WHS#75

Visiting Miyajima is probably the biggest reason most people visit Hiroshima. I know it was why I was there when I had my trip to Japan in December 2019. It's home to one of the "Top 3 Views" in Japan, one of the most famous and beautiful Shinto shrines, and loads of cute deer. It's a really easy day trip from Hiroshima, too, as it's accessible by streetcar, train, and ferry. I took the train route to Miyajimaguchi and caught a ferry from there to the island, since it's all covered by JR Pass. Otherwise, one can stick with the presumably cheaper streetcar route or the faster direct ferry from Peace Park. Not the whole island is actually part of the WHS core area, but it seems that included are the forested areas from Momijidani Park to the peak of Mt. Misen, the hill of Senjokaku, the mud flats around the O-Torii Gate, and of course, Itsukushima Shrine itself. From the ferry, I walked by the deer-lined shore before entering the core zone by the big stone torii gate that guards the path to Senjokaku and Itsukushima. Unfortunately, the O-Torii Gate was under renovation when I visited. It was completely covered by scaffolding, preventing me from fully enjoying the amazing view.

Arriving at around 10:00 in the morning, I was able to walk through the mud flats in front of the great shrine. Despite the low tide mud and barrenness, the deserted shrine was strangely charming in the morning light. It adds a lot to the experience to see it at both tides, and both from inside and outside. From there, I proceeded to Momijidani Park to take the ropeway to Mt. Misen. Except I couldn't. Rain started pouring, and the fog came in. Still, I didn't give up until I got to the ropeway station and realized it was out of service for the day. The beauty of Momijidani's autumn colors made the short hike worth it, though, as did the macaque and deer sightings. Back at the shrine, a shallow layer of water now covered the bottom of the buildings, reflecting their vivid colors on the water. I wanted to wait for the highest tide to go in, though, so I killed time by exploring Senjokaku and eating grilled oysters, which became my favorite memory of the island. Seriously, kakigaki is worth the journey, and the fact that winter is oyster season here didn't hurt. Try them with lemon and soy sauce!

Senjokaku is home to a large wooden hall and a 5-story pagoda. The hall costs just 100 yen to enter, and there's not too much to see inside. It's still worth the low price to admire the nail-less wooden architecture and the various paintings high on the wooden frames. Finally, at 14:00, the tide seemed to reach its peak, so it was time to enter Itsukushima Shrine itself. This was what I was waiting for, to walk through the very center of this WHS, and what I did experience... Well, it was alright. The Shrine buildings are that iconic vermillion, and it does make a great contrast with the sea and the mountains. Senjokaku adds to the diverse scenery as well. That being said, I don't think you'd miss all that much by not paying 300 yen to enter. You go through those beautiful floating halls, seeing the occasional shrine building, noh stage, and bridge, but it's all just the same view. The wooden posts are so bright they feel a bit sterile and new, even though the shrine has been standing since the 13th century. It's also crowded with tourists, and I struggled to take a shot without the hordes. In the end, the whole stroll through the shrine takes half an hour, tops, photoshoots included. Is it beautiful? Of course. Was it a highlight in my trip to Japan? I don't think so.

Itsukushima Shrine is indeed the greatest example of the interaction of Shintoism with its landscape. Even if I wasn't wowed by the architecture of the shrine, the beauty of the whole scene is undeniable. That being said, we can only credit the beautiful landscape to culture so much, when really, all we really should credit to culture is its ability to use and adapt to such landscapes. And that's what Itsukushima is about. It's about beauty and harmony in contrast. In that regard, I couldn't ask for much more from such a site. Except that the ropeway be opened and the renovations on the gate be finished. That would've helped a lot. Also, it seems that Daishoin isn't part of the core zone, but it's definitely worth even a quick look, which I took after going through the shrine. It's a Shingon Buddhist temple, the first temple of my temple run through Japan, which came full circle visiting Kongobuji in Koyasan at the end of the trip. Though it doesn't have much to do with the Shinto OUV of Itsukushima, it's a great site to round out the holy island experience.