Miyajima - The Shrine Island

Today we visited the island of Miyajima, which is about 40 minutes away from Hiroshima. It is considered one of the three most beautiful landscapes in Japan and has always been a mystical and sacred place.
Many tourists only spend a day here. However, we decided to stay overnight on the island. This gave us the opportunity to explore the island early in the morning and in the evening (after all the day tourists had already left) almost alone. The island is particularly famous for its Itsukushima Shrine and the (orange) torii gate, which appears to be floating in the sea during high tide. Both were designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996.

We were able to admire the flora and fauna during a short hike through the forest and up to the summit of Mount Misen. The deer living here are not shy at all, but rather extremely cheeky (almost intrusive) and seem to be after anything edible. It is said that the deer have even eaten many ferry tickets due to their greed. We ourselves observed how they stuck to some families (who apparently had food with them). We were able to successfully defend our snacks, though. When we reached the summit of Mount Misen, we had a wonderful view of Hiroshima Bay.

On the way back, we passed by a beautiful temple complex located in the forest. The Daisho-in Temple complex consists of many annex buildings and offers a lot to discover, such as a cave illuminated by ceiling lanterns with 88 small Buddha statues or the 500 stone statues representing the temple's students. Allegedly, all 500 statues have different facial expressions. In any case, they all wear a beanie. This temple complex is a place of tranquility and spirituality.

The beautiful cherry blossom is, of course, also an absolute highlight on this island. The pink and white blooming trees adorn the island and attract even more tourists.

In the evening, we took another look at the town in the dark. Especially the illuminated torii gate was a highlight.