Deer, Shrines, and Stairs oh my! (Miyajima Island)
On day 6 we took a little boat ride over to the island of Miyajima. The main purpose was to see the famous “floating” Torii Gate, but there was so much more to love. This day had to be one of my best days in Japan.
From the boat we could see the island, full of lush green scenery and hills upon hills, some of which we probably climbed. When arriving we were greeted by the domesticated-like deer. They were very friendly; they even let us take pictures with them. But beware, don’t leave any papers out or they will snatch and eat them, a few students learned this lesson.
After fun times with the deer we made our way to main part of the island where there were shops and shrine galore. Of course we had to stop in front of the Torii to get a few picture in front, because how many people can say, “I’ve been there.” After that, it was shrine time. To get to the start of the shrine we first had to make our way up a steep street and dodge the cars coming and going by.
Finally after about a 2-3 minute walk, we arrive at the Itsukushima shrine. And I when tell you there are stairs to climb, I mean it. Being the photographer I am, I had to stop and take pictures of anything and everything. Then time to move up the stairs, and honestly for it being a hot day, they stairs weren’t all that bad. There was even stairs to the left filled with statues going up.
We made it to the top to where the actual housing of the shrine was. Looking around it was all statues, incense to burn, and lighting on the ceiling (in particular order). Around the building were statues of Buddha with bibs around there necks, it happened to be Buddha’s birthday! There was so much Japanese money around, people are very thankful. After exploring the rest of the shrine we headed back down to the bottom.
After returning to the base we saw that the tide had receded and that you could actually walk up to the Torii gate. I was too excited to get close to it and take pictures. Spending about 20-30 minutes out by the Torri we headed to the shopping area. I bought a few souvenirs and it was time to head to Hiroshima. I REALLY enjoyed my time on Miyajima Island; I would encourage any visitors of Japan to make sure this is on their list of things to do.
For more pictures of Miyajima Island click here
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