Advertisement
Published: November 9th 2007
WOW - i don't even know where to start! miyajima island is too incredible to even put into words! it is a very sacred island... no trees are allowed to be cut down, so the forests are very dense... and noone is allowed to give birth or die here, so there are no hospitals or cemeteries!
so... mum and dad had stayed on the island on tuesday night and, after a slight hiccup trying to find the ryokan in the pitch black, finally enjoyed a very traditional meal and rested comfortably on their futons!
the next morning, i got the train to hiroshima and then the ferry to miyajima to meet them... i had LOTS of people talking to me and asking me where i was from etc. so i was keen to tell them all that i wasn't a tourist and that i was a saga local!
the weather was just perfect - there wasn't a single cloud in the sky and it was warm, yet there was a really fresh breeze...
we took the cable car up to the top of mount misen, which gave us fantastic views over the colourful forest... we walked around the top,
whilst taking care to avoid any of the monkeys that like to make off with rucksacks! we then took LOADS of photos of the torii (gate) to the itsukushimya shrine... i was worried that i had built it up so much and that i would be disappointed when i saw how small it was (like i felt when i saw the statue of liberty!) but to see it 'floating' on the sparkling water with the sun shining on it was great... it didn't disappoint at all! we were stopped by a japanese teacher who asked if her students could give us a presentation about the torii - they were really good and appreciated my comments to them in japanese (what a show off i am, eh?!)
we had a picnic in one of the parks, surrounded by colourful maple trees and deer, though we had to up and move a few times, as the deer were taking too much of an interest in our food!
we had a walk around the pagoda and a few other streets and alleyways and watched the 'momiji manji' being made in the shops (a very popular maple sponge cake with cream filling)... i
only bought a few back for my favourite teachers and the JTEs, as i go away so often that all my money will go on buying them souvenirs if i'm not careful!
i wanted to stay until the evening, as the torii has spotlights on it and it looks truly stunning in the dark...
even though the photos are great, they really don't do this island justice... i can totally appreciate why this is one of the top 3 places to visit in the whole of japan! i must see if i can visit the other 2 while i'm here!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.06s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 15; qc: 22; dbt: 0.033s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
helen
non-member comment
oh deer
its not fair i'm stuck, it's freezing cold, dull and technology week and to make it worse sewing puppets. oh well back to normal next week. the pics look like your taking your deer for a walk. what a beautiful place to be. i took your friend wesley to the forest today what an experience! love helen