Rabbit Island
Rabbit Island Day!
Got up with the sun & went out to the front of the hotel, armed with a bunch of fruit & veg, including broccoli, bananas, & celery, with the intent of being surrounded by bunnies. I sat on the ground & rustled the bag to get their attention & very soon there were nearly thirty rabbits around me! I lay down on the floor & a bunch of them jumped on my stomach & chest while I was feeding them! I couldn't stop smiling! I threw a few bits to rabbits who were standing on the outskirts of the group to try & make sure there weren't any left out, & several were just helping themselves to the veg in the bag!
I loved the feeling of their little paws on my chest, the occasional damp paw on my cheek, the sound of their snuffling & munching & chewing, the tickle of their whiskers. It was all over far too quickly. They soon left me with an empty bag, muddy paw prints, & a huge smile.
Back in the hotel, we went down to breakfast & saw all the school kids again. It's funny watching them at the end of their meal because it's lovely to see a flurry of activity as they tidy up their tables, stacking plates & bowls with comment. After breakfast, Chris & I went to our separate onsen', as we weren't able to last night as they were closed for a few hours so the schools could use them, & there's no shower in the room. Because it was early, there was no one in the onsen, which was nice; I had a giant bath all to myself! We packed our bags & checked out but were allowed to keep out suitcases at the hotel until later so we were able to explore the island.
We took a bunch of grapes & I cut up six very large apples into slices so we still had some food to give to the bunnies we came across on our travels. We decided to climb the huge hill on the island & up to the observation deck at the top. We probably didn't take the easiest route up, but got to meet a ton of cute rabbits - some of which followed us up the hill for quite a way! It was a very hot day & fog surrounded the island, & the air was very humid - we were dripping with sweat - it was just running off us, which was uncomfortable, but with each bunny came a smile & I briefly forgot about my discomfort. Once we had completed the walk around the island & ran out of food or the bunnies, we headed back to the hotel, collecting our suitcases & all the bits & pieces I had bought from the gift shop. I spent nearly £80 in there! But a lot of it was on present for other people, including Christmas gifts.
We got on the ferry & said goodbye to the best island ever, before leaving to get a train or three, to Hiroshima. At one of the stations we stopped at to get a different train, I went to use the bathroom on the other side of the platform & when I came back, I found Chris with a large ginger & white cat on his lap! This cat was utterly in love with Chris & very unhappy when Chris had to move! I called him 'Eki' which means 'station' (駅) in Japanese. We got chatting to a very happy Japanese lady who found it funny that this cat had taken a shine to Chris!
We finally got to Hiroshima & had to get a tram to the hotel, which is nice, called Hotel Hokke & seems pretty posh. By the time we got booked in, we were very hungry so Chris & I went out for dinner. I wanted to try okonomiyaki as it's quiet a traditional meal in Jpaan & they serve it in different ways throughout the country. I found a place close to our hotel & sat at the bar where they prepared the food, so we got to watch the food being cooked. We soon realised that okonomiyaki in Hiroshima is really good & I think we both ate too much!
