Deer Attacks and Unexpected Guardians
I woke up in the middle of the night to a strange scratching sound. I looked up and found a deer literally chewing on my backpack—the bastard had already eaten half of my breakfast!
I lost my temper and gave it a swat with my flip-flop. It got scared and backed off, but seconds later, the whole «family» showed up to back him up. I had to scramble out of my sleeping bag and bolt into a nearby campsite restroom. I spent a good while huddled inside while they literally rammed their antlers against the door. Eventually, they got bored, and I managed to sneak out and find a new spot to sleep. Unbelievable!
The next morning, we headed down to the Miyajima port. We found some katanas at a great price, and I couldn’t resist—I bought one! We hopped on the ferry, crossed back to the mainland, and grabbed some lunch.
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A Piece of Home in Japan
While riding a local train, a man approached us and asked, «Are you speaking Catalan?» It turned out to be a Japanese man who spoke perfect Spanish. He had lived in Barcelona for 22 years and had even dated two girls from Manresa, my hometown! The world is incredibly small.
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After the train, we tried hitchhiking again. The heat was relentless, and with no one stopping, we were starting to feel demotivated. Suddenly, a parked car started honking at us. We walked over, and a woman and her daughter told us to hop in. They took us on a whirlwind tour: we went to a mall, they treated us to Takoyaki, and we played at the arcades. It was amazing.
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The "Family" Road Trip
The next morning, we visited the daughter’s school before heading to Higashihiroshima to see my good friend Naoki. It had been way too long! The mother picked up Naoki, and we all went on an excursion together, just like a big family.
We explored Onomichi, where we tasted the best ramen in the region. We took the cable car up to visit the temples and took in some spectacular ocean views before island-hopping to see even more shrines.
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Finally, it was time to say goodbye to the mother and daughter, we had such a blast with them! We headed to Naoki’s place, met his family, and went out for Okonomiyaki, the soul food of the region. We even stopped by McDonald’s to say hi to Naoki’s friends before heading home to drink, laugh, and finally get some sleep.
To be continued…