Traveling in Japan: Miyajima
Miyajima has been one of my favorite places that I've visited in recent memory. Just a short train and ferry ride from Hiroshima, it can easily be made into a day trip. The only problem is that you might want to spend a longer time there (like I did!).
The one thing that Miyajima is most famous for is its torii (gate) as part of the nearby Itsukushima Shrine, which appears to float in the water during high tide, and it's also the first thing that your eyes focus on as you gaze at the shore from the ferry. It's been consistently voted as one of the views in Japan. However, Miyajima has much more to offer than that.
After getting off of the ferry, I wondered through the arcade that is just behind the beachfront, and went directly to the torii since it was lowtide. The first thing I noticed was that there were deer everywhere, and they didn't seem to be afraid of people at all. There were signs everywhere that warned how the deer were wild, but I didn't see any of them act aggressively towards anyone. After I did some walking and arrived at the torii, I stepped right up to it and took some photographs like the many tens of people that I rode the ferry over with. However, I spent most of my day in Miyajima climbing Mount Misen. Just a five-minute walk through Miyajima will bring you to the foot of the hiking path. There was also a cable car that would take you most of the way up, but I am a sucker for the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies a complete hike.
Before hiking Misen, I was used to the hikes around Tokyo that, while great, don't often afford incredible views. On the way up to the top of Misen, there were a couple of spots to view the Miyajima side of the island with the torii playing just a small part of the landscape. However, the best views were more towards the top as they provided stunning views of the other side of the island and the surrounding ocean. At one point, I emerged from the forested path to a great open space where a gigantic rock serves as sitting space for you to admire the expansive, breathtaking view. I literally said, "Wow!" out loud as I came out of the forest and saw this view:
At the top of the mountain are not only more incredible views, but there is also a famous Buddhist temple that was once visited by Kukai who is one of Japan's most famous Buddhist monks. He introduced a Chinese style of Buddhism to Japan as well as made important contributions to the development of Japan's writing system.
After my hike, I wondered around town a bit more and ate some excellent okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is what some people call a "Japanese pancake". Except, instead of being flour-based, it's made by frying noodles and eggs with different ingredients. There are different styles of okonomiyaki all over Japan, but the style famous in Miyajima and Hiroshima is made with oysters...soo yummy! They're absolute calorie bombs, but it's just what I needed after my hike! After lunch, I walked through Itsukushima Shrine and up a hill to a pagoda and what I believe was another temple or shrine. By that time, the sun was setting for the day and I figured it was about time to head back.
The one thing that Miyajima is most famous for is its torii (gate) as part of the nearby Itsukushima Shrine, which appears to float in the water during high tide, and it's also the first thing that your eyes focus on as you gaze at the shore from the ferry. It's been consistently voted as one of the views in Japan. However, Miyajima has much more to offer than that.
After getting off of the ferry, I wondered through the arcade that is just behind the beachfront, and went directly to the torii since it was lowtide. The first thing I noticed was that there were deer everywhere, and they didn't seem to be afraid of people at all. There were signs everywhere that warned how the deer were wild, but I didn't see any of them act aggressively towards anyone. After I did some walking and arrived at the torii, I stepped right up to it and took some photographs like the many tens of people that I rode the ferry over with. However, I spent most of my day in Miyajima climbing Mount Misen. Just a five-minute walk through Miyajima will bring you to the foot of the hiking path. There was also a cable car that would take you most of the way up, but I am a sucker for the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies a complete hike.
Before hiking Misen, I was used to the hikes around Tokyo that, while great, don't often afford incredible views. On the way up to the top of Misen, there were a couple of spots to view the Miyajima side of the island with the torii playing just a small part of the landscape. However, the best views were more towards the top as they provided stunning views of the other side of the island and the surrounding ocean. At one point, I emerged from the forested path to a great open space where a gigantic rock serves as sitting space for you to admire the expansive, breathtaking view. I literally said, "Wow!" out loud as I came out of the forest and saw this view:
At the top of the mountain are not only more incredible views, but there is also a famous Buddhist temple that was once visited by Kukai who is one of Japan's most famous Buddhist monks. He introduced a Chinese style of Buddhism to Japan as well as made important contributions to the development of Japan's writing system.
After my hike, I wondered around town a bit more and ate some excellent okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is what some people call a "Japanese pancake". Except, instead of being flour-based, it's made by frying noodles and eggs with different ingredients. There are different styles of okonomiyaki all over Japan, but the style famous in Miyajima and Hiroshima is made with oysters...soo yummy! They're absolute calorie bombs, but it's just what I needed after my hike! After lunch, I walked through Itsukushima Shrine and up a hill to a pagoda and what I believe was another temple or shrine. By that time, the sun was setting for the day and I figured it was about time to head back.
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