Summary

This was another distinctive and memorable place to visit, in southern Japan.  The view of the Torii set against the wooden sloped of Mount Misan is one of the best-known Japanese scenes.  The first walk was a stiff climb up steps to the top of Mount Misan, then along hiking trails over the other hills. The second took us around the little town with great views of the Torii, looking across the water towards Hiroshima.

• I will remember most the image of the famous Torii, from different directions.
• The best bit was walking back down the hill, with views of the Torii and the town below.
• The worst bit was the poor visibility for our hill climb.
• It was pretty funny when deer tried to eat our rucksacks.
• I didn’t expect to get quite such a sense of a semi-tropical island.
• We were expecting to meet some wild monkeys, but none appeared.
• One suggestion would be to get some training on a flight of stairs beforehand.
• The only scary bit was the attack of a giant wasp.

NB. The climb up the hill can be avoided by using a cable car.

Read the full story with lots of photos

Contributed by:  Andrew Llanwarne