When I started planning my trip to Japan, I wanted to keep it as open as possible, to allow for my whims and instincts to be the ones that guided me. I’m not a very impulsive person, and I worry when things aren’t completely planned out. I figured this would be a good exercise in following my heart rather than a travel plan.
This might have been the best decision I’ve made this trip.
My time spent in Osaka was amazing and refreshing. I saw things I’ve wanted to see the better part of my life, and I’ve let myself sleep in and stay up late, and generally do things I haven’t done in a long time. I also thought that my bucket list could not get more destroyed than it was after Osaka, and I was dead wrong.
When I got to Hiroshima, I really only had one goal, and that was to go to Miyajima, otherwise known as the home of the floating tori gate. It’s one of the most iconic things Japan has, along with Mount Fuji, and everyone can (or should) recognize it, even if they don’t know where it is or what it’s named. When I was in Hiroshima time time last year, my friend and I had no more than a few hours to spend in Hiroshima, and this time I had a day and a half. So early Saturday morning, I was off to Miyajimaguchi station.
Miyajima isn’t the real name of the shrine, or the island. Miyajima literally means, “Shrine Island”, and the name stuck. It’s actually called Itsukushima. It became an UNESCO world heritage site, and nearly a third of the island falls under the protection of the site. Because of this, the main town retains a very traditional look. The houses are small and quaint, the stores are all very traditional, and there isn’t a convenience store or fast food place to be seen (which was frustrating, because I needed an ATM.) While people go to Miyajima for the giant tori gate, they stay for the rest of the island, which is a really nice place to relax.
Luckily, the entire trip to Miyajima was covered on my JR Rail Pass, which lets me travel wherever I want for free for seven days (the reason I’ve been covering some intense ground this week.) Even the ferry over to the island was free! I love it. The ride there was really nice, and very quick. It wasn’t until about half way to the island that we could see the gate, far off in the distance. It looked really small from the boat, and I was worried I didn’t have the right lens for my camera to shoot it right! Thankfully, I was wrong.
Going to see the big tori gate reminded me a lot of seeing Stonehenge. It’s HUGE and imposing, and there’s just something about it where you simply know it’s important, even without anyone telling you. People aren’t going to turn around and say “oh, it’s just a gate” because it’s really not. That’s the fun thing about Hiroshima – there are so many things to see that are so much more than what they could be. It’s so full of history, you can’t help but go around with a feeling of respect for the whole area. Sometimes it’s for the fact that you can see and feel the ancient traditions still being respected in the shrines and temples. Other times, it’s when you suddenly remember what else Hiroshima is known for.
A tori gate is just that – a gate. It’s not the actual shrine, just what marks the location of one. Itsukashima shrine at Miyajima is beautiful, elevated over the water. It’s yet another place that is recognizable, but people might not know where it’s from. The reason Itsukashima is elevated is because the island is considered SO sacred, they didn’t want people to touch the island. It is a shrine to the three daughters of Susano-o No Mikoto, who is the Shinto god of the seas. In the Shinto gods family tree, they’re pretty high up there, hence the reason the island is considered so scared.
Inside the shrine was a place where Shinto amulets could be bought. I’m quite fond of buying my souvenirs from shrines instead of shops. Like I said before, at Fushimi Inari, I had bought a phone strap that would bring me good fortune, and a necklace that would be the key to unlock great opportunities. I do have a lot of faith in these little charms. Not many of the ones on Miyajima really called out to me, but then I saw one that I’d been thinking was silly before. It was pink, with a deer on it (deer roam wild on Miyajima and aren’t scared of people at all) and was very pretty. Despite feeling silly getting it, I got it because it called out to me and I figured I should get it.
Afterwards, I wandered around the island, enjoying the slightly cloudy day. It turned out there was a fireworks festival that night, and so the island was really crowded. Despite knowing the display would be amazing, I knew getting back to my hotel would be really hard, since it’s an island and the only way back was by boat. Which would be dangerously packed, probably. Besides, my shoulders were getting warm. So I opted to head back to Hiroshima.
It turns out that when my shoulders feel warm, it actually means I have the most amazing burn on the planet, and slightly resemble a Canadian flag with my amazing tan lines. Luckily, my burns fade, so now I have a pretty sweet tan going. So instead of watching fireworks, I took a nap, went to get some dinner, and then once the sun was setting, set out on another adventure that you’ll see later.