“….if you come to Japan, you have to visit Miyajima. It is one of
the Japan’s finest prefecture,” I remembered that my friend who lives in Japan
told me so. It kept me wondering about the beauty of Miyajima. So, when I was
in Japan in this summer, August 2 – 13, 2012, I did hope to visit that place.
Ah, yokata! August 7, 2012 was the
schedule of visiting Miyajima. It was the best part of Japan I’ve ever visited.
Miyajima, it means a shrine island, is a popular name for Itsukushiima, the real name of the
island in the northwestern Hiroshima Bay. In Miyajima which is located off the
coast of Hiroshima we can find a great shrine which is also a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. The shrine has a very unique shape and strong color. The shape
of the shrine represents Shinto with some part of Buddhist temple that shows
the close relationship between Buddhist and Shinto. What a great culture!
Find them in Miyajima!
How to get there?
It’s easy! Just go to the
Miyajimaguchi and take on the ferry. Anyway, check the schedule first. Have a
nice trip! :)
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| get on to the ferry |
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| on the way to Miyajima.... ^^ foto sama-sama!!! |
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Momiji
Another beauty of
Miyajima is the Japanese maple three or momiji.
Since I went there on summer, all the momiji
leaves were green, but Katchan, my Japanese friend, told me that it turns
to red in fall. He showed me a picture of momiji
in fall. It looks so beautiful! I wish I was there on fall :)
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| should be like this in autumn :) |
Momiji Manju
Miyajima also is also
popular for its manju, a sweet
Japanese cake made of flour rice powder and buckwheat with red bean paste in
the middle of the cake. This cake is
actually popular in Japan, but Miyajima has a unique manju which is only from
Miyajima, it calls momiji manju. Why does it call momiji manju? The reason is
so simple, the shape represents momiji leave
in Miyajima. It tastes sweet and has some different flavors inside it such as
green tea.
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| oishi!!! I want some more... |
Omikuji
Actually we can find omikuji, a written divination about a
person’s near future which some advices, in all Shinto temples in Japan. It is
usually left out in the wooden box and you should pay a certain amount of money
and then unrolled the folded paper to get the fortune. It also has kind of
fortune level from the daikichi (an
excellent luck) until the daikyou (certain
disaster).
The omikuji in
Itsukushima Shrine is read in the traditional way from the right to the left
part. The first thing to look at is the level of luck. The next part tells us
about the various aspect of life such as the best direction, if you should
travel, about your soul mate, health, and other things.
It was the first time I
tried omikuji. I was so happy for that, although I couldn’t read it my friend
helped me to translate everything. Anyway, someone I’m waiting for is coming!
So, I’m waiting.. : )
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| Wooops...will it come true? :p |
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| don't wanna your omikuji come true? leave it here and pray! :) |
Kakigori
Hmm…..it is the sweetest
thing I found in Miyajima. Anyway, we can find kakigori anywhere in Japan during summer, in the café, store,
around the shopping mall and some restaurant. But, since the first kakigori I tried was in Miyajima, the kakigori and Miyajima always stick on my
mind.
Ah, yeah…by the way
kakigori is kind of soft snow ice which is so popular in Japan on summer. It
has some various of flavors such as green tea, strawberry, lemon, plum, and I
don’t know the blue one, but it’s tasty anyway :p . I always remembered that I
bought the kakigori in the last minutes of the free time in Miyajima and ate
while running to the spot where all my friends gathered. I don’t know why, but
it’s kind of sweet somehow. I’ll miss the moment forever. Nothing’s better than
kakigori in the hot summer day! Hmmm…especially the strawberry one! :p
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| yummy! it was the lemon kakigori :) |
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| this is the macha or green tea kakigori..I miss the strawberry one...especially the kakigori I got in Miyajima :'( |
There are so many things
about Miyajima I wanna share with you, but I think these all are the most
impressive things. All I know, the day in Miyajima taught me to understand
everyone could simply fall in love, included me. I do realize that every little
simple thing can be so beautiful when we’re in love. Eh???? It has no
connection anyway, just an absurd thing I wanna share since I’m in love with
Miyajima. Anyone can take me back there? Ha ha ha ha…
some memories of Miyajima
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| There are deer around the shrine :) |
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| Foto sama - sama!!! |
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| Sake behind me! |
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Taking funny pictures before getting on the ferry with Katchan :)
look at his face! --' |
