Day 16 Miyajima - Hiroshima

Up and out and onto a train...and then a ferry to the Miyajima Island to see the Itsukushima shrine.  When we arrived at the island we noticed they had a cat cafe which was something we have been wanting to experience since we arrived in Japan, so we decided to give it a go. Chris chose to wait outside while the rest of us went in. These cats were all Bengal cats which were absolutely gorgeous and so placid and also playful as most of them looked as though they were quite young. After a while we gathered a crowd of cats around us and enjoyed their company while sipping on our tea. Only in Japan! After the cat cafe we also visited an owl exhibit which was fascinating although I did not really like the fact they had these magnificent birds chained to the branches so that we could just walk past and admire them and pat them. They looked very healthy so that was some consolation. Then we moved on to visit the shrine. This shrine is built on the seashore and the tide comes in and out underneath and around it. Beautiful place. We wandered around the island which is naturally beautiful on its own.  After catching ferry and train back to Hiroshima we had a short rest (!) back at the apartment. Then we headed out for a stroll around the shops and enjoyed the sunset by the river.