People in Hiroshima, People to Hiroshima: Hiroshima Day Trip

Hiroshima Day Trip: Miyajima (宮島) -4

Not just Itsukushima srhine(厳島神社), you can enjoy some hobbies in Itsukushima Island, Miyajima, such as beautiful nature, arts and buildings, street and food.

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Misen is the mountain where Gods live in myth. Especially, autumn is the best season to visit. You can see beautiful red-colored maple leaf, Momiji in Japanese, as the valley is called "maple leaf valley - Momiji Dani". The shining green in May is outstanding, as well, though.
Misen is also famous for precious plants and flower. Limited citizen in Hiroshima were able to enter this "Gods' island" and hilly Misen nature have kept those plants.

You can ride a cable car from maple leaf valley towards the crest of Misen, but wind from Seto Inland Sea, "Seto nai kai", is smooth and good for walk for hours, too.
From the crest of Misen, Seto Inland Sea shines gently and you can see Hiroshima city in fine day. Good to go up by walk and down by cable car, perhaps.

Several trails you have to go Misen, but the most major trail is Momiji dani trail, maple leaf valley trail. Even if no time or feel not comfortable to go up to crest, you can see beautiful nature in the valley and feel holiness. Maple leaf valley is just 10-15min from Itsukushima Shrine.
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No you should be hungry. Two choices you have. Have a nice Japanese meal in traditional Japanese-Style Inns, Ryokan. You can enjoy lunch only with reasonable price. The most famous inn is "Iwaso", standing just in front of the entrance for maple leaf valley. Delicate setout will make you happy to eat with fine view outside of window. Traditional Japanese style building and garden are also the pride of "Iwaso". You should feel yourself straightening up by standing in fron of the old entrance.

The another option is enjoying snacks in Miyajima.
Momiji Manju, of course. Nowadays, you find many tastes, bean paste, chocholate, cheese, jam, cream, etc, and also deep fried ones called "age momiji". You can see how it is made in store front. Some process is taken by machine and some are man-made. Moving Momiji Manju is very pretty and good to keep looking.
Baked oyster is another snack, if you can eat. Why Oyster? You should read Hiroshima Day Trip: Miyajima (宮島) -2. Winter is the season for Oyster. You will be knocked out with smelling oyster and soy sauce getting burned.

The entrance for "Iwaso". No reservation is required for lunch. Old style garden and inns itself are good to be visited.
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Machine for Momiji Manju and Oyster shell. Hot Momiji Manju is the best for any taste.
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Many old residences were renewed for shops and cafe. Machiya Dori, 町家通り, is the hot street in these years. Mochiya dori runs in parallel with shopping arcade. Every site & detail of building is delicate and beautiful. Many goods in shops are Miyajima-made.
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Time passes so fast in Miyajima. You should see to the time for ferry.
1 more thing. Spending 5-6 hours in Miyajima, you see the different view for red-colored wooden shrine gate, "Oo Torii". If that was floating upon the calm sea, now you can walk to and touch it.

Sunsetting Miyajima and Seto Inland Sea, "Seto nai kai", is unexplainable scenery, where you feel re-borning. You may feel here is the hometown. Perhaps, it is the sense of "Gods' Island".

Now, it's time to go home. Before you get to Hiroshima city central, you will get the nice dream in tram "Hiroden". Don't forget to buy a souvenir.

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Hiroshima Day Trip: Miyajima (宮島) -3

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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Hiroshima Day Trip: Miyajima (宮島) -2

Once ferry gets on Miyajima, start walking through the approach to Itsukushima shrine(厳島神社). If you go straight to shrine, it will just 10min, but of course, you should walk with looking shops, landscape,play with Japanese deer and taste Momiji Manju.

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Deer is the holy animal in Japan, being told as the messenger of God. The momiji manju is a maple leaf-shaped sponge cake containing bean paste. You can find the paste of chocolate, cheese, fruite jam and cream, as well.

The appoach to shrine goes toward the seaside, first, then shop street, and goes back to seaside, at the last. In winter, you can find out the oyster shops and try burned oyster at the shop. Oyster is the local specialty of Hiroshima, where Oyster is caught most in Japan.

Momiji Manju is also the local specialty of Miyajima/ Hiroshima, and people in Hiroshima has to have their own favorite brand of Momiji Manju, as well as their favorite paste inside Momiji Manju. Famous brand should not be alsways the best, but the one hot and fresh should taste best in any brand. Smell of hot Manju is irresistible. You can buy from 1 piece in any shop in Miyajima and Japanese tea is to be served with. You will not get persisting coercive sales even in that case.

High season is spring and fall. Especially in fall, you can see beautiful maple leaf. Japanese deer is on the loose without the owner, but managed by local goverment. They are very pretty and unfussy. In the shop street, you can try oyster by 200-400JPY and Momiji Manju by 80-120JPY.

Just beside the gate of shop street, you can find huge size of wooden spoon, called "Shamo-ji", rice paddle. It is the most famous souvenir of Miyajima along with Momiji Manju. It is said that "Shamo-ji" brings happiness or "Shamo-ji" is the symbol of happiness. Most of "Shamo-ji" were crafted with the wood in Miyajima, "Misen", holy mountain behind the shrine, and prayed in Itsukushima shrine. Nowadays, you should ask the shopkeeper, if you want the real one.
Anyway, it should be really good for souvenir, since it is not so heavy or bulky.

You can find "Shamo-ji" at the entrance for Momiji Manju shop. This shop, "MIYATOYO" is famous for cheese pasted Manju. "Shamo-ji" at the entrance of shop street is the biggest one in the world. It is wooden. "Shamo-ji" is also used in Momiji Manju shop to stir the paste.

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You should see the stone shrine gate, "Tirii", by walking with having 2-3 Momiji Manju. Stone lanterns are standing in seaside street, and then you find the bigger, red-colored wooden shrine gate, "Oo Torii", floating the calm sea. "Trii" floating upon the water is really beautiful. Sea surrounding Miyajima is very clear especially in fine sun-shine day. Red-color gate upon blinking water is artistic and holy.

The entrance for Itsukushima shirne is just a few minutes once you see this landscape. At the entrance, there were the living horse until a few years ago. After white good-looking hourse died, imitation horse is standing. Old white horse, gate keeper of the shrine, reminded us holiness of the place.

The stone shrine gate and stone lanterns. Fireworks festival in Miajima is taken place every summer. This approach is the most popular place to enjoy that. Miajima is also famous for those several festvals.

In flood tide, the gate seems really floating with copying its shape upon the sea, while in low tide, you can walk just underneath of the gate.

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Itsukushima shrine and surrounding landscapes are not just beautiful, but outstanding for the accordance of nature and man-made monuments. The color is changed by season and climate, and you will never get bored.
Finally, we get the inside of Itsukushima shirne in upcoming column.

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Hiroshima Day Trip: Miyajima (宮島) -1

The most major place for people in Hiroshima to go One day trip is, of course, Miyajima. Miyajima is not just the pride of people in Hiroshima, for most of Japanese, it is the most beautifule shrine, and one of the most important histrical monument for all.

Miyajima(宮島) means "Court Island", and the place of Itsukushima shrine(厳島神社). So, the official name of shrine is "Itsukushima shrine", but people usually call the place "Miyajima" with respect and affection.

To go this red-colored shrine, you have to use the station "Miyajima guchi", from where you can get on the ferry to go Miyajima. "guchi" stands for "the entrance".
Both Miyajima guchi JR station and Miyajima guchi tram Hiroden station can be reached from central Hiroshima 30-40min. From Hiroshima Station (広島駅), JR line "Sanyo honsen" is the fastest way, and from central city, Tram "Hiroden" (路面電車 "広電") is the easiest way to get there.
Tram Hiroden will take time more than JR line, but you can enjoy the landscape from a tram window.
You can get the route map from Hiroden web site.
http://www.hiroden.co.jp/en/

JR Miyajima-guchi station and tram Miyajima-guchi station. Approx every 10-15min, you can find the tram bound for Miyajima-guchi at the tram station in city central Hiroshima. You can buy set ticket for both round trip railway and ferry at major station or hotels in the city. One of the surprise for Miyajima one day trip is its low cost. Both JR and Hiroden railway and ferry can be got on with less than 1000 JPY.

Ferry terminal can be reached out 5min from Miyajima-guchi station, but you should first enjoy Miyajima-guchi a little more. One of the local specialty in Miyajima is "Anago meshi", conger at rice bowl. Smell of smoky conger and sweet soy sauce will carry you away. You can find the most famouse restaurant for "Anago meshi", "Ueno", just in front of Miyajima-guchi station.
You should keep the sweets "Momiji manju", another famouse local specialty, for walk in Miyajima.

Yellow fascia is the simbol of "Ueno".You can eat in the restaurant or take out the lunch box, "Obento". You can find many souvenir shops in Miyajima-guchi, as wall as Miyajima itself. If you want to buy the box of Momiji-manju, good to buy here on your way to hotel.

Ferry terminal can be found easily at the back of outstanding statue, "Sho-cho- buraku Ranryu-ou zou" (picture in left). It is the scene of Gagaku, Japanese traditional music and dance, Ranryu-ou, king, dances.

Representing by this statue, Miyajima is the stage of myth, as well as several histrical events. This is not just because Miyajima is the important spot for maritime traffic, but also because people had affection to and feel holiness from this small and beautiful island very much. Dancing is the most popular way of showing respect and thankfulness to the Gods living in the nature of Miyajima and Dancing stage, "Noh butai", in Miyajima Itsukushima Shrine is the national important heritage.
It should be interesting to feel those history and affections of old-time people in Hiroshima/ Miyajima.

Ferry operates in every 10-15min. Left side is Hiroden ferry terminal and right side is JR ferry terminal. No difference for the price and comfortability.

After 3min ferry sail out, you can see many rafts for cultivation of oysters floating in Seto Inland Sea, "Seto nai kai". This is nostalgic and relaxing scene for people who was born around Seto Inland Sea. Sound of calm wave in Seto Island sea is bringing you to the holy island in a gentle pace.
Famous shirne gate, "Torii", in the sea is coming bigger sight. You should sigh for its incomparable beautifulness.

With 15min sea trip, now, you are getting Miyajima. We will go inside of the island in next article.

Shrine gate in Seto Inland Sea. This incomparabe beautifulness is said to be coming from the holic nature on the back of red-colored gate, as well as its outstanding idea.