride, to say the least.
Upon arrival, it became very clear, very fast, that this town expected tourists; restaurants were at least 200 yen more expensive, gift shops everywhere and people from tour boats trying to reel us in.
But that doesn't phase us, so we went walking.
One of the main attractions of Amanohashidate is a 4km strip of sandy land with pine trees, separating the Miyazu-wan Bay from the open sea (with a few bridges, so it's not entirely separated), which provides a beautiful and relaxing walk, also for those recovering from a cold. ;)
When we reached the other side, more gift shops and restaurants were available. Also available; a shrine and a double rope way, consisting of a cable car and a chair lift.
I chose the latter. ;)
As Amanohashidate litterally means "standing celestial bridge", the catch here is to get on top of the mountain by rope way, stand with your back to the "bridge" and look at the scenery from between your legs.
This is what you'll see:
But it's breathtaking either way. ;)
We decided to make a boat trip back to the station, and during that boat trip we saw something amazing.
The local seagulls are very aware of the fact that the company who runs the boats, also sells bags of shrimp crackers to its customers, and that said customers are willing to throw some in the water for them.
The result is that these seagulls are even bold enough to snatch a cracker from your fingers, as long as you stick it out far enough for them to grab it mid-flight.
We also had a couple sitting next to us with two girls who were feeding the birds with pieces of bread, and the seagulls were agile enough to grab most of the pieces even before they hit the water.
Suddenly, another bird (two even) showed up, causing a panic among the seagulls:
Very spectacular to see all of this happen within a few meters of where we were. I think they're hawks or something and yes, they were definitely after the seagulls, but I'm not an expert.
Afterwards, the mother of the girls wanted to take a picture of her girls with us in the background; unfortunately, I didn't have the time to ask her to take the same picture with one of our camera's. Oh well.
We went for a Shabu Shabu-dinner in Osaka when we returned.
Tomorrow, we'll try and see what's in Kanazawa. Yes, that's a short distance from where the earthquake happened two days ago, so I hope there's no immediate danger. However, the fact that the trains are running again, gives me hope. :)
Cheers, K.