Tako land... and not the good mexican kind

So, it feels like only 2 days since we were on holiday. Actually it was only two days since a 3 day break but now we have another 3 days off... It's a tough life but someone has to do it. So today, having driven past Akashi and the great bridge so many times on the train we thought today would be as good a day as any to stop and breathe in the sea air.

Having dismounted at Akashi we headed towards the ferry where we would head to Awaji Island. Along the way we found a really good fish market, so we decided to peruse the contents... There were some really bizarre looking creatures... some still flipping or kicking or something... dried octopus that looked more like merchandise for the new Batman film(or even an old one), prawns, fresh octopus... You could smell the freshness, though that was not always a great thing!!! The only purchase made was some really great Japanese ceramics (as if you wouldn't find that in a fish market!)... we'll look to complete our purchases elsewhere!

After the fish market adventure we followed the signs to the takoyaki shrine. Hardly a god that I would offer praise to, it was a kind of comical photo op so we grabbed that and boarded the ferry. The ferry took us under the world's largest suspension bridge. Here's a photo of its belly!

Across the island we weren't really sure what to do. We'd heard about the whirlpools over at the Shikoku end of the island, but that turned out to be a really long way!

So we headed to one of the other main attractions, the earthquake museum. So it turns out the fault lines that run along Awaji were pretty much responsible for the Kobe earthquake. How guilty would you feel if that was your fault! Would one island say to the other, "It's your fault!" Anyways, enough bad jokes...They have done a great job of preserving the site. It showed really well the destruction of the earthquake. Roads 2 metres from where they should be, hedges no longer in line, overturned kitchens... and if you thought your salt damp and termites were bad, you should see the cracks in the houses that are still left standing!

The best part was by far the earthquake simulator. Jodi and I were sat in a room, with the furniture bolted down and shaken for about 45 seconds. I can only imagine what it would have been like to have that sprung on me!

With so many weekends at the moment I feel a bit tired. I can already feel the warmth of the readers out there... Anyway, the point is that I had had enough for the day and wanted to go home, so we did...

By far one of the best museums I have been to in Japan... well worth the trip. Hopefully we'll get back for the whirlpools, but if not, the stop at Akashi filled in the day well.