From Hiroshima it was a short trip to Miyajima island, with the 30km journey being covered by tram, train and ferry. While the island is actually named Itsukushima, it is more commonly known as Miyajima, which is Japanese for shrine island. So, it is the famous shrine and iconic ‘floating’ torii gate that is the main attraction.
On arrival at Miyajima we were greeted by friendly deer wandering around the main streets. We didn’t have any food to offer, so instead stopped for a sushi lunch, and then walked the five minutes to our guest house. One deer was persistent following us most of the way there.
Accommodation on Miyajima is limited, with most tourists including it as a day trip from Hiroshima. We were spending two nights allowing us to see sights in a more relaxed manner, and to enjoy the island without the crowds in the morning and evening. We had booked into a guest house, which was the home of an older couple who had setup a small two-level apartment in the front with their house at the back. The lady warmly welcomed us and we settled into the upstairs Japanese style room. Her English was as limited as our Japanese, but we worked it all out with some help from Google Translate. The rules included a night time curfew of 10pm and breakfast that would be served at 7am.
After check-in and dropping off the bags, we strolled to the Itsukushima Shrine and made our way through the shrine. The shrine is built over the water in a small inlet on the island. At high tide the water rises just below the wooden flooring, giving the appearance of floating. While at low tide you can see down to the shallow sandy sea floor. Containing multiple buildings, the shrine is connected by wooden walkways, all aligned to give impressive views of the Torii gate. It would have been an impressive sight arriving by boat through the gate directly to the shrine in 1200. The walking trails around the shrine provided nice views of the shrine and torii gate with the autumn leaves on display.
The following day we headed up Mount Misen, the highest peak on Miyajima: 500m above sea level. A ropeway takes you most of the way up, with a steep 30-minute hike required to reach the peak. A number of temples are near the summit, with one temple protecting a spiritual flame which was originally lit by Kobo Daishi (founder of Shingon Buddhism we had learnt about at Koyasan) when he visited the mountain. It has been kept burning for the 1,200 years since.
The interweaving of history of the various sites is interesting as we are starting to recognise key people and events, however it is the spectacular view and beautiful forests filled with autumn colours we most enjoy. The peak of Mount Misen offers 360-degree views back to Hiroshima and out across the Seto Island Sea towards Shikoku.
Descending down the mountain required a 1.5-hour hike through forests with great views, ending near the shrine and the main streets of Miyajima. After stopping for lunch, which included local oysters for the adults and deer poo ice-cream for the boys, we walked along the foreshore to a beach location. The wind had picked up by then, making it quite cold but that didn’t deter the boys from splashing in the water and running along the beach for an hour or two.
A quick stop at the local cat café – our first animal café visit for Japan – and we were ready for dinner. Like the previous evening, we ended up catching the ferry back to the Hiroshima side and getting a cheap and easy dinner at the local 7-eleven. As the ferry was covered by the Rail Pass, it made a pleasant trip across and back.
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