21.08.16: Miyajima

Today, I went on a day trip to Miyajima Island, supposedly one of the most beautiful places in Japan. After a one-hour train ride, I reached the ferry that took me to the small island in 10 minutes. After a short stroll along the promenade, where I also encountered many wild but very lazy deer, I arrived at the famous Itsukushima Shrine. The shrine's torii gate stands in the ocean, which makes for a very beautiful photo opportunity. The shrine itself looked like a big red pier extending into the ocean.

After visiting the shrine, I ventured off the tourist path and climbed a small hill where I found a small pagoda. After a short walk, I came across a beautiful Buddhist temple. The temple grounds featured several temple halls, a pagoda, a cave, a koi pond with a pavilion, and many small winding paths and stairs. The special thing about this temple was the numerous statues and figures. There were hundreds of them, all different, ranging from small, funny garden gnome-like Buddhas to the venerable Kannon statue. Everything was lovingly decorated. Particularly impressive was a garden with 500 mini Buddhas, all wearing little crochet hats. All of this could be enjoyed with complimentary tea provided by the temple. Strangely, there seemed to be hardly any tourists who had ventured here, so I was able to explore the temple peacefully.

On my way back to the ferry, I stopped by the 5-story pagoda of the shrine. Back on the promenade, to my surprise, I noticed that the sea had receded and the famous torii gate was almost standing on dry land. So, I tested if my shoes were waterproof and walked up to the torii gate that I had only been able to observe from a distance. I even touched it.

I ended the evening with a delicious curry.