I spent a wonderful day in Miyajima, a wonderful small island close to Hiroshima. It was kind of accidental that I found this gem, which made the experience a lot better for me I think. Because all the hostels in Hiroshima were booked I chose one that was a little bit outside. When I stayed there I heard about a beautiful island close to it, called Miyajima. So I went there the next morning. Without having any expectations how it would look and what to await I could enjoy the scenery there even more.
I went without knowing much about it and without a lot of expectations. What I encountered was a wonderfully peaceful island. Although there were a lot of tourists, I felt very calm and peaceful on the island. There are no cars on the island, which adds to the peaceful atmosphere. There were deer walking around freely all over the island, which were a sight of delight every time.
I visited a really nice park, the Momijidani Park (紅葉谷公園), which had nice areas everywhere. It was fabulous. Als the distinct Toyokuni Shrine five-story pagoda (豊国神社 五重塔) which can be seen from afar and is good for many photos. And of course there is the Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate (厳島神社 大鳥居). This is probably one of the most famous sights of Japan, the Torii that stands in the sea. It is already pretty old and a really impressive sight. When I went there was low tide. Like this you could walk around the Torii and inspect in from a close distance. Also a great way to experience it, although it didn’t quite look, like the many pictures you might know it from. Belonging to the Torii is the Itsukushima Shrine (安藝國一之宮 嚴島神社), which I didn’t visit (but this is another major sight of the island).
Afterwards I went to the Daishoin (大聖院). I loved the hall with many, many Buddha statues. At the entrance there is also a restaurant with an totally amazing restaurant. The food there was soo good. They also have a lovely garden. And adjacent is an old tea ceremony house. I met two guys who invented me to a tea ceremony, because they wanted to take pictures for their website. So I went and had a great tea ceremony with an experienced tea master. I really like tea ceremonies, as they are so peaceful and mindful.
There is also a lot of hiking you can do on the island. The view from the top of the hills must be spectacular. 🙂
[unitegallery miyajima catid=28]
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