Let ourselves sleep in, but up and at ’em by 7:00 am. We had breakfast in the hotel’s Café Rose, which offered a buffet (see sidebar).
Sidebar:
The breakfast buffet offered toast (bread slices and a toaster), salad, sausage and bacon chowder, miso soup, white rice and marinated vegetable choices, fruit slices, sliced cucumbers, soft scrambled eggs, uncrisp sausage and bacon, sweet mini-buns, herring pieces, syrup soaked tofu balls. Beverages included orange juice, tomato juice, water, milk, tea, and coffee.
We then headed to the train station to take the JR Sanyo Line to Miyajima-guchi at 8:10 am. Passed small villages and rice paddies.
From Miyajima-guchi we walked two blocks to the ferry dock. There was a pedestrian underpass to cross the intersection, and even the covered stairway was picturesque!
We caught the 8:55 am ferry to the island of Miyajima. We went to sit in the front of the ferry, but it turned around when we left the dock, so that we were in the back of the boat! But it was open enough for great views on another sunny but hazy day. The ferry carried cars and people, mostly Japanese tourists!
 |
| Ferry to Miyajima |
Miyajima is a small picturesque island just off the coast in the Seto Nai-Kai, or Inland Sea. On the water we saw fishermen poling their long boats. Some appeared to be laying their catch (oysters?) on floating rafts.
Miyajima
Even upon leaving shore, we could see the famous O-torii rising from the water at the edge of the island.
 |
| View of Itsukushima Jinja and O-torii |
It is 500 feet from shore at the entrance to the cove where the Itsukushima Jinja shrine stands. The O-torii rises 53 feet out of the water, and is one of the largest torii in Japan. It was made from the trunks of camphor trees in 1875. It has become a national symbol of Japan. The once bright vermilion color was washed out, but it was still impressive.
The water level was low, but rising. Fortunately, we missed low tide, where the torii stands forlornly on muddy tidal flats!
This is one of Japan’s top three scenic wonders.
Itsukushima Jinja
We disembarked the ferry to be greeted by deer.
 |
| Sacred deer |
They appeared to be passive, just standing or lying down and watching us. We did not look like food sources to them this early in the day.
Miyajima has a 20-mile circumference, and we assured Brynne we were not going to walk around it.
Except for the small town where we landed, the rest of the island looked uninhabited. Mount Misen stands in the center. The whole island is consecrated as a shrine, and the deer are sacred. It is so sacred here, that there are no cemeteries, and heavily pregnant women, and the very elderly must leave the island.
We walked along the shore, passing the touristy shops and restaurants. Shop owners were out cranking a cloth cover over the street itself.
The path to the Itsukushima Jinja shrine took us through a stone torii and past stone lanterns (now electrified!). We were afforded many more views of O-torii.
 |
| Stone lanterns and O-torii |
 |
| O-torii as the tide comes in |
On the grounds, we came to a small stable, painted vermilion (see sidebar) and white, with a white wooden horse inside (see sidebar).
Sidebar:
Vermilion is a vivid reddish orange color.
 |
| White horse stable |
Sidebar:
It is traditional for Shinto shrines to have a white horse, either real or represented in a painting or carving.
We paid Y500 each (combined ticket) to enter the Itsukushima Jinja. It was built on stilts, and at this time it was standing on muddy tidal flats! The shrine was founded in 593, and dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o-no-Mikoto, the Shinto god of the moon and the oceans. The shrine has to be continuously repaired and rebuilt. The present buildings are thought to be 16th century copies of 12th century designs. We were allowed to walk on the open walkways and verandas, and peek into the main shrine itself.
Our combined ticket also gained us entry into Homotsukan, or the Treasure House. Victors of every battle on the Inland Sea offered gratitude to the gods by giving gifts to the shrine. The shrine is rich with art objects, 246 of which are designated either a National Treasure or Important Cultural Property. We put on slippers to enter the Treasure House, where we saw only a few of these items. Samurai outfits and swords, paintings (one of an old woman with long teeth and toenails), decorated bronze boxes, models of ships, calligraphy, and books.
Miyajima Public Aquarium
We joined hundreds of young school students in the Miyajima Aquarium. We paid Y2,410 total for the admission fee.
The Aquarium was small, but showcased a wide variety of marine life, including several things we had not seen before.
We were in time for the archer fish feeding. They lowered a target to just above the waterline. On the target were tiny balls of pinkish stuff (like a salmon spread). The archer fish somehow shoots drops of water from its mouth into the air with great force, aiming to hit its food target (normally insects). The food then drops to the water, and gets eaten!
The piranha feeding time was not very exciting. They languidly chomped at a fish carcass dropped into the water with them.
We gathered with the students at the penguin pool for the “penguin hobbling.” Students noticed us and began saying “Hello!” One said, “Very nice to eat you!” And his buddy elbowed him and said, “Very nice to meet you!” I’m sure it was funnier for us than for them!
The penguin hobbling turned out to be a penguin “walk”, where a Humboldt penguin was brought out on a leash for the people to pet.
 |
| Magellanic Penguin |
We saw conger eels crowded into terra cotta pipes, the Commerson’s dolphin (a black and white species from the Strait of Magellan), a finless porpoise (a real species lacking the dorsal fin), a variety of sea turtles, sardine schools, and Caspian seals.
 |
| Brynne with Caspian Seal |
Suddenly, the aquarium was empty! We had the gift shop to ourselves.
Back outside, the school children seemed to be taking a break. They were free to jump into the culverts to bother deer, and take a shortcut across a rivulet to get to a snack shop. They were gathering in the tidal flats to splash in the water that was inching across land.
 |
| School children playing in the rising tide |
Momijidani Koen
We began the hike uphill through Momijidani Koen, or the Red Maple Valley Park. The trees were mostly green now; it must be beautiful in the autumn.
 |
| Red Maple Valley Park |
A rocky mountain stream with occasional small waterfalls, vermilion arched bridges, a wayside shrine, stone lanterns, rustic wooden trash cans (see sidebar).
Sidebar:
Japanese trash cans are noted for being very specific for what they will accept!
Cans, bottles, burnable trash, and non-burnable trash.
 |
| Trash receptacles |
As we approached the Momijidani Station of the Miyajima Ropeway, a small bus drove up the gravel path and deposited several tourists, these being foreigners! No fair! We were hot and sweaty!
We bought tickets at a vending machine, then waited our turn to board one of the gondolas hanging from a cable (not a rope!).
 |
| First ropeway gondola |
We shared the 6-person gondola with an American mother and daughter. This took us up the mountainside, over a forest of trees. Saw some ground cover of ferns, and glimpses of a path for hardy hikers.
 |
| View from first gondola |
At a transfer station, we changed to a larger gondola, which could hold 30 persons.
 |
| Second ropeway gondola |
It traveled less frequently, and was full when it began the final ascent across a wide gap on the mountainside, where pine trees and rocky outcroppings dominated. But to our left was a breathtaking view down on the Inland Sea, despite being very hazy.
The Ropeway ended at Monkey Park. However, we were disappointed to see the sign that indicated the monkeys had gone to the forest to eat. This is apparently a monkey research station. According to the warning signs, it does not appear that the monkeys were cute, but rather more like juvenile delinquents.
Behind us was the summit of Mount Misen.
 |
| View of the Inland Sea |
We admired the view down on the wooded islands of the Inland Sea. We heard one island referred to as looking like a Hershey Kiss, but I’m sure it had a more anatomical name.
Although there was a shop at the station, we bought drinks from a vending machine and rested until the next gondola for the ride back down the mountain.
It was easy to hike downhill back to Itsukushima Jinja. We stopped at Goju-no-to, the 5-story pagoda dating to 1407. Below it was Senjokaku, the Hall of One Thousand Mats (see sidebar), dedicated to Hideyoshi Toyotomi.
Sidebar:
Japanese tatami mats are standard in size (about 1x2 meters), and rooms were often measured by how many mats fit in it. So 1,000 mats is a large space.
Miyajima Town
We went down to Itsukushima Jinja itself, because now the tide had risen, and we wanted to see the water surrounding the shrine stilts.
 |
| Itsukushima Jinja at high tide |
Wandering through town, we saw the fire department, with mini-van sized fire trucks and ambulances.
 |
| Miyashima Fire Department |
There were numerous souvenir shops, and several bakeries selling the Miyajima signature maple leaf shaped waffles filled with a variety of creams. We sampled a couple filled with dark chocolate. Still hot! Very delicious! You could peek through windows at the automated assembly line process of making these waffles (about 2 and 1/2 inches long). We regret we didn’t buy a tin full of these treats!
Saw a display of “Buddha’s rice scoop.”
 |
| Buddha's rice scoop |
It must have been at least 30 feet long!
We stopped at a udon restaurant for lunch.
 |
| Udon restaurant |
Plastic molded samples of the restaurant’s offerings sat in the window, representing all the main dishes, desserts, and beverages!
 |
| Plastic samples of menu items |
Udon are very fat noodles that are served in a large bowl of broth with your choice of toppings. Brynne added beef strips, and Kent and Tamiko had tempura. The tempura was very lightly breaded and quickly deep-fried foods. Ours included shrimp, and vegetable slices (carrot, sweet potato). We also had tiny Cokes, and a giant beer. Fortunately, water is usually included with meals.
Caught the 2:10 pm ferry back to the mainland.
Iwakuni
At the JR train station, we took the train farther west to Iwakuni. Passed through numerous small tunnels.
In Iwakuni, we looked at a tourist map to see what and where Kintai-bashi was. Yuriko had recommended we see this sight, but Tamiko never found any information about it.
 |
| Iwakuni sewer cover shows Kintai-bashi/Bridge |
We found it on the map with a picture of a multiple-arched bridge over the river. Tamiko saw a sign indicating Bus #3 went to Kintai-bashi, but Kent started walking in the general direction of the river. We badly misjudged the scale of the tourist map, because after walking for almost an hour, we still hadn’t come to the river!
We stopped at a convenience store, and a young girl gave us directions using a hand-drawn map and limited English. She was being extremely helpful, but was shocked to learn we were walking. They guessed it would take us 30 minutes to get to Kintai-bashi!
We had been walking along city streets, but as we continued, it became more rural. We lost the sidewalk, and walked on the edge of a very narrow and very busy road. We had come to the river, but we still had 3 km. to go to the bridge!
Along the river, there were victory-garden type cultivated plots. On the other side of the road were old-style Japanese homes with tile roofs, and tiny gardens in backyards. We passed a large area with neatly laid out roads with painted lines, traffic signals, and two-car parking lots.
 |
| Driving school |
It was a driving school, which provided the cars, motorcycles, taxis, trucks, and even farm equipment, to learn to drive!
Finally we reached the Kintai-bashi or Kintai-kyo, the Kintai Bridge, the only five-span wooden bridge in the world and one of the three most famous bridges in Japan! We admired the sight while guzzling a huge bottle of cold water.
 |
| Kintai-bashi/Bridge |
 |
| Kintai-bashi/Bridge |
 |
| Tourist boats |
Kintai-bashi
The Kintai Bridge was originally built in 1673 by Lord Hiroyoshi Kikkawa, third lord of the Iwakuni clan. Whenever it flooded, the river paralyzed local traffic, so the bridge was ordered to be built. Even as originally conceived, the bridge is an engineering feat, a masterpiece of construction and functional form.
The original bridge was destroyed in 1950 by the typhoon “Kezia.” An exact replica was completed on March 31, 1953.
The bridge is 193 meters long, but you walk 210 meters to cross it. The bridge is designated a Cultural Asset.
The river as we saw it was very shallow, and meandered in the center of the culvert. If flood waters do reach the height of the banks of the very wide culvert, then it must be a raging river, indeed!
On the other side of the bridge was an incline cable car, running up a mountainside to a shrine and a castle. Signs indicated that these had been closed down since the recent earthquake!
Back to Hiroshima
This time we caught the bus back to the train station! It followed an avenue lined with Japanese yews that had their branch ends trimmed into ball shapes.
On the train back to Hiroshima, a dusty unkempt man asked to practice his English with Kent. He actually spoke English very well, and apparently had a knack for languages as he could speak many.
He used to hang with GIs on their way back from Vietnam, and that’s how he learned English. Now he apparently works in construction.
This man carried a bag, and in it were books, and a JR timetable. He had trivia facts about the Shinkansen written in the margins. His one mistranslation was to call the Shinkansen the new stem line, where as we call it a trunk line! (See sidebars.)
Sidebar:
The different types of Shinkansen or bullet trains: - Nozomi: All first class reserved.
- Hikari: Super Express
- Kodoma: Express, or the Shinkansen local!
Sidebar:
We were learning the tricks of riding the Shinkansen. The stations are marked to show the location of each number car on each of the three types of trains, and it is indicated whether the car is reserved or not, and smoking or not.
The platform itself is marked to show where the door to each car is located, with guidelines to help you queue up! The Tokyo subways also mark the platforms for door locations.
We were learning the tricks of riding the Shinkansen. The stations are marked to show the location of each number car on each of the three types of trains, and it is indicated whether the car is reserved or not, and smoking or not.
The platform itself is marked to show where the door to each car is located, with guidelines to help you queue up! The Tokyo subways also mark the platforms for door locations.
Back in Hiroshima, we explored the Asse Department Store which adjoined the train station. We bought our drinks and snacks from the Coco convenience store, and returned to the hotel to watch the Hiroshima Carp baseball game. They were in town, but the game was not blacked out!
No comments:
Post a Comment