For my second and final day of my trip, I took a cruise ship to Miyajima Island which is just south of Hiroshima. I saw the famous torii gate in the distance and marvelled at the breathtaking scenery. I was surprised to see deer walking around the island as I thought it only happened in Nara.
I passed through a nice shopping street which led me to the red torii gate. I came across this little place where you pay 500 yen for these tiny little fish to nibble at your feet! I really wanted to do it but I had a couple of blisters from all that walking I did so it would have done more harm than good…
Usually the torii gate and the adjacent temple stand in water. Luckily for me, the tide was out so I got to walk around the gate and get close up to them! A Spanish family asked me to take their picture and they returned the favour afterwards. I forgot how most Europeans can speak English whereas Asian people in general can’t speak a word.
After going through the temple opposite the Torri gate, I noticed a sign explaining that there was a path ahead which leads to the top of Mt. Misen. I held no reservations and began my trek towards the summit. The two-hour climb accompanied with the high humidity made my journey a tough one to say the least! The climb was an excellent opportunity to cleanse the mind and give myself a much-needed workout. I was surprised yet glad that I was the only person climbing this mountain.
My water supply had run out and I was near the end of my tether. Suddenly I hear an announcement from the summit. “The last rope way tram for ground level will be departing in five minutes”. There was no way in hell I was going to walk back down again so I summoned energy out of nowhere and made a run for the top!
Luckily I just made it with literally seconds to spare. The view from the tram was spectacular yet terrifying… To be honest, I found that my hands were shaking as I held my camera.
After reaching ground level I made my way to the port. On my way I weaved through a flock of Junior High School students who seemed to be on a school trip. One boy approached me and said “Hi!”. He was with a group of friends so I guess he wanted to show off. He asked me loads of questions and I happily answered them all. They were all surprised that I was speaking Japanese (the kind of reaction you would have if you saw a monkey speak).
As I laid sprawled across the seats of the ship, I noticed a group of delinquent builders messing around on deck. Two guys grabbed their friend and hung him over the balcony as a joke. It was good entertainment for the journey home. Especially when the captain caught them red-handed!
If you ever come to Japan, make Miyajima one of your must see places. You won’t regret it!
Watch my video here!
