A black cormorant never left the best spot

This is a picture of the married rocks at Futami-okitama shrine, not far away from ISE. Perched on the gate there must be a black cormorant, sunbathing under the blazing sun. It never left while I was there.

OKUNOSHIMA, incredibly beautiful and BUNNIES, so cute

It always happens and this time too:  I took a picture at the same usual spot. Always enchanting with different times of the day in different weather. This time very mystic. Even the tower looks something from a different world. I will be never tired of spending time on the island with bunnies and the view from the summit. 

Now you can sip a cup of bunny coffee ...

And bunnies, running.

Firmiana simplex in Peace Park have seed pods now

Plants are amazingly resilient and they do not complain. Two old varnish trees and one young one grow within a fence. They stand next to the east wing of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It gives me pleasure to see changing seasons with them. They are so green in summer; whereas they look barren without leaves in winter (I like them that way too).  Now I saw one of them having seed pods, rather close to the ground. They will become dry and brownish and eventually fly in fall. The pods look like boats carrying seeds. The circle of life is such a beautiful thing, particularly touching as the trees are survivors of the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. Try watching them closely and you will see their scars but they never grudge but live fully. 

Teshima Museum after a shower

The Teshima Museum after a shower was completely mesmerizing with tiny raindrops scattered on the gently and slightly undulating floor. I always wanted to go there on a rainy day and this time it just so happened on a tour day when I took my guest. We said we came on the very special day. It was magical. Everybody in the museum was enchanted, sitting there quietly or leisurely walking around. My guest was so good at seeing the THREADS in the air. After I showed one of them to her, she was sensitive enough to find the other two as was so destined. A gold, silver, and red threads. 

    The surface was silverier than usual after a rainfall.

The Archives of the Heartbeats is not really my cup of tea because it's too heavy on me, but many enjoy having their heartbeat recorded on the spot. It only takes ten minutes and if you ask, you can right away hear your heartbeat in the HEART ROOM. 

 Approach to the Archives 

I first went to see the DISTANT MEMORY on one ordinary weekday when the entrance was loosely chained, and it was easy to go beyond the chain and reach the artwork and walk around. This time on Monday during the summer vacation, a lady was there. 

 It became sunny when we were there.

Big Bambu looks fun and genius. The phot was taken from a road in a distance. Too far away, so below is the web site you can see a large pic.

http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/artwork/a030

 In a bamboo grove the artwork is assembled. 

Yokoo House is relatively new and a good contrast of the Teshima Museum. The House is in charge of the death realm but life and death are not so apart. 

There are artistic dining or cafe-like places where you can chill particularly if your visit falls on the weekend. Take time in Teshima though Teshima and Inujima can be cleverly combined and done in a day. For that you need a guide as your strategist, though.

Enjoy the photos and dream of your day in Teshima. Remember the art facilities are closed on Tuesday.

Sleek lodging in ONOMICHI, great for bike riders

ONOMICHI has been the gateway to the SHIMANAMI scenic sea route since the whole route was completed in 1999. The SHIMANAMI sea route spans the Inland Sea and connects ONOMICHI on the Honshu side and IMABARI on the Shikoku side. This is the only route of bridges in Japan where you can travel the whole way by bike. 

This complex consisting of a hotel, a cafe, and a store, was recently built and just right for cyclists who have quality bikes that they do not want to leave outside the room. They can bring in their beloved bikes and there are proper places to store them.

More travelers are now staying in ONOMICHI, the Holy Land for those who love bike-rides. 

The Cultural Melting Bath !

Artist Cai Guo-Qiang found this nook the very best to install his Bath. Some places feel so good so does this modest site. He said chi energy flows in here most in the island. This is an artwork, a natural energy field, with Taifu rocks from China, a practical jacuzzi with herb in the hot water brought in from the US, and real humans from many parts of the world in the bathtub.

 

Try finding where it is and get the chi energy.

Pumpkin evacuated!

It was a magical day in Naoshima. The Pumpkin was there as usual in the morning but it was gone in the afternoon, most likely because of the expected stormy weather. Quite amusing for me but feeling sorry for the travelers who came to see the pumpkin and couldn't. The weather forecast was right: cloudy and a bit of drizzle in the morning and later even sunny. The humidity was 100 % though. The beach looked totally different when seen in the morning and in the afternoon. 

 Very white at CHICHU Cafe

 Much better

 More light

 Pumpkin missing!

 Very green

 And SUNNY

I checked the Benesse web site and in their news section there was a notice about their emergent closure on July 10, 2014. This day could have heavy rain and strong gust due to the approaching typhoon. My guests and I were very fortunate: we were there on July 8 when Benesse people were preparing for the coming bad weather.