Miyajima Island and First day in Sasebo

 Our friends in Iwakuni told us about this little Chinese place where you can get some pretty good chicken on a stick, so we decided to check it out. The pictures don't do it justice, but kind of tucked into a hillside you come across all these lights and banners. There are all these outside tables and pathways next to a river. This was our first experience with a Kotatsu, the Japanese table with a heater underneath and a blanket that covers the table. You sit "criss cross applesauce" with the blanket over legs. We were very stiff when we got up (not Japanese enough). Sam however spent most of the dinner time under the blanket.

Miyajima Island

From the top of this beautiful island.

You take a ferry across to the island. They have lots of Oyster farms and this is one of the boats pulling a load full of oysters. Yum! says Tom and Tom alone.

Miyajima is known for it's Tori gate in the water as well as it's many deer. 

Hazel, posing, constantly.

Some Japanese wanted a picture with the blonde Americans at the Tori gate.

 They also had a red pavillion temple....

...and the world's largest rice spatula!

We rode a cable car, well 2 actually, to the top,

where we were able to hike to......

 the Eternal Flame of love and...

a really nice viewing spot.

That night we drove to Sasebo where you can eat Sasebo burgers.

and ride on a boat to see the 99 islands which means many islands in Japan, there are actually 230 in this area. We rode on the Pearl Queen, which I had to include because of Sam's awesome face in this picture:

 Lion Island

Submarine or Mexican hat island.