We woke up before sunrise and joined a few others who had stayed on the island to photograph the Ōtorii with the early light.  Totally worth it!

After capturing a multitude of images, which I narrowed down to these few, we returned to our guesthouse for a traditional Japanese breakfast, prepared by our host who also owns the highly regarded restaurant, Rokumeikan.

Then, we rolled our luggage to the ferry to reverse the previous day’s journey – and continue on to Onomichi.

Once arriving in Onomichi, we wandered and explored, taking the Senkoji Ropeway to view the Seto Inland Sea at sunset.

First, some pics of Itsukushima Shrine’s Ōtorii

Itsukushima Shrine

A temizuya (ritual purification basin)

Fudō Myōō, a Buddhist protective deity holding a sword and rope

A gondola on the Senkoji Ropeway

Sunset over the Seto Inland Sea