Japan 2012: Street Food

While in Hiroshima, I decided to take side trip to Miyajima, is a sacred island and is home to Itsukushima Shrine (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Mt. Misen, the highest peak on the island.  Only accessible by ferry, as you walk off the ferry towards the shrine, deer surround you, feeling at home with the hundreds of tourists that visit the island daily.  After visiting the shrine and witnessing a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony, I decide to make the hike up Mt. Misen.  I go part way using the ropeway (gondola) and then walk the rest of the way to the peak.  It is not an easy climb, but as grandmothers make their way past me, I’m determined to make it to the top because what awaits me at the bottom is a main street full of omiyage (souvenir) and food shops!  The main street has a mix of food stalls, everything from grilled oysters to sweets like miyajima’s famous momiji manju – a cake in the same of a momiji (Japanese Maple Leaf) and filled with anko, red bean paste, delicious!  Here’s a sample of what I had that day…..