Silver Week - Miyajima

Our next stop was Miyajima - an island off the coast from Hiroshima. Miyajima is a huge tourist draw, and Silver Week was no exception. We knew we would be fighting the crowds, so we opted to do the less touristy things during the day, and stay the night on the island so we could see the sights with fewer people around.

Our first activity was hiking to the highest point on the island - the summit of Mt. Misen. We had just about perfect weather, and the views were totally worth the climb.

That night we headed down to town to see be touristy absent the crowds. They do a nice job of lighting the temples, so we got really interesting shots.

Miyajima is known for oysters, and everywhere around town there were little stands selling them straight off the grill. I of course had to get some, and they were great...mmmm.

Miyajima has a large deer population. Because there are so many tourists all the time, they have become basically domesticated. They follow people around hoping for food handouts, and will eat your map of the island if given half the chance. They were just like super cute goats.

Our inn on Miyajima was a traditional, Japanese style inn called a ryokan. Our room had a tatami mat floor, and we were served green tea when we arrived.

Our room had it's own private koi pond...

and a little balcony above for us to enjoy watching them.

Of course, the most famous part of Miyajima, the part that people go to see, is the giant Torii gate. It is an iconic image in Japan, and we were constantly reminded that it is "one of Japan's three most scenic places." The view of the Torii gate constantly changes with the tide. Here it is at high tide - floating in the water.

This is the low tide view - you can walk out to the gate at low tide, and I had a great time investigating all the sea life in the tide pools.