The Torii in the Water

That Friday we took the super-fast Nozomi to Hiroshima, which only took about one and a half hours, even though it's a very long distance from Kyoto. On arrival, we were picked up by our bus and tour guide, who took us to the ferry to Miyajima island. During the bus ride, our guide introduced us to a Miyajima specialty: a small cake shaped like a maple leaf. She had bought one for everyone and they were pretty good.

The ferry ride itself took no longer than 15 minutes. It was a hot, sunny day, and all the island was perfectly visible, so we could clearly see the famous "floating" torii. Of course, the torii doesn't float at all; it's stuck on the ground, but you usually can't tell because it's hidden by the water. On that day, however, the tide was low, which dispelled the illusion.

Miyajima is considered one of the three top scenic spots in Japan. It could be from being a nice little island with great weather, lots of vegetation, and deer, but of course it has been the Itsukushima shrine that has brought it fame. The shrine is pretty big and includes a stage for theatrical and dance performances, as well as a pagoda and a few other Buddhist buildings. Evidently, the most famous part of it is the huge torii on the beach. Despite it being an extremely hot day, the sea breeze made it bearable to walk down on the wet sand to take a better look at it.

Finally, we sat down at one of many restaurants in a long row of shops and eateries, and tried okonomiyaki , something like a crépe containing noodles, veggies, and whatever else you want to put in it. Before leaving, we still had time to buy some maple-leaf cakes and Steve couldn't pass up the opportunity to be chased around and bitten by deer again... so he bought some deer crackers and I got some more interesting footage.