Yesterday I posted a picture of Hiroshima's castle, the Carp Castle, and it immediately brought back visions of another place in the vicinity where we spent two and a half days: the nearby island of Itsukushima, best known as Miyajima.
This place is often labelled as a necessary step if you are planning your trip in Japan., and very often suggested you stay at least half a day, enough to visit the Shrine and its Red Torii, the Red Gate.
Simply said, a torii marks the entrance of a sacred space. This particular one appears to be floating at high tide and can be approached much closer at low tide, as you can see on the picture.
A small little bit of trivia, if you are a fan of My Neighbor Totoro, this gate is made of camphor wood, the type of tree where the totoros, forest spirits are hiding!
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While it is certainly worth visiting for a half day, staying at least one night gives much more: admiring the shrine and its gate at sunrise, and sunset/night as seen here, when there are just a few tourists on the island. Because most of them don't stay for the night, this is a big reward! 🎁 It also is the perfect place for sleeping in a ryokan as there are plenty on the island, and contemplating eating a Japanese breakfast. Two stones in one throw!
Suggestion for the next morning : visit Mount Misen by hiking or taking a cable car. You'll have a great panorama of the sea and other islands nearby.
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Finally, one little thing to know: the boat that takes you from Hiroshima to MIyajima belongs to the JR (Japan Railway Company), which means that if you have a valid Japan Rail Pass, it is free! And the boat trip will give you yet another reason to take your camera out as you'll see the red gate from a different angle 📸
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