Vacation Plans: Your post CV19 dreams

The view literally seems to overflow with points of interest, each alone worth gazing upon, and together presenting an almost painterly masterpiece. Stretching beneath us we see the valley of Onomichi, traversed by its rich blue ocean passage; the town of Onomichi itself, studded with shrines and temples centuries old; the hills, clothed with woods, faintly rising from the narrow plain; the margin of the channel, lined with docks and shipyards; and at last the distant rolling mountains which, receding to ever paler shades of blue, gently etch their forms into the horizon...


Descending from the hilltop, we begin the trek toward Senko-ji, the path to which brings us through what locals call Neko no Hosomichi, or “Cat Alley,” a narrow lane famed for its abundance of cats, both real and decorative. The furry fellows who frequent the path are clearly acclimated to people, we find, as many of them let us waltz right up and snap photos from just a few feet away.