Miyajima 宮島 done. Striking it off the top 3 三景 views of Japan :D I've a never ending list of places to in Japan, which only gets longer with every new spot google throws up at me. Anyway back to this little island off Hiroshima, it's really charming minus the tour groups of course. Plus there are deer on the island :):):)
If you don't have a JR rail pass and you're not planning to walk around Hiroshima city (if you prefer not to pay for most tram rides, it's very walkable), then do get a free pass from the any of the tram conductors or tourist info centers. There are 1/2 day options with different combinations of hiroden tram, matsudai ferry and miyajima ropeway (up Mt Misen). We took the Miyajima 2 day free pass which allows for unlimited rides on all 3 transport systems. Very worthwhile as a return ticket on the ropeway is ¥1800 and the pass itself is ¥2000. Using the local pass, take tram #2 to Miyajimaguchi station (takes about an hour) and from there board a Matsudai ferry to Miyajima (10min ride).
Way too solemn and slow paced for my liking, much prefer Kyōgen.
Found a random shrine with a coin operated fortune dispenser (!!) while walking through Momijidani Park to Miyajima Ropeway station. Map said 10 min walk. Don't believe it. Every map and their ETA I've seen must have had people speed walking or running while timing. Kind of forgot about the free shuttle bus. Stupid us.
Momijidani station - Kayatani station - Shishiiwa station
Sorry. You're still not at the summit of Mt Misen. See the peak on the left? Spot the structure at the top. That's another 30min walk (so the map says). No thanks. Not after a week of walking everywhere and with an epic cycling journey to come.
Settled for Shishiiwa Observatory with a stunning albeit slightly foggy view of the Seto Inland Sea and the islands (Hi Shikoku! We'll be seeing you in a bit).
Saving the best series for last.
Torii with the receding tide at late morning. Itsukushima Shrine was dry by then.
Torii at noon.
Came back on the second day just for the sunset (the usefulness of a pass lol). It's very peaceful at that time with most people off the island by then and lots of the shops are closed.
If you look at the top left of the torii, there's a small patch on the roof which we totally did not notice until we watched the news a few days later with the giant torii all covered up in scaffolding to repair it. And repairs will only be completed mid June. Unbelievable timing and luck we had, a few days later and it would have been an almost wasted trip.
MIyajima has much more sites to offer but we were only interested in visiting the 3 above. Maybe next time I spend a night on the island and take my time to explore :) Oh and stuff myself with oysters. They are OHSOGOOD, fresh, succulent and large goodness.
Oyster face.
