At the gate of Itsukushima shrine(厳島神社), paying the entrance fee and cleaning up your hands and mouth with the water, which is traditional way for worshiping, let's go inside the shine. Passage with plain wood will increase sanctity.
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You can hear the sound of wave under your foot. It is smooth and you can feel beautiful time with looking silent pond inside the shrine or looking the biggestred-colored wooden shrine gate, "Oo Torii", floating the calm sea, especially in sun-shining day.
There are 2 major features of Itsukushima Shrine.
1 -Color. You should be surprized with the contrast of color. Red - White. White - Black. Black - Green. Green - Blue. It's so beautiful and makes you feel holiness.
2 - Sound. You can here the voice of waves in sea side and sound of wind, while there is the silence at the pond inside the shrine. The sound of walking on wooden path give moderate tension for you.
Beautiful red-color became the icon of Hiroshima City. You can see the red-color charactor and display in many place of city central. Team color of baseball club of Hiroshima is also red. The pond is called as Mirror Pond, as you can see even in the picture.
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Itsukushima Shine was developed in 12th centry. Most of the current main shine was built in 1571. You can see the detail history in official page.
http://www.miyajima-island.com/flash/english/welcome.html
After praying to main shrine, go to the sea side towards the biggest gate. There is the path running out to the sea. This is also the stage for Japanese traditional play & dancing, mentioned in Hiroshima Day Trip: Miyajima (宮島) -1. You can see the play actually in April festival, called "Toh Ka Sai", meaning the festival for peach flower. You also see the old playing house, "Noh butai", next to the path. The wooden house is old and simple, but the seasoned color and innovative idea for "Stage in the Sea" will make you surprize and stick out in your memory.
Harmony with the nature of Miyajima makes Itsukushima Shrine outstanding. It is one of the most important traditional culture of Japan and you can feel the history of human and nature from No butai. Comparing to the other world heritage, Itsukushima Shirne is astonishing in this point.
Just beside Itsukushima Shrine, you can find another heritage, "Senjo Kaku", standing on the hill and looking down Itsukushima Shrine. "Senjo" stands for the large space. You can overlook Itsukushima Shrine, the biggest red gate floating in the sea and mountain of God, Misen, from large hall in the literature, having God space in center. In spring, you can see the flower blooming in Misen, which begin to turn red in fall. And in summer, you can feel fresh air.
Any season, it shows the different sight, but personally, later spring is recommended, since shining green and flower cover Misen.
You will also find the size of Itsukushima Shrine is very big looking from Senjo Kaku. Between Misen and Seto Inland Sea, "Seto nai kai", you feel you were in the old town itself.
Senjo Kaku is just 5min from Itsukushima Shine entrance gate and 10min from exit. You should see Itsukushima Shine, first, and climb the small hill to Senjo Kaku.
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In addition to those outstainding heritages, you can enjoy some hobbies in Itsukushima Island, Miyajima, such as food, nature, walk and shops. Those are to be introduced in the last article for Miyajima.
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