So we are on the bullet train to Hiroshima and an American guy asks if we can change some US dollars for Yen. Tony said no good to us mate, Sheryn dismissed him as bat shit crazy and I got chatting to him. He is on pilgramage to create and take 1000 origami cranes to the Hiroshima Peace Park to leave at the Childrens Peace Monument. He needed the yen to buy a bento box to make crane number 974. Newly blessed and with much new wealth coming from our Kyoto offerings, I donated to Crane 974 – click this 

Peace Park was very beautiful and very moving, refreshments were obviously required, so we frequented a little Italian cafe for mojitos on the parkside daily to reflect.

Our apartment was absolutely enormous, we just ran around like kids on arrival, it even had a traditional japanese dining room with tatami mats, cushions and rice paper doors.

Decided to throw in a trip at the last minute to Myajima Island, thinking it was just a couple of stops on the tram and would be nice and quiet….1 hour later we arrived at the ferry port, to find that the rest of Japan and their extended families were there to join us.

“The salad in which 1 tomato was used wholly!”

Snuggly sardined into our new lodging in Kyoto we undoubtably have the world’s smallest bathroom. 1.2 metre squares includes bath sink and toilet – what it doesn’t include is leg room or head room. Even by japanese standards this is small! Still, the apartment is cute and we soon adjust to our little space. Albeit it is an open door policy with the bathroom…there was no room for the Saunders thighs in that space!

We buy good fortunes, Buddhist rosaries, tie up bad fortunes, buy incense, candles, and wooden prayer plaques. We pray, wash, clap and throw endless coins into wooden troughs (good luck, health and wealth does not come cheap in these parts), we feed deer, pat cats, and bow to foxes…finally over the course of 4 days we turn our lives and luck around – we are wealthy, healthy and wise and apparently I will be a better driver. 

It is a thirsty business bettering oneself, so one needs plenty of beer and whisky stops to reflect on ones new found fortunes – rooftop bars, back alley bars, basement bars and vending machines all go a long way in the rehydrating process.