{"id":3098,"date":"2016-02-25T08:01:44","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T00:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/?p=3098"},"modified":"2019-02-03T15:27:21","modified_gmt":"2019-02-03T07:27:21","slug":"mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitarai &#8211; Sitting Pretty on Japan&#8217;s Inland Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A drive along the Seto Inland Sea from Takehara\u00a0took us to\u00a0the charming Edo era\u00a0port town\u00a0of Mitarai that sits on the tip of Osaki Shimo-jima\u00a0island. Like Takehara, Mitarai has a well preserved historical district but its relatively small size means that it&#8217;s easy to walk almost the length of the village along the waterfront. The drive out itself was scenic with the Akinada Islands linked by a series of bridges. The water, and mikan orange groves coupled with the quaint villages and varied bridges make this particularly picturesque. We opted to return to Takehara by ferry to give us a different viewpoint of\u00a0the islands from the sea.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3109\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3109\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/takehara-to-mitarai-2015-12-28\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3109\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3109\" src=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Akinada Islands\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3109\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of the Akinada Bridge in the background that links Shimo-Kamagari island to the coast<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3108\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3108\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/takehara-to-mitarai-2015-12-28-5\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3108\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3108 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-5-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Kami-Kamagari bridge\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-5-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-5-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3108\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Blue is my favorite color! This bridge links Shimo-Kamagari island to Kami-Kamagari island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-3098 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/takehara-to-mitarai-2015-12-28-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-2-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Shimo-Kamagari island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-3105\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-2-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-3105'>\n\t\t\t\tOrange trees wrapped for protection as the fruit ripens\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/takehara-to-mitarai-2015-12-28-3\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-3-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Kami-Kamagari rest stop\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-3106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-3-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-3-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-3106'>\n\t\t\t\tNice place to stop &#8211; there&#8217;s petrol and snacks here, as well as a nice view, just over the bridge on Kami-Kamagari island\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/takehara-to-mitarai-2015-12-28-4\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-4-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Kami-Kamagari island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-3107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Takehara-to-Mitarai-2015-12-28-4-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-3107'>\n\t\t\t\tView from Kami-Kamagari of the inland sea\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The actual drive time from Takehara to Mitarai is around two-and-a-half hours with a short stop across the bridge on Kami-Kamagari island. This is a particularly nice pit stop with a well-equipped snack shop and views of the Inland Sea. It&#8217;s also evident that this area is well known for its citrus fruit, especially mikan, a type of orange that is smaller than the usual Sunkist variety and more akin to a mandarin that&#8217;s easy to peel and eat. Mikan\u00a0are excellent &#8211; very sweet &#8211; and the trees dominate the entire landscape, marching\u00a0up the terraced hills.<\/p>\n<p>Mitarai used to be a popular port during the Edo era, with ships stopping here to wait for more favorable sailing conditions. The town flourished during the 17th century and is well known for the number of tea houses and entertainment establishments that were set up during this time to service the sailors and traders.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3120\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3120\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-9\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3120\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3120 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-9-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-9-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-9-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-9-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3120\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Portal to another world. And a view of\u00a0another of the Akinada Islands&#8217; bridges in the background<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mitarai has a charming waterfront with the Sumiyoshi Shrine and a long stone pier\u00a0and stone lantern that functions as a\u00a0lighthouse marking one end of the town. We actually ended our visit here but it&#8217;s just as easy to start here\u00a0and walk through the historic district.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3128\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3128\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=3128\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3128 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-19-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Akinada Islands\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-19-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-19-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-19-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3128\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The lighthouse sits at the end of a pier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-3098 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-21\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-21-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-3130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-21-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-21-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-21-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-3130'>\n\t\t\t\tOne end of the Sumiyoshi Shrine\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-20\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-20-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-3129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-20-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-20-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-20-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-3129'>\n\t\t\t\tBoats still dock along this stone pier\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-24\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-24-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-3134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-24-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-24-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-24-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-3134'>\n\t\t\t\tWindow feature on the Sumiyoshi shrine\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-23\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-23-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-3132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-23-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-23-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-23-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-3132'>\n\t\t\t\tLanterns on the shrine\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-22\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-22-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-3131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-22-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-22-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-22-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-3131'>\n\t\t\t\tThe perfect perch\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-18\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-18-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-3127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-18-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-18-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-18-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-3127'>\n\t\t\t\tThe waterfront\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>After parking our car near the waterfront, we walked through\u00a0Mitarai&#8217;s historic district to catch up with Tom Miyazawa Coulton &#8211; a professional photographer from the U.K. who recently settled in Mitarai with his wife. Tom has some unique and wonderfully taken postcards of this area. Before heading to his studio, we stopped by what used to be the house of one of Japan&#8217;s leading cartographers, Ino Tadataka, who mapped this coastline incredibly accurately by hand in the late 18th century.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3144\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3144\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3144\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3144 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-3-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-3-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3144\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Entrance to Tom Coulton&#8217;s studio, which used to be the post office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But probably what is\u00a0one of the more interesting buildings in Mitarai is one of the historic tea houses (&#8220;chaya&#8221;) or brothel for lack of a more elegant comparable term &#8211; these tea houses had classical entertainment as well. In one lurid story, the explanation why this tea house, Wakaebisu-ya, never had 100 oiran\u00a0(courtesans) was because one of the older diva oiran\u00a0killed an assistant\u00a0by pouring boiling hot ink down her throat. As the younger girl\u00a0was dying, she cursed the establishment. A so-called ink smear of her hand mixed\u00a0with blood is apparently preserved on the wall upstairs in the room that the oiran\u00a0shared. So through all the subsequent years, the 100th oiran candidate never stayed long. Anyway, whether the story is true or not, there&#8217;s something bone chilling about that room and there was no way I was going to take a picture there.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3145\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3145\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-14\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3145\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3145 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-14-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-14-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-14-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-14-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3145\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The historic tea house with a stage on the left where the oiran would perform<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-3098 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-15\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-15-683x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-3-3124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-15-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-15-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-15-768x1151.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-3-3124'>\n\t\t\t\tEntrance to the tea house is free\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-13\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-13-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-3-3123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-13-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-13-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-3-3123'>\n\t\t\t\tAnother view of the main hall, looking out to the back garden\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Here are some additional photos of the historic district. There are a few other notable historic buildings that can be visited including Otome-za, a well preserved 1930&#8217;s theatre.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3137\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3137\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3137\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3137\" src=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3137\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The town&#8217;s historic district<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id='gallery-4' class='gallery galleryid-3098 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-5\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-5-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Mitarai, Akinada Islands\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-3116\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-5-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-3116'>\n\t\t\t\tThe barber shop and post box in the historic district\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-2-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-3114\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-2-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-3114'>\n\t\t\t\tCartographer Ino Tadataka&#8217;s home, where he drew coastal maps in the 18th century\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-17\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-17-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimojima\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-3126\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-17-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-17-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-17-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-3126'>\n\t\t\t\tOrange grove in someone&#8217;s back yard\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Given that many eateries were closed for the year-end New Year celebration, we grabbed a simple lunch in an all purpose casual restaurant. Lunch consisted of ramen with some oden. Oden is stewed items, mainly tofu, egg and fish cake.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-5' class='gallery galleryid-3098 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-8\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-8-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-3119\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-8-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-8-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-8-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-3119'>\n\t\t\t\tOur casual lunch with a mixture of oden items and ramen\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-6\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-6-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-3117\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-6-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-3117'>\n\t\t\t\tWaiting to be seated in this simple neighborhood eatery\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-7\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-7-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Osaki Shimo-jima island\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-3118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-7-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-7-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-7-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-3118'>\n\t\t\t\tA mix of oden &#8211; egg, tofu, fish cake\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Behind the historic district is the Tenman\u00a0Shrine and Mansuji Temple, both of which we walked to after lunch. These are small sites and so they don&#8217;t need\u00a0a lot of time to visit, but it was a pleasant walk to do on a mild day after lunch. The shrine building looks somewhat unused but has a tunnel that you are meant to walk under for luck.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3125\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3125\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-16\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3125\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3125\" src=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-16-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Osaki Shimojima island\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-16-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-16-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3125\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Manshuji Temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id='gallery-6' class='gallery galleryid-3098 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-10\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-10-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-6-3121\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-10-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-10-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-10-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-6-3121'>\n\t\t\t\tThe Tenman Shrine entrance\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-11\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-11-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-6-3122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-11-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-11-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-6-3122'>\n\t\t\t\tDetail of the tori at the Tenman Shrine\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We opted to take the ferry back to Takehara so that we wouldn&#8217;t have to back track and to get\u00a0a nice view of the islands from a different vantage point. Mitarai is a sleepy town and at risk of disappearing entirely with apparently around 60% of its buildings vacant. But it&#8217;s a great place to visit to get a good sense of an Edo period village and must have been quite different at its peak with all the sailors in town.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3136\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3136\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/mitarai-2015-12-28-26\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3136\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3136\" src=\"http:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-26-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Leaving Mitarai on the ferry\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-26-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-26-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mitarai-2015-12-28-26-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3136\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leaving Mitarai on the ferry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id='gallery-7' class='gallery galleryid-3098 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/toward-takehara-2015-12-28-1\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Hiroshima ferry\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-7-3110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-1-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-7-3110'>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the ferries that will take us back to Takehara is painted a surprising mint green\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/toward-takehara-2015-12-28\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Hiroshima ferry\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-7-3112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-7-3112'>\n\t\t\t\tThe view of a coastal road \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/25\/mitarai-sitting-pretty-on-japans-inland-sea\/toward-takehara-2015-12-28-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-2-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-7-3111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Toward-Takehara-2015-12-28-2-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-7-3111'>\n\t\t\t\tThere is industry in this area but it&#8217;s all tucked away\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Some useful websites:<\/p>\n<p>For the ferry guide and information: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cruisehiroshima.com\/files\/cruisehiroshima_map_back.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.cruisehiroshima.com\/files\/cruisehiroshima_map_back.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For some nice pics of the area &#8211; Tom Miyazawa Coulton&#8217;s website:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tomcoulton.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.tomcoulton.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A drive along the Seto Inland Sea from Takehara\u00a0took us to\u00a0the charming Edo era\u00a0port town\u00a0of Mitarai that sits on the tip of Osaki Shimo-jima\u00a0island. Like Takehara, Mitarai has a well preserved historical district but its relatively small size means that it&#8217;s easy to walk almost the length of the village along the waterfront. The drive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[151,21,136],"tags":[45,144,58,143],"class_list":["post-3098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asiapac","category-japan-asiapac","category-japan-others","tag-central_honshu","tag-hiroshima-area","tag-japan","tag-seto-inland-sea","latest_post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3098"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3152,"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3098\/revisions\/3152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gazeandgraze.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}