Day 42 (August 26): In Iwakuni (岩国市）and Miyajima (宮島）or "A bridge too far... Gears of the universe mesh."

Day 42. Thursday, August 26, 2010. In Iwakuni and Miyajima.

Ate b'fast at the YH. Nice buffet spread. Checked in for the night then headed for Iwakuni to see a bridge. I'm sure it took most of an hour and a half to get there. Walked the final 1.5 kms.
The bridge, called Kintaikyo, is a series of five wooden barrel vaults. Interesting design. Took a lot of photos from various positions but refused the ¥300 charge to actually walk across it. Interesting, but probably not worth the special trip from Hiroshima.
Back to the station by bus and an unsuccessful search for an outlet to charge the iPhone. Next, took JR to Miyajimagucho to catch a ferry the short distance to Miyajima island and its famous shrine. Landing made, tame deer passed, souvenirs bought and many pictures taken of the famous tori (a gate always found before a Shinto shrine) planted in the water before the shrine.












Back to Hiroshima on the Hiroden (municipal streetcar) to Genbaku Domemae station. Yes, back to ground zero. A most convenient location.

Later that day...

I return to the bicycle park. Saddle and stem gone. Pump gone. I scream. Ask women passing by if there's a police box nearby. What good will they do? Survival mode clicks in: find bike shop. Think I remembered seeing one. Wrong, but the merchant points to one across the street. He takes out his calipers - this guy's no amateur - and says that Giant seems to use a unique saddle stem size. Call wife to ask her to call Tokyo bike shop. Answering machine. Re-enter shop. He's trying an adapter. It works. Buy saddle and identical pump plus another French-style-valve tube. Universe realigns itself to neutralize theft's bad vibes. Well, maybe. I celebrate: okonomiyaki plus two cold beers then a large margarita thin-crust pizza and another beer at a neighboring place, then a sugar-laced vanilla shake at Mac's. I still weigh 63 kilos!
The okonomiyaki place was tiny.
I thought: Don't give in to your habitual shyness.
Go in! Did. Was even offered a piece of goya gyoza by the couple sitting next to me. Asked the waiter at the trattoria if he remembered my order from y'day: he did. Good, thin crust pizza and that's the way it's supposed to be in Chicago! Gave high five to little boy at next table. Told him I liked the color of his shirt (same orange).
Might have heard some of the gears of the universe mess. Not sure. In this city
where thousands died in a flash.