Our next destination was clearly in view from the summit. That building in the middle-left of the picture is the upper terminus of a hanging cable car system. As the picture also shows, it’s a bit of a distance from the summit, with a few ups and downs in between. We could have hiked the whole way down, but we were getting hungry for something more substantial and my mother was hardly the only one that was getting rather tired.
This particular journey was not covered by our JR passes, but we were happy to pay. The trip actually came in two parts. The first in a larger car that could hold more than a dozen people. Ours reasonably had another group with us, but that didn’t prevent appreciation of a slightly closer view down to the water below.
The next stage 
was a transfer to smaller, more numerous cars on a steady loop. This made for easier photographs and Miyajima was no less scenic as we returned to sea level, even if the shrine itself was not necessarily on full view along the route. The legend of Itsukushima Shrine is that is that a crow led three goddesses to the site. Given the aerial views, it isn’t hard to see what that legendary guide saw in the place.
The base, as you’d expect, was not as fascinating as the peak. There was a koi pond and other adornments around, but it was actually the sign on the left that most left me charmed. I don’t make a habit of posting signs with unusual English as I’m dreadfully monolingual despite a fair number of classes in a smattering of languages. However, sometimes another’s spin on your native tongue has a special appeal.
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