Hiroshima to Kurashiki in the pouring rain

Another quite grey and wet morning in Hiroshima and we had planned to use the Hiroshima to Matsuyama car ferry and in view of the weather was beginning to doubt that this would be the right thing to do.

We could of course go along the coast directly to Kurashiki but was not certain however we decided, to hell with it, lets go on the ferry and hope the weather improves so we can get some good views en-route. As we were leaving the Hotel the car started making some warning noises every time we tried to go forward, so we checked all doors and windows and thought damn, this is going to mess up our ferry. So to be certain what was wrong with the car we parked by the side of the road, got out and locked the door using the remote and then unlocked it , got in and started the engine and off we went no problem. Not sure what happened there unless the remote got squashed in my pocket??
We arrived at the Ferry check in and the ticket window was closed and after chatting and pointing to watches we found that the ticket office only will open at 10.45 and it was only 10.30 but eventually the chap turned up and no doubt recognised us from yesterday as most likely were were the only Gaijins this year and then asked for our passports, what for a cross Island ferry, and then became clear we were entitled to a foreigners discount of a total of 2000 yen, approx. £ 14.00… The ferry is not that large, perhaps similar to the Isle of Wight Car ferry but the seat were comfortable and they serve got noodles and other stuff but we had the making of a ham salad with bread and Costco biscuits. At the rear end of the large passenger cabin was an open area carpeted where you could leave your shoes at the entrance and go and lie down and have a rest on the 2hrs 40 route. We stopped in a place called Kure to load more passengers and then of to Matsuyama where once we got of the boat it started to rain and got progressively heavier during the afternoon. Matsutama is a much bigger town on the Island and is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on Japan’s Shikoku Island. It’s known for its central Dōgo Onsen Honkan bathhouse, dating from the Meiji Period, with ornate, tiered wooden buildings. Nearby is Shiki Memorial Museum, dedicated to Masaoka Shiki’s haiku poetry. To the west is the restored, feudal-era Matsuyama Castle, with its hilltop gardens and seasonal cherry blossoms.

We deliberated whether to use the Expressway due to the heavy rain as against the main roads and then decided we would stay on the main roads until perhaps it got to late. The Sat Nav was showing and arrival time in Kurashiki of about 20.00 which is a bit late to check in and find something to to eat and so we plumped for the main road for the first hour or so through the mountains and had the weather been kinder rather than chucking it down it would have been a beautiful drive. As we drove Jennifer was taking photos out of the window of the route and lest see how the come out. By 15.30 it was typhoon type rain and so we said this no fun anymore and went on the Expressway and finally arrived in Kurashiki after crossing the very long suspension bridge which was difficult to see due to the heavy rain and clouds.The traffic up to the Hotel slowed us down by about an half and hour and we arrived in the Hotel at about 18.30. We have a nice big room on the corner of the Hotel and after checking in went to the so-called French restaurant for dinner as we did not want to tramp the streets in the heavy rain.
Jennifer had some really nice lamb chops covered in Garlic!!! and Noel had a, ‘Aussie’ steak as it was described after showing the man the info about no garlic and onions for me. Noel asked for a plan salad which came covered in onions and other stuff which he had to scrape off but the steak was fine.
And so back to the room for a couple of episodes of ‘Line of Duty’ on Netflix.
Lets hope the weather is better tomorrow.