Hiroshima and Miyajima

Wednesday, April 30, I checked out of the hotel in Osaka and caught the Shinkansen to Hiroshima, arriving about 10:30am. I spent a few hours in Hiroshima before catching a local train and ferry to the island of Miyajima.

In Hiroshima, I took a streetcar to the sit of the "A-bomb Dome", the famous remains of a building after the atomic bomb was dropped in August, 1945. Apparently the bomb detonated about 160m to one side, and 600m above ground, and the outward-directed blast combined with heavy surrounding walls prevented the building from  being completely destroyed.

Across a branch of the river there is the Memorial Peace Park. It has a Children's Peace Monument, 

A Cenotaph for A-bomb victims, 

and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. There is a rest house with a cafe and some old pictures. Before the war, Hiroshima was a major commercial center, being on a delta with about 4 rivers running through it. The A-bomb building was built in 1915 and was a major performance centre.

Afterward I walked along the river and then turned toward the train station, passing the rebuilt Hiroshima Castle.

I caught the local train to Miyajimaguchi station  and from there the ferry to Miyajima Island. Being Golden Week, I thought it would be impossibly crowded, but it wasn't that bad.

The town on the island is centered on the Itsukushima shrine, with the ferry terminal to one side, and my hotel was on the edge of town on the other side. Since it was about a 25 minute walk with luggage, I had called the hotel to arrange for the shuttle bus.

After checking in I had a bit time before dinner at the hotel, so I walked to the shrine with the famous tori gate. The tide was out so you could walk right up to it, and I could that the pillars are actually massive tree trunks.

I went into the shrine itself, built in the 1100's. It covers a large area over the tidal flat, and it is on stilts since at high tide the water comes underneath it.

Beside the shrine is a pretty little temple called Daiganji, built in the 1200s.

The next morning I took the cablecar up Mt Misen, which is the highest peak on the island. From the top cable car station, there are great views of surrounding islands and the mainland with Hiroshima in the distance.

From the cable car it is another kilometer walk to the summit, and just below the summit there is a temple with an 'eternal flame' that was lit by a famous monk who meditated here in the 800s. In the pot above the flame there is tea you can drink.

At the actual summit there is a viewing platform. The last bit of the hike involved navigating through huge boulders.

From the summit I took one of the trails back down to the town. The trail I took passed the large Daishoin temple complex, which was established in the 800s by the founder of Shingon Buddhism.

There are a couple of large halls with several small temples around, and interesting  gardens.

It is the only temple in Japan I've seen that has rows of Tibet-style prayer wheels.

At the time I was there, the temple was hosting an art exhibition.

I noticed a particular statue, fierce-looking holding an upright sword, at Daiganji, Mt Misen, and at Daishouin. I finally found it to be of Acala, called Fudou-Myou in Japan. A minor diety in the Buddhist pantheon who became popular in certain sects, who uses the sword to fight off evil.

I continued walking to the shrine, to get pictures when the tide was high.

Then I went into the adjacent Hokoku Shrine, built by Hideyoshi to honor war dead.  I found the large space to be very relaxing.

From there I walked along the main market street. There were several stalls selling deep fried oysters, which seems like a local specialty. Another local food is a little waffle in the shape of a maple leaf, with a sweet filling.

 I had a beer at a craft beer place called Miyajima Brewing. Then back to the hotel.

The next day, Friday May 2, must be another holiday. When I left in the morning, the ferry and the train towards Miyajima were all packed with school groups and Japanese and foreign tourists. Thankful I was going in the other direction. Made my way back to Hiroshima station to catch the Shinkansen to Fukuoka