Miyajima, Mt. Misen, and Momiji Manju

On 11/22 I continued my weekend in Hiroshima by setting off for Miyajima, an island just off the coast. Hopping on a short, very crowded ferry, I joined the throngs of tourists taking advantage of the long weekend to see the sights. I started off my day there at Miyajima Park, which was full of wild deer and maple trees.


I forwent the expensive cable car and instead chose to hike up Mt. Misen, the tallest mountain on the island. The ETA was 1:30, but I managed to make it up under an hour. It felt good to stretch my legs, and Japan's hiking trails continue to be satisfying.

At the peak was Reikado Hall, with a fire known as Kiezu no Hi (the eternal flame) which has been burning for 1200 years, and was used to light the Flame of Peace at the Peace Memorial Park back in Hiroshima. There is a large cauldron of boiling water within the hall which is said to cure disease The Sankido Hall right next door focuses on family happiness and business success, although I bet the hike would test familial relationships rather than strengthen them.

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At the very peak was an outcropping of large boulders and a lookout tower with a great panorama of the bay. I was happily surprised to see quite a lot of people had climbed onto these rocks to sit and each lunch. Apparently eating lunch at the top of a hike is a very common thing for Japanese people to do using kerosene canisters, bowls, noodles, and all.

After taking a well deserved break atop a rock, I set off a different route down the mountain passing a really quaint shrine near the top, and reaching a massive religious complex at the bottom. The Daishoin temple is a large Buddhist complex that also once served as a political headquarters. Throughout grounds there were 500 Rakan statues, each with a unique face, and since it was cold, little knitted hats. There was also a cave with icons of 88 temples representing a Buddhist pilgrimage. There was so much more in this area that it's best just to browse the descriptions from their actual website here.

Afterwards I headed back into town, where I got to go to the island's icon, the Otorii (Big Gate) at low tide. Crowds gathered around the base of the massive gate to shove coins into the pillars. I myself joined in. Afterwards I headed into the shopping arcade, a street filled with tons of shops and even more people. After finding a quick bite to eat I wandered the shopping arcade, noticing a large amount of shops selling rice scoopers, called shamoji. Apparently Miyajima claims heritage to inventing the shamoji, and they also have the largest one ever made, 7.7 meters long, which in a display in town. Today shops sell rice scoopers as souvenirs and good luck charms, complete with inspirational phrases. I picked up a small phone strap version for myself as a souvenir, and the staff then wrote my name on the back for me!

Needing a break from the crowds I headed back towards the shrines to check out the nearby 5 story pagoda. Unlike some of the other pagodas I have seen, this one was pristinely maintained. But more impressive was the massive hall next door. Senjokaku hall was a shrine that was never completed, but now serves is an art gallery of sorts, with quite varied artwork hanging from the ceiling. I spent some time relaxing here with the great view of the surrounding town and mountains to rest my legs.





Feeling refreshed I headed into the main Shinto shrine complex, Itsukushima Shrine. It was built in the bay, so at higher tides the whole complex looks like it is floating on the water. It is a really neat effect. Here I joined a massive queue to have a photo taken on the shrine's doc, which lines up with the Otorii. If I have not mentioned it before, Japan has a unique appreciation for lines. People line up for anything and everything for much longer than would be considered reasonable in the west. Restaurants, concerts, tourist attractions, etc all end up with extraordinary long waits that people do not seem to mind at all. In this case the line worked in my favor, and the tide had come in by the time it was my turn to take a photo, so I got a good one.


Before I left, I needed to pick up some omiyage (edible souvenirs) for my coworkers, as it is customary and good manners (but totally optional). So I decided to pick up some momiji manju, which is a hand held cake with filling, shaped like a maple leaf (momiji). This treat is Hiroshima's signature gift, so naturally there were a ton of shops to choose from. A neat part of these stores was they had the massive machines and bakers up front behind a glass wall, so you could watch the snacks be made in front of you. One of the restaurants even flash fried their momiji manju, so naturally I had to try it. After picking up gifts for my coworkers, the sun had begun to set, painting the sky a brilliant orange. I rushed back to Otorii, which was now lit up. The sky perfectly matched the gate, creating a brilliant sight to end my day on.

Yet I guess my day wasn't quite over after all. Upon returning I still had the evening to myself. As I set out back into downtown Hiroshima to find a restaurant, I noticed along the main road Heiwa-o-dori a large illumination was set up. For a massive stretch of the road, a variety of light structures adorned the walking paths. The displays had a variety of themes, such as a Moby Dick display and a Cinderella staircase. At the end was a massive tree strung with lights that you could actually walk inside!

Icing on the cake, that evening back in Hiroshima, I went to a ramen shop recommended by my hostel, which had some of the most delicious ramen I have had so far.


That next morning I had a rather riveting discussion about politics with a Swedish girl at my hostel, who's mother is a renown journalist in Sweden who had the chance to interview Edward Snowden. It was enlightening to hear perspectives about America. It seems the news other countries present about America, while not entirely inaccurate, fail to include much about circumstances surrounding the news, which creates a somewhat skewed perspective. Then again, I am equally, if not more so, uninformed about most other countries in the world. So it was a fun experience to speak about the news and politics, especially about taxes and healthcare. I learned about Sweden's systems, both the strengths and the shortcomings, which gave me a better understanding of how different America is from Europe, and why Europeans hold the views they do about America.