Miyajima

I woke up bright and early Saturday and booked the room for another night. My goal for the day was Miyajima, the island with the huge vermillion gate in the water. After the hour-long train, I took a twenty-minute ferry for the island. The gate was just barely visible from the ferry. While packed with tourists, it wasn't as crowded as I'd feared.

Miyajima is the name of the town on the island; the island itself is called Itsukushima. The island is the site of a Shinto shrine that dates from the 12th century. Probably the most famous part of the shrine is its large torii, the gate marking the transition from the profane outside world to the sacred shrine.

One of the first things I noticed was the deer: lots and lots of deer, just wandering around the island. They behave as though they're practically oblivious to us, not bothering to move as people walk near them. Several people stop to pet and feed them, despite the warnings of a sign...

I made my way toward the gate, admiring the deer and getting a weird thrill from hearing non-Japanese languages spoken. (I counted French, Mandarin, English, and what sounded like German.) I realized I'd arrived at low tide: the gate was on dry land, with tourists mingling around its base. There were several locals elbow-deep in the muck, sifting for shellfish. I spotted a group of Americans with what I found to be a nifty idea: they were holding up a dry-erase board for the picture, with a little blurb about who they were, the location, and the date.

I walked around the rest of the temple complex, all of which is elevated five or six feet. It was like walking on a pier. I wanted to come back for high tide, but the day's high tides were right around 8am and 8pm, which was too early and too late for the ferry schedule.

Overlooking the shrine is the Goju-no-to Pagoda. It's painted the same shade of vermilion as the shrine and torii. Apart from the gate, my favorite part of Miyajima was a swingset I found on my walk. Anyone who knows me knows that I eagerly availed myself for about twenty minutes.

On the ferry back, I looked over the side and saw the water was full of jellyfish. That's what kills the beach season in Tsushima. Once back in Hiroshima, I made my way back to the hotel and relaxed the rest of the day.