I started the day with onigiri made at the guesthouse. As I ate them all I could think about was the abandoned Hotel Kankakeiso that we'd visited yesterday.
Straight after breakfast we cycled there to further explore it, this time visiting the 2nd and 3rd floors. The air inside was quite damp and making it slightly difficult to breath but here's the areas we took a look at.
First floor lift lobby.
Staff lift behind reception.
Hotel reception desk.
A room behind the reception desk where the room keys hung on the wall. It was pitch black in here so our phone torches were needed, a pretty spooky area!
A model train left in the reception area.
Vending machines on second floor lobby.
Karaoke machine on second floor corridor. The ceiling panels were all hanging off up here and the air was even damper.
Third floor guestroom with a sea view.
The bedding lay neatly folded in the guestroom wardrobes. After visiting this room we decided to leave the hotel as the damp air was getting too much. Such a fascinating place to explore though and I'm so glad we returned again to take a proper look.
Our plan for today was to catch a bus to Tonosho Port. Whilst cycling to the bus stop we noticed this signage outside a shop so decided to look inside.
The shop sold a vast range of products containing soy sauce. There were samples to try and the best thing we found here were mushrooms pickled in soy sauce.
We locked our bikes up outside the Olive Park and went inside to look at the Greek Windmill there which is featured in the film Kiki's Delivery Service.
Next we jumped on a bus to Tonosho Port. We had hoped to visit some exhibitions here that were part of the Setouchi Triennale but didn't realise the exhibitions were closed on a Wednesday. This was a disappointment but as we'd be leaving the island from this port later in the week we figured we could take a look then. There were still temples and pagodas to visit in the town and the famous Angel Road where we headed next.
There are only two times per day that the tide goes out far enough to allow people to cross Angel Road which leads to a tiny island. We had another 20 minutes to wait but Ella decided to paddle across and I followed her.
This turned out to be an excellent plan as the other tourists were waiting patiently to cross whilst we enjoyed a picnic with the entire island to ourselves. This was a beautiful spot to enjoy an ice cold can of Sapporo.
I enjoyed a bento box I picked up from a nearby Daiso store.
For dessert a Taiyaki.
After our picnic we crossed Angel road which was now completely passable. On the other side we climbed the steps to a lookout point overlooking the Angel Road called Yakusoku no Oka, or the Hill of Promise.
A bakery in Tonosho Port lured us inside with it's display of cakes. The owner insisted we try their best seller, a custard filled cake. I can definitely understand why it was so popular!
I also tried a blueberry and cream cheese ice cream from 7-Eleven. Really big and so delicious, I loved the cream cheese element making it a bit like eating cheesecake.
Back at the guesthouse we hit the beach with some beers. Something we'd noticed each day was the music (shichōson bōsai gyōsei musen hōsō) which was played across the island at 5pm and again at 6pm. We found out that it was the islands emergency PA system being tested. The thinking is that as long as there’s going to be a daily test, it may
as well be timed so it serves some other purpose, and reminding kids to
head home before dark is a popular one.
We spotted lots of Sea Hares in the water and sometimes washed up on the beach. They lay eggs in long pink threads, which are deposited on seaweed and look a bit like pink spaghetti.
Once again we were treated to a beautiful sunset!
I bought an okonomiyaki from 7-Eleven which I heated up. It was surprisingly good and contained pork and shrimps.
Click here for Day 14
More from Shodoshima
No comments:
Post a Comment