12 DAYS IN JAPAN - DAY 4 HIMEJI

Miyajima is a small island outside of Hiroshima, known for its giant torii gate, forests and ancient temples and is considered to be a holy place, the Island of The Gods. 

To get to Miyajima, take the train from Hiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi Station, approx. 40 minutes. Then it is a short walk to the ferry terminal and a 20 minutes ferry ride to the island.

The Great Torii

As you approach the island, you will see the great Torii gate and shrine in the sea. During high tide, the great Torii appears to be floating on the water and at low tide, you can walk to the foot of the Torii gate. A Torii is considered to be a gateway between the spirit, sacred world and the human world.

The Itsukushima Shrine on the island, has a prayer hall, main hall and theatre stage.

The shrine was built by Taira no Kiyomori, the most powerful man in Japan during the end of the Heian Period chose the island for his clan's family shrine.

DEERS, DEERS, DEERS! There are lots of deers roaming freely on the island. They are tame and friendly but beware of your food and feeding them as they will not hesitate to follow you. Shinto Religion considers deers as sacred, holy messengers of the Gods.

Daisho-In Temple

The temple was founded in 806 by Kukai (Kobo Daishi), a Japanese monk and the founder of Shingon Buddhism. Daisho-In is a beautiful Buddhist Temple spread over the base of the mountain with many different shrines for prayer and worship. The main features include:

- The Niomon Gate, the gateway to the temple is watched over by two Nio guardian kings to ward off evil spirits and to preserve Buddhist philosophy on earth

- The mani wheels, where the more times you spin the prayer wheel, the more blessings you will receive

- The 500 Rakan Statues which were the original disciples of the Buddha,

- Mizukake Jizo; the boddhisatva Jizo, the protector of the spirits of deceased babies and children. Worshippers pour water on each of the Jizo to console the souls of the loved ones.

- The Henjokutsu Cave holds Buddhist icons from the 88 temples of the Shikoku pilgrimage route

- 1000 Fudo myo-o immovable king donated by worshippers commemorate the succession of the head priest

There was so much interesting and fascinating Buddhist features that make this a unique place. It was incredibly peaceful and serene with the temple bells ringing, birds singing and the babble of the water fountains nearby. 

Mount Misen

The island's tallest mountain with panoramic views of the island. We took the Miyajima ropeway (cable car) from Momijidani Station to Shishiiwa Station near the summit. The Ropeway provides great views of the Seto Inland Sea and forest below. Then it was a challenging hike to reach the observation deck which involved uneven, rocky, steep terrain with steps. Make sure you wear good walking shoes and take lots of water. Along the way, there are shrines on the path and the Misen Hondo and Reika Do. There are three different hiking routes if you did not want to take the Ropeway.

What to eat in Miyajima

The main shopping district is Omotosando where you can find plenty of restaurants and food stalls. Food recommendations include oysters, conger eel and Momiji. 

 

Oysters

We ordered a set menu which gave us the opportunity to taste a variety of the oysters. 

Steam baking raw oysters

Anago-meshi 

Miyajima speciality anago eel marinated in Hayashi sauce with miso soup and pickles.

Momiji Manju 

These are small maple leaf shaped cakes filled with sweet bean paste, chocolate or custard.

Making Momiji Manju

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12 DAYS IN JAPAN - DAY 4 HIMEJI

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