Miyajima

A short train and ferry ride from Hiroshima this morning took us to the world heritage Miyajima island. It is widely known as one of Japan's three most beautiful islands.

While the island is quite large the town is small and easy to walk around. As soon as we left the ferry terminal the wild deer appeared. Unlike Nara they are not tame and basically ignore humans but will eat any paper products in sight - especially maps.

After dropping our bags off we headed straight for the waterfront and some of the main highlights of the island. The most identifiable icon of the island is the Otorii (Grand Gate) that is a actually in the water. Late in the day at low tide we were able to walk out to within 30m. It is part of the Itsukushima Shrine that sits over the water but is connected to the island. Both are bright orange and amazing sites.

Overlooking both of these from atop a hill are the Gojunoto pagoda and Toyokuni Shrine. Both were different to the others we have seen elsewhere in Japan, particularly the shrine as it was never completed and has no doors.

We continued on past some smaller temples and shrines into the hills before boarding a ropeway and cable car to near the summit of Mt Misen (535m) that towers over the island. After a challenging 1km walk up and down an uncountable number of steps we reached the summit. We were rewarded with some spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Once back at ground level we walked through the town shopping and trying one of the local specialties; a maple leaf shaped small cake called "Momiji Manju" that were filled with various things from bean paste to chocolate. Very nice.

As the sun was setting we were able to take advantage of the departure of the day trippers and get up close to Otorii. Sunset really brought the colour out. Walking back through the town was a bit odd with almost no one around, a rare site for us in Japan.

Dinner at the ryokan we are staying in was an experience we'll never forget. We had at constant stream of dishes presented to us, some with gold leaf and some with burners to cook them as we finished the course before. It was also a chance for us to try Fugu - and teach the hotel staff how to say "puffer fish" in English.

We return to Tokyo tomorrow via 6 different transport trips over 1000km and the last part of our time in Japan.