Japan
Itsukushima shrine

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  • Day 4

    Miyajima Island

    October 31, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    We started our second morning by taking a ferry from Peace Park over to Miyajima island. This was the first of a total of six different modes of transportation we took today! The ferry was a 45 minute ride over to the island, which is a global world heritage site for its shrine built on the top of Mount Misen

    We walked from the ferry terminal through the town to where we would catch the next mode, a gondola car, which took us up the mountain through lush forest. We then switched to a funicular car over a mountain pass with gorgeous views of the Seto inland sea.

    We were not yet at the top. We then had a .6 kilometer walk up to a small temple complex. The down then up and up walk was really tough and left us exhausted and sweaty. In the complex we lit incense and two candles, one for good health and one to remember Mom.

    After the return hike and the two gondolas, we took a minibus back to town (mode#4) as we were too whipped to do the walk. We strolled through the town, sampling a curry bun, an oyster bun, fried maple leaf shaped dessert (one with cream, another with chocolate) and matcha and vanilla swirled soft-serve ice cream. The presentation was awesome!

    We returned to Hiroshima on the same ferry and left our hotel in mode number five, a taxi ,which we took to the Shinkansen station for mode number six, the bullet train to Tokyo where our adventure continues!
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  • Day 47

    Miyajima ⛩️🌸🦌

    April 5, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Hüt simr uf dr Wältkulturerbä Insle gsi wo schiins zu de 3 schönschte Landschafte vo Japan ghört... Näbschtem Schrein hets seeehr viiiiil wunderschöni Chirschblüeteböim ka und sehr zuertoulichi Rehli 🌸⛩️🦌Read more

  • Day 31

    Day 30-31

    March 31, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Day 30

    We packed our bags and headed towards the bus station today to get on the bus bound for Hiroshima! After gobbling down a quick snack we were quickly rushed onto the bus and set off. The highway buses in Japan are absolutely silent! They ask you not to use your mobile phones in order to not disturb other passengers, so I got my book out and settled in for our 3 1/2 hour bus.

    After 3 long and painful hours we arrived at Hiroshima bus terminal where we grabbed our backpacks and headed off to our hotel. The best way to describe our hotel is like staying inside a cigar, the whole hotel stinks of cigarettes and smoke so not the most welcoming smell after being on a stuffy bus! We were also booked into a smoking room so we left the windows open for a few hours and the smell dissipated.

    We are in a great location right next to the peace park so we thought we’d wander through the peace park for the rest of the afternoon. For those who don’t know, the peace park is MASSIVE and is full of monuments. Wondering around looking at the monuments and seeing the famous dome we found our way to the “peace pond” which was also very close to the centre of the bomb dropping point. I hadn’t felt overwhelmed with emotion until this point when I saw the flowers people had laid out and the eternal fire burning in remembrance of the victims but to also honour the survivors. It was very heavy and a few tears were shed! It’s just unimaginable the horror that Hiroshima faced when the bomb was dropped, we also went to the memorial hall which is full of rotating pictures of the casualties some of which were just children. It’s really heartbreaking and really difficult to see. I’ve been slightly putting off writing about this in my blog as it’s hard to describe how devastating and tragic this event is and how it made me feel, it’s hard to put into words.

    We looked at going into the museum but the queues were insane so we decided we’d get up early to go to beat the crowds a little.

    Day 31

    Alarm blaring we quickly got up and out the door to make it to the memorial museum shortly after it had opened and even so there were still a lot of people! But I’m sure less than if we had gone later in the day. The museum starts with a display of what Hiroshima was like before and then after the bomb. After the bomb literally all that was standing was the famous dome everything was just in complete wreck and ruin with the landscape being purely rubble.

    I think the core facts that stood out to me from the history section of the museum were…

    •the bomb released the equivalent of 16 kilotonnes of TNT, that’s not even a figure I can get my head around.

    •the west disgustingly nicknamed the a bomb used on Hiroshima “little boy” due to its shape and size.

    • ground temperatures near the hypo centre of the bomb reached 4,000 degrees Celsius.

    •the bomb killed an estimated 140,000 people but also causing long term illnesses and suspected genetic cancer so the casualties from the bomb is actually still rising.

    Just those facts alone quite frankly made me feel sick to my stomach, but the exhibition that tipped me over the edge was the children’s exhibition. A tricycle, a pair of shoes, a lunch box, a text book all belonging to children killed in the blast and more distressingly many were not killed instantly and suffered a brutal few days before their bodies eventually gave up. I was in absolute floods and I just can’t comprehend how terrifying it is that we have created weapons like this and have used them. It was a really really hard museum to visit but absolutely the right thing to do.

    I think that’s all I’ll say on the museum but I’m sure you can all imagine that emotions were running very high today.

    We decided in order to lift the mood we should go and do something fun! So we took the boat from the peace park out to Miyajima island! We were hoping to stand outside but we had to sit inside which was a shame, as we cruised the sea we saw the island coming clearer and clearer until we docked and clambered off. It was nice to get the fresh air as we have found Hiroshima has been very smoggy and the island was definitely a breath of fresh air!

    The first thing that took us by surprise was that there were deer everywhere just wondering around and completely unbothered by people which was quite lovely! Trying to leave a decent distance between us and the deer we took a few snaps and then headed around the island to see the Torii gate that was in the sea! Very similar to the one we kayaked to but obviously this one is much more popular. We climbed onto a small rickety boat with no other forgien tourists and were passed the large and rather comical on us bamboo hats! Before heading out for a better view of the torii gate, this time we were actually taken through the gate which I was surprised by as we weren’t allowed to kayak through the last one! But it did mean we got a very close up view of the rustic red gate whilst our guide gave us what I’m sure was a very interesting and in depth description in Japanese!

    Having rockingly returned to the beach we walked by the large shrine which at high tide appears to float as it is on stilts! It’s a brillaint red that really shines! Walking around the back of it I yelped in delight when we saw FULLY BLOSSOMED CHERRY BLOSSOMS!!! FINALLY!!! They were absolutely beautiful! It was a great little taster of hopefully what is still to come! They are incredibly delicate little flowers and are actually more white than pink! There are different types and some are more pink than others but a few are very white! I was so over the moon that we finally saw some cherry blossoms as we have been crossing our fingers and toes to see them as the forecast was so wrong! This honestly made my entire day and I didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day.

    After catching the boat back we wondered through the peace park to enjoy it at night in the peace and quiet and then headed back to chill in our room.
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  • Day 4

    Isola di Miyajima

    July 21, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Dopo solo 10 minuti di navigazione arriviamo sull'isola di Itsukushima, meglio nota come isola di Miyajima, che in giapponese significa “santuario-isola”.

    Ci danno il benvenuto dei simpatici cerbiatti, per nulla spaventati dalla presenza delle persone, anzi si lasciano accarezzare mentre provano a rubarti il cibo o qualunque altra cosa tu abbia in mano o in tasca.
    Trascorriamo il resto della giornata visitando l'isola per cogliere tutti i suoi lati: quello spirituale e quello naturale.

    Il basso livello del mare ci permette di vedere il grande Torii rosso in tutta la sua imponenza. Il portale in mare fa parte del santuario di Itsukushima, uno tra i più antichi della regione, considerato patrimonio dell’umanità dall’Unesco: lo percorriamo tutto affidando al destino (e ad appena 400 yen) la nostra fortuna.

    Proseguiamo la visita addentrandoci nel parco di Momijidani (parco degli aceri): il parco è attraversato dalle rive dell’omonimo fiume, è popolato da oltre 200 aceri e può capitare di imbattersi in qualche antico tempio.

    Ultima tappa della giornata è la pagoda a 5 piani: una costruzione immensa del 1407 che fonde elementi della tradizione buddista zen e quelli della tipica architettura giapponese.

    L'isola avrebbe meritato una visita di due giorni per goderla a pieno, con la luce del tramonto e con molti meno turisti. Abbiamo già iniziato a trovare delle scuse per tornare in Giappone.
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  • Day 83

    Miyajima: Wrapping Up (Daishoin)

    December 8, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    After my last night on Miyajima, I left my luggage in the lobby of the Ryokan and left for some final exploration of this beautiful island. Daishoin temple was my main goal, I passed it yesterday on my way down from Mt. Misen but it was a bit too late to visit. I enjoyed the sunny morning an shot some last minute impressions. After reaching Daishoin I explored the temple thoroughly, it was really beautiful, and had lots of little Buddha that brought a smile to my face. I love how caring people knit little clothes and little bonnets for the Buddha (and also the Inari Kitsune) Some had a lot more Rizz than me xD. I burned some incense and bought O-Mamori again, and after taking lots of nice pictures I left the temple...

    Google Translate:
    Nach meiner letzten Nacht in Miyajima ließ ich mein Gepäck in der Lobby des Ryokan und machte mich auf den Weg zu einer letzten Erkundung dieser wunderschönen Insel. Mein Hauptziel war der Daishoin-Tempel. Ich kam gestern auf dem Weg vom Berg Misen an ihm vorbei, aber für einen Besuch war es etwas zu spät. Ich habe den sonnigen Morgen genossen und ein paar Last-Minute-Eindrücke geschossen. Nachdem ich Daishoin erreicht hatte, erkundete ich den Tempel gründlich. Er war wirklich wunderschön und hatte viele kleine Buddhas, die mir ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zauberten. Ich liebe es, wie fürsorgliche Menschen kleine Kleider und kleine Häubchen für den Buddha (und auch die Inari Kitsune) stricken. Einige hatten viel mehr Rizz als ich xD. Ich zündete etwas Räucherwerk an, kaufte erneut O-Mamori und verließ den Tempel, nachdem ich viele schöne Fotos gemacht hatte ...
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  • Day 12

    Miyajima Is. & Hiroshima Peace Memorial

    April 13, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    After an hour on the bus we arrived at the harbour where we boarded a ferry for the short trip to Miyajima, an island known for its forests and ancient temples.

    We all sat on the starboard side to get a good picture of a 'floating' torii, which becomes partially submerged at high tide. It marks the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine, which was first built in the 12th century.

    We got our bearings and made our way up into the hillside to the Daishoin temple. It was well worth finding the Buddha statues with all their cute knitted caps. The gardens were amazing too.

    To get back to the ferry you must transverse Omotesando Street which is brim full of local foods and souvenir shops. I tried the grilled oysters which are cultivated here. They are triple the size of our ones back home. The girls found a cocktail stand so they indulged in a $A7 drink only to find a refill opportunity 50 meters further on and they only charge $A2! All good fun.

    Now we are back in Hiroshima where we will pay our respects to the Atomic Bomb Dome, otherwise in Japan known as the Genbaku Dome, or the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

    A shell of a building that was one of very few left standing after the USA
    bombed Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. The bomb detonated 600 metres off the ground and destroyed everything for over 5 kilometers. Unlike the other majors cities in Japan Hiroshima had not been bombed up until that day.

    In Hiroshima today, locals have mixed feelings about the UNESCO World Heritage-listed structure. Some see it as a reminder of war, whilst others consider it a tribute to remind the rest of the world that this kind of carnage should never happen again.

    The most daunting part of the day was walking through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. As you would expect there are the images, artifacts and exhibits that are confronting and shocking.

    There is a flame outside the museum in the cenotaph which is intended to burn until the last nuclear weapon on our planet has been destroyed.

    Hiroshima should be very proud of what their city has become today.
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  • Day 11

    Schreininsel Miyajima

    August 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Wir waren also in Hiroshima angekommen.

    Dort angekommen haben wir in mehreren Anläufen versucht unsere Wäsche zu waschen und zu trocknen. Das hat natürlich wieder länger gedauert, als gedacht.
    So waren wir um fünf vor acht am favorisierten Okonomiyaki-Restaurant. Die Schlange war lang. Um acht ist Schluss.
    Ich sag ja immer: Das Glück ist mit den Doofen.
    Naja. Wir waren jedenfalls die Letzten die rein durften.😂

    Der morgendliche Ausblick aus den Hotelzimmer war der auf eine moderne Stadt. Warum sich dieser so sehr von dem Ausblick in anderen japanischen Städten unterscheidet, ist glaube ich jedem klar.

    Nach unserem Besuch im Peace-Memorial-Park, den ich in einem gesonderten Post geschildert habe, haben wir nach Miyajima übergesetzt.
    Die Schreininsel liegt vor der Küste Hiroshimas und ist tagsüber wahrlich von Touristen überlaufen. Jetzt, am Abend, ist etwas Ruhe eingekehrt.
    Auch wenn Miyajima die Spezialitätenküche der Austernverarbeitung beherbergt, ist das nach einer Kostprobe immernoch nichts für mich.
    Nun lassen wir den Abend mit Blick auf das berühmte Wasser-Torii des Itsukushima-Schreins ausklingen.
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  • Day 17

    Miyajima

    August 2, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    Heute haben wir unseren letzten Tag im Süden Japans auf der Insel Miyajima verbracht. Auch hier haben wir uns wieder zu Tode geschwitzt, aber daran gewöhnen wir uns glaube ich nicht mehr. Die wohl bekannteste Sehenswürdigkeit hier ist das Itsukushima Jinja Otorii, ein Tor mitten im Meer. (Bild 1 - 3)
    Es befinden sich allerdings auch eine fünfstöckige Pagode (Tonyokuin Schrein) (Bild 4) und andere Highlights hier. Die wir selbstverständlich alle abgeklappert haben!
    Deshalb gehörte sowohl der Itsukushima-Schrein (Bild 5), als auch der buddhistische Daishoin Tempel (Bild 6 - 8) zu unseren Zielen. Am Ende sind wir dann noch durch den Momijidani Park geschlendert (Bild 9 + 10). Da wir den hiesigen Berg nicht zu Fuß besteigen wollten (wir schwitzen uns schon beim Stehen zu Tode), haben wir überlegt mit der Gondel nach oben zu fahren. Das war uns allerdings zu teuer (wir haben unser ganzes Geld in der Spielhalle verzockt und pfeifen jetzt aus dem letzten Loch), deshalb sind wir dann direkt zur Miyajima Omotesandō Shopping Street. Nur um zu sehen was wir mit Geld hatten kaufen können 😂.
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  • Day 14

    Hiroshima & Miyajima

    August 20, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Am 19. sind wir morgens früh mit dem Shinkansen nach Hiroshima gefahren. Dort haben wir am Bahnhof erstmal unser Gepäck abgegeben. Dann sind wir vom Bahnhof Hiroshimas durch die Innenstadt, die etwas leerer war aufgrund des Sonntags, bis zur Atomkuppel gegangen (Bild 1). Dieses Gebäude war eines der wenigen, das im Epizentrum des Atombombenabwurfs über Hiroshima am 6. August 1945 noch teilweise überlebt hat. Außerdem ist es DAS Symbolbild für den schrecklichen Atombombenabwurf. Danach ging’s nochmal zurück in die Innenstadt Okonomiyaki essen, die typisch für Hiroshima sind (Bild 2 und s. Essenspost). Danach ging’s zum Bahnhof Gepäck abholen, mit dem Zug nach Miyajimaguchi und von dort mit der Fähre nach Miyajima, einer Insel im Meer vor Hiroshima (Bild 3 und 4). Den Abend haben wir dort am Strand verbracht und den Sonnenuntergang angeschaut beim Riesen-Torii, was zu einem nahe gelegenen Tempel gehört. Da die Insel sehr touristisch ist und wenig Leute auf der Insel übernachten, mussten wir uns danach beeilen noch was essen zu gehen. Anschließen und da wir dort in einem Wellnesshotel mit heißen Bädern und Pool waren, haben wir diese Möglichkeit noch kurz ausgenutzt. Die heissen Bäder (onsen) sind allerdings nach Geschlecht getrennt weswegen wir uns dort nur kurz aufgehalten haben. Stattdessen haben wir den Mini-Onsen auf unserem Balkon genutzt (s. Video).Read more

  • Day 87

    מיאג'ימה

    June 1, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    הפלגנו במעבורת 10 דקות דרומית להירושימה למיאג'ימה, "אי המקדשים".
    האי קדוש לדת השינטו, ועליו כל מיני מקדשים. במשך השנים לא התגוררו עליו אנשים, רק הגיעו במהלך היום להתפלל ולדוג. ורק לאחרונה החלו להתיישב עליו.
    האי מפורסם בשער הטוריי הענק לחופו. השער האדום בגובה 16 מטר, בזמן הגאות הוא נראה מרחף על פני המים ובזמן השפל אפשר ללכת מתחתיו. הוא אחת התמונות האיקוניות של יפן.
    משם המשכנו למקדש הבודהיסטי Daisho-in שהכיל הרבה בודהות עם כיסויי ראש שנראו כמו זמרי רגאיי.
    במשך שעה וחצי טיפסנו המון מדרגות לגובה 535 מטרים וצפינו בתצפית יפה על כל האיים באיזור.
    ירדנו ברכבל ליד זוג מבוגר מברזיל ששמחו לפטפט איתנו וסיפרו לנו על פיצריה טובה בהירושימה, ולמדנו שבסאו פאולו יש יותר יפנים (כולל דור שני) מאשר בקיוטו ולכן הם מכירים טוב אוכל יפני 😲
    בדרך חזרה למעבורת אכלנו עוגיות מקומיות בצורת עלה מייפל וממולאות במחית שעועית אדומה.
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Itsukushima shrine

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