Learning how to dance in the rain

Those who know me know I’m never wrong. I can tell you that. But there may be moments when I could be a little more right.

Last night was one of them. I had made up my mind that Miyajima had the potential of being a dull little island.

I rose early this morning as I was early to bed last night and I was out of bed by 7 am and sat at breakfast by eight. Beautiful cooking again. This hotel has its quirks such as the fact that the shower is wired up to the sink taps and the last time I slept in a single bed was somewhere in a dormitory in Leicestershire in the mid- 70s. (Don’t ask!)

But it also has its charm. The landlady, who would be played in any BBC sitcom version by a Japanese Una Stubbs bustles around at breakfast and is keen to know what I’m going to do for the day.

I’m not sure myself, although the island isn’t quite buzzing with day trippers at 8:45 in the morning and I decided this might be a good time to walk along through the town and see the major Shrine.

It’s beautiful, and even though it’s beginning to fill with visitors, it still has that strange aura of calm that has been so satisfying to experience while I’ve been here in Japan. Something I’m more than happy for in my life.

After that I set off to walk up to the park, following the signs that say Miyajima Ropeway. It’s a cable car that goes to the top of Mount Misen. I don’t do height. That’s just a thing. Often in the past, I have been halfway up a tall building when I’ve handed the video camera to my partner and told him to take pictures and meet me in the café below. I further discover that the ropeway is a thirteen minute journey in small six seater cable cars to the halfway station from where everyone piles into two larger cable cars to ascend to the summit.

It’s a funny thing about emotion. If there is no one to witness it, does it exist? If you have no one to love, how do you show love? If you have no one to see your fear, are you really afraid? If a tree falls in…..you get the drift!

I sat in the first cable car, and it began its journey, and I was surprisingly calm. It glided up through the trees and over the forest canopy and I felt at ease. Admittedly, I didn’t do much looking down, and I gazed out across the waters of the Bay to Hiroshima, but normally I would have been grasping the handrail. None of that.

A little more difficult in the second cable car which was jam-packed. Although the journey was much shorter, and the view from the top of the mountain was breathtaking. It’s the second mountain here in Japan I’ve stood on top of and thought it was worth it.

I came back down, and walking through the town, found a little fair with some side shows, at which I failed miserably, but I did venture into street food once more with the purchase of a Pork kebab and a chocolate banana. Before you ask no that’s not a euphemism!

The travel agency booked a Japanese tea ceremony and cultural experience for me this afternoon and I was rather dreading it. Tourist crap. But the good thing about this travel agent is that I asked for things not to be done as part of a group where possible and I’m one to one with three beautiful ladies.

The tea ceremony was rather wonderful. First of all one of two geisha lay down a set of underwear for me to change into. Then they reappeared and dressed me in a kimono. Then in a very traditional way that has existed in Japan for centuries, they took me outside to take some photographs for Instagram

After that the older geisha went through the tea ceremony, which is fascinating. Beautifully meditative and calming, though God help you if you got back from an afternoons retail therapy, gagging for a

cup of builders and had to go through all that shenanigans.

And there was a downside too.

The tea was green Matcha. This obviously comes from an ancient process. Very early in the morning, someone goes round the town with a trowel to scrape mould off every available statue in every available shrine within the vicinity and then place the residue in a tea caddy. First in the tea ceremony, the geisha made a cup of tea for me, which I had to drink until the cup was empty. It was like drinking the bilge from my barge

Then I had to perform the ceremony and drink a second cup until it was empty. If sometimes the tea served back in Blighty is referred to as Witch pee, then this was witch bile.

The very best part of the afternoon was a calligraphy lesson. Another lady took over to teach me how to make the Japanese characters that I needed and her English was very good and we had a great chat. Little Miss Instagram was still snapping away, but I managed to test out my calligraphic skills on two sheets of parchment before then applying them to a rice panel.

Given that tonight, Monday, June 1, sees the premiere of the television version of The Full Monty in Sheffield, I thought it would be a good

idea to do a message for the lads. I managed Celebration. Paul. Luck.

They seemed to like it.

A further walk along the coast takes me to the aquarium. I’m a sucker for penguins, but I was rather worried that quite a lot of the fish tanks didn’t have any tops on them. The last thing I want at this point in the holiday is crabs.

Back to the Hotel and Una Stubbs is waiting to ask what time I’d like dinner. I go for a late one at 6pm. Might do a walk round town afterwards, though it will be like walking through Doncaster to the station on a wet Wednesday.

In essence, this is yet another place I’ve loved visiting.

And the best thing I learned today was

Life is not surviving the storm. .
It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.

Coming up

Another bullet train to Osaka, A night food tour where I believe octopus balls are a speciality. I never knew they had testicles!