Mount Misen, Miyajima Island

Mount Misen is only 500 metres above sea level, being the highest peak of the entire island. The peak requires a lot of work to reach...though there's cable car. How could this be??? >.< Anyway after hiking places like MontSerrat in Spain nothing can overcome this Monkey.
*Read about the Mount Serrat here*

To get to the cable car station, it was a 10 minutes walk from Momiji Park. Thankfully we were staying next to Momiji Park...hahaha...yeah I know lazy me.

During autumn this entire forest are decked in crimson red maple leaves. Aaaahh it must be so so beautiful then. You could see the city Hiroshima on the mainland from here.

Right now in spring, it's all deep fresh green. The smell of pine permeates our nose. JS was so eppy with such greeneries that he was bobbing inside the weeny tiny cable car left and right.

Soon Monkey was clutching to watever she should...the leather seat and the steel panel on the sides. She's too afraid of heights...

"PLEASE STOP MOVING WILL YOU!!!"
JS lurves to capture pics of me in fear like this.

It was quite a long cable car ride....when we reached the station at the top, there is ANOTHER cable car to re-connect its long journey.

But this one was a very beautiful ride....overlooking the Seto inland Sea. Miyajima and the rest of the 3,000 islands around here formed the Setonakai National Park since 1934.

*pic stolen from the web*

Naruto Whirlpool is one of the main attraction at Setonakai National Park. Nope, we didn't visit this whirlpool by ship which boast the fastest current in the whole of Japan and World's 4th fastest. This isn't on the river nor rapids but at the sea. When the high and low tide moves down the narrow straits with differential of speed the vortex was created. During spring tide it could get as big as 20 metres in diameter. That's hell big ok!!

and we have arrived.....3 quarter to the top of Mount Misen
-_-"
after 10 minutes hike, 2 different cable cars ride...we were still not at the top.


Okie Monkey, time to burn those calories....yeah so nice and yummy to chomp and nom those food right? Now u better burn them quick, if u wanna chopm and nom more food for lunch.


"JS, why are we heading down the mountain instead of climbing up?"
JS: "Coz we need to descend this one to get up to the other peak."
and pointed to a steep rocky mountain on the other side

Monkey faints~~~~
GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH

The islands were covered in mist and the still inland sea. So beautiful!!! this is how artist got their inspirations from.

Thankfully they were some sights and shrines to visit for us to make a few pitstops. 

The above was Reikado Hall housing the Eternal Flame, said to be burning since 806...the day it was founded. Its flame was also used to light the Peace Park in Hiroshima.

Mount Misen is a holy mountain. It has been an important destination for religious visitors since the ancient time. So all that we saw here were part of a very important history.


JS: "Oiii faster faster....FASTER...FASTER!!!!"
He is really my No. 1 commander trainer.


Bee Boo Bee Boo Bee Boo
huffed puffed

JS: "Monkey faster!!! u are slowing us down."
Monkey: "I.....wanna.....pengsan....already.....How...long...more???"
JS: "Errrr it says 30 to 40 minutes steep hike."
Monkey out of breathe to even speak, then gestured to JS for him to go ahead and leave me behind.....and HE DID. Off he went like road runner scaling the steps up and up away like those wild deers.


and so JS proceeded without Monkey....when he looked back and snapped this pic Monkey was nowhere to be found anymore.


Yep not at every single corner either...she can't be seen trailing behind bcoz she's really REALLY far back. Bee Boo Bee Boo Bee Boo.

Excuse me wild deer...would u please get off the way....I won't proceed as long as u are standing in the middle, and dearie JS must be wondering where am I.

I knew we were almost there when the trees are lesser and the rocks are getting larger.


Finally......after 45 minutes and JS waited for like 20 minutes for me...I AM FINALLY UP ON THE PEAK!!!!

HELLO MOUNT MISEN!!!!

JS: "Quiet Monkey, u gonna scare the deers and monkeys away."
true enuff, no deers nor monkeys were found at the top. The locals said there's many many many monkeys to see at the peak.
:((((


Finally catching my breathe...Oh My Gawd....so tiring...I need massage~~~~
Before I could finish my sentence...JS said let's go down.

WAT??????
I just got here!!!

JS: "But I got here 20 minutes ago."
Then u go down first.....I need to replenish my energy. Hungry~~~

Hello fellow hikers who's having picnic here...would you happen to have extra onigiri for me?
hehehehehe :))))))))))

There's a viewing deck where u could go all the way to its roof. The second tier are for picnics and gatherings with toilets on its lowest tier.

Everywhere we could see smaller rocks and pebbles were stacked in 3s to looked like Buddha. This is so beautiful, I need to spend at least 1 hour here. So next time if we ever come again, we'll pack food and have our picnic here.

I thought goin down would be easy...but I was wrong...it was more difficult compared to hiking up. When we finally saw the cable car station.....aaaAAAaaaaaaaaa..yeaaaayyyyyy...hehehehehehehe.

Then back to Momiji Park and to our cottage which was just after the red bridge.

Monkey: "I don't have food but u are so cute....and smellie~~~~~"
Mount Misen is a very holy mountain in Japan, so please obey all the rules and respect the mother nature. I would recommend ample time and DO TAKE YOUR TIME because it's quite a steep hike. Enjoy!!!!