niponica is a web magazine that introduces modern Japan to people all over the world.
2013 No.10
To read the e-book you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and a free Flash Player plug-in from Adobe Systems Inc. installed.
Strolling Japan
Itsukushima
Shrine and the
Island of Miyajima
Photos by Ito Chiharu Map by Oguro Kenji
These posts for the huge torii gate came from a camphor tree that was 500 to 600 years old when cut.
An island of natural beauty and history
Ferry on its way to Miyajima. When the tide is right it sails close to the large torii gate.
The island of Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture is home to Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, a World Heritage Site since 1996. To get there, I rode about four hours on a high-speed Shinkansen train from Tokyo to Hiroshima, then took a local train from there to the island's gateway, Miyajima-guchi, about 30 minutes away. I arrived before noon, and someone told me about an old, reputable establishment near the ferry wharf. It serves anago meshi, a tasty Miyajima specialty featuring rice and sea eel, so I decided to eat before crossing over to the island.
After lunch I took the ferry and soon approached, on my right, the shrine's immense torii gate, painted in vermilion. It took the ferry only about 10 minutes to reach the dock at Miyajima Wharf. I used the walkway along the seacoast toward the shrine and was soon greeted here and there by wild deer. The island, nestled on waters in this part of the Seto Inland Sea, has been revered as a god since ancient times.
The brilliant vermilion pillars and beams add to the beauty of the East Corridor leading to the inner shrine.
A lush forest forms the backdrop to Itsukushima Shrine's sacred buildings, which are reflected in the water at high tide.
Noh theater stage constructed in the 1600s. A ritual night Noh performance is presented every April.
Grilled sea eel coated with a thick soy-sauce flavored sauce is placed on rice and served in a dish called anago meshi at Ueno Restaurant (middle photo).
Many deer live on Miyajima, and they have inspired the design of these souvenirs.
Above left: Earthenware bell (monkey riding a deer), and a wooden fork.