Miyajima Island

When you think of Japanese shrines, it's likely that the Itsukushima Shrine is what you envision. I know it was my first exposure to a shrine, although mine came from the replica built at the Japan portion of Epcot. The shrine is on Miyajima; a half hour boat ride from central Hiroshima. I caught an early boat to the island to avoid the afternoon rain, and headed straight back for a hike to the top of Mt. Misen. It wasn't a very long hike, but the greenery and surroundings were beautiful. Small shrines were located along the path to the top, and the 360 view of Hiroshima Bay was stunning. After a sweaty hike up, my knees appreciated a cable car back down. In town I saw the famed shrine and it is very striking. It was a holiday weekend though and quite crowded; I didn't wait in the 50 person line to get the dead on camera shot, opting for basically the same view without the wait. There were more deer here as well, and they were about as used to human interaction as the Nara deer. The sound one male made wasn't what I expected; very kawaii.
Food wise, I also had some tasty desserts with fried red bean paste and coffee ice cream (my true kryptonite).Read more