I still had a bit of time before heading back to Hiroshima. In Miyajima there is fun things to do beside the beautiful sights. On my first day I have noticed an interesting advertisement. This was just in front the ferry station.
This seemed to be a building with animal café themes. The Shiba dogs floors really tempted me. I have never try this before so let’s go and see what’s is about.
Inside the café. Fluffy dogs all over.
You’ll receive a number at the beginning. Then every once in a while you’ll heard numbers. Once you are called it means your time in the café is over. You can stay 30 min here and get a hot drink. The atmosphere was relaxed and the dogs were really cute. There is a few rules inside that makes sense for the dogs. For example you are not allowed to carry them in your arms. I imagine that the dogs will go crazy if everyone does that all day long.
Shiba puppies. The level of cuteness of theses guys is beyond my words.
Enjoying a well deserved nap. Life is hard.
It was a short experience but good fun. In Japan having an animal is a luxury. The rent being expensive most people cann’t afford having a dog or cat at home. Theses places serve this purpose. They allow the people to take a good dose of natural oxytocin in a cosy space. I wonder how the other animal café were but this is not cheap so I thought I’ll just stay with the Shiba café. Thanks you 🙂
One minute away from the Shiba café you’ll find a place called the “Traditional craft center”. In this small buidling you can experience the joy of making your own Momiji Manju sweets. I went to one of the class where I was the only student. The teacher could only speaks Japanese so it was very fun because I couldn’t understand most of it ^^ It was still easy to follow and she had some english written explanations. Time to make theses local sweets.
First preheat the pan. Then put the batter in the pan. Wait 30 seconds and turn it. Repeat 6 times the operation and your Momiji Manju is ready.
French chef in Miyajima.
In some Momiji I put chocolate and anko paste. Just to give some nice flavors. The experience was very enjoyable. But the best part is the last one.
Degustation time with a tea.
You can choose to eat them all or wrap a few to offer as a gift which I did. It’s always good to share with others. I paid 750 yen (6 euro) for a 45 min class. Regarding that you make 6 momiji plus an extra gift at the end , this was very cheap and good fun. If you have some spare time this is a good experience.
It was time to get back to Hiroshima. It’s actually my last night here. I have a night bus waiting for me at 11pm but I still have have some time. Tonight me and my friend are going to a Kagura show. Margaux lives nearby Hiroshima since a fews month now and therefore she had some good recommendations. It’s always nice to hear about good local experiences. Just make sure to open your ears in order to be receptive to theses informations. If you dont listen you’ll miss a lof great opportunities.
Kagura show in the heart of Hiroshima.
Theses shows take place once every week. Kagura is an ancient performance that have a strong link with shintoism. Back in the days Kagura were used as a way to express the gratitude toward nature and the gods that are part of it. Today it’s still used in some places. You could compare it with theatre. What I loved about the show is that you have a small band that will play rhythms. There is no music sheets in Kagura so It’s all about connecting with the perfomers to create the best atmosphere. This was a really cool show with epic costumes and masks. The most part was fighting. Unlike western theatre which has a lot of talking , Japanese Kagura is more about the performance. It’s more demonstrative than intellectual somehow. Just like Japanese anime actually. It’s a different way of expression. The last show with the 8 dragons was crazy. Definetily something to try in Japan. This will give you a good in depth of Japanese culture.
At the end of the show you can take pictures with some performers. Good fun.
The masks were awesome. I wonder how they managed to move so fast with them.
We got attacked by Orochi !
This last evening in Hiroshima was lot of fun. It was actually pretty intense but how good it felt at the end of the show. Theses heavy Taiko drum rhythms were like medecine. Time to say goodbye to Margaux and to Hiroshima. My night bus to Kyoto is waiting for me. My next destination is very far away and a long journey is waiting for me.
Takayama in the Japanese Alps is my next stop.
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