Japan, Day 4 (September 6): Miyajima

The Resolution sailed along the rocky shores of Miyajima island, surrounded by hundreds of oyster farms in the shallow waters near shore.  Due to the shallow waters and congested port area, the Resolution held position offshore while we boarded Zodiac (inflatable motorboats) to reach the port at Miyajima [video]. This small island in Japan’s inland sea is home to only 1,400 people, most of whom support the bustling tourist industry … foreigners like us, as well as numerous locals who visit the famous Buddhist or Shinto shrines. Read on!

Now a UNESCO world heritage site, the Itsukushima Shrine is perhaps best known for its massive Shinto-style Torii gate, built in the inter-tidal zone of a pleasant little bay.  Bright red, it is a favorite of photographers; at high tide, it appears to ‘float’ in the sea, with the hills of mainland Japan in the distance behind.  At low tide, visitors can walk across the sand and explore around the base of the structure, which at 16 meters tall dwarfs the humans below. I was pleased to learn that we arrived about two hours before high tide, and departed about an hour after high tide, and the weather was calm and sunny.  Perfect!

Amazingly, the Torii gate is self-standing – its massive 600-year-old wooden posts simply rest on the sandy bottom.  The huge crossbeam is filled with rocks, to weight the structure down. It has never fallen, despite being subjected to strong earthquakes and intense typhoons over the centuries.

After passing the gate we enjoyed a tour of the seaside Shinto shrine, built on pillars above the lapping waves of the beach.  We then had free time to roam; I climbed further up the hill to visit the Daishon (Buddhist) temple, which was an incredibly elaborate array of structures and outdoor sculpture gardens.  I was fascinated by the miniature Buddha statues, each with a knitted red cap, lining the pathways, and by the even smaller racks of tiny Buddhas lining the outside of a temple. In many places visitors had left small coins in hopes their wishes may be granted.

As I wandered downhill through town, I passed many wild deer – both does and bucks.  There are at least 500 deer living in the virgin forests of this island, and many are tame and wander the streets.  People give them great deference, as they are thought to be messengers of the gods.  I snapped many photos, and had the opportunity to pat one on the head as I passed.

This town is famous for its tiny cakes shaped like maple leaves; I paused to watch a small shop whose cake-baking machine was active and on display in the shop window [video]… then bought a box of six little cakes, still warm from the oven, to share with my lunchmates an hour later.  I also found another little shop where I could buy soft-serve ice cream, and enjoyed a beautiful (and tasty!) matcha ice cream cone – it hit the spot on this swelteringly humid morning.

We hopped on the Zodiac boats for a ride back to the ship for lunch. I’ll post separately about our afternoon excursion. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the gallery for more photos!

This post is part of a series about our Japan trip; the series starts here.