Miyajima Island/Himeji City

Miyajima Island at High Tide


This morning we had the option to enjoy a walking tour (departure time 7:00 am sharp) of the island, or we could “sleep in” to the late hour of 7:30 am. Since this would be my only opportunity to see the semi-submerged version of the Tori Gate by daylight I chose option A. (Although, I do admit that I did grumble a bit at 6:30 am when I had to get up, get ready and be packed.)

I promised my male colleagues I wouldn’t publish this fact, so clearly I’m a liar, but I did find it cool that the ladies in our group all made the morning walk, while the men chose to not to join us. Only poor Mr. Hori-san, our organizer and handler was required (as a host) to join us, so wasn’t able to sleep late.

During high-tide the Itukushima Shrine takes on a whole new, nearly pristine personality. Today, in particular, the morning air was clear and gorgeous and it was well worth getting up to catch this view. (In truth, I didn’t really begrudge the missed sleep, as I had planned to get up early anyway. I was hoping to take a quick tour of the Miyajima Aquarium, but unfortunately, that was one thing I just didn’t have time for.)

Here you see Cindy-san, me, and Arline-san enjoying the morning air in front of the Tori Gate at high-tide. During our walk, we also wandered further up the hill, checking out some of the other Ryokan on the island, including the Iwaso, where the royal family stays when they come visit the island.

By the way, here’s a tip for those of you who do decide to spend the night, here. As much as the island relies on tourism for its economy, it is a day tripper kind of place, and at night this bedroom community shuts up pretty tight. If you plan to stay on the island, be prepared for deep quiet and an early night. Also, be sure to buy a meal package from the inn you’ll be staying at, because you’ll have a hard time finding anyone to serve you a meal after dark.

Here’s our first group photo. Look how well rested the men look after their extra hour of sleep.



Hiroshima

On our way back to the train station we did get another opportunity to snap more photo of Hiroshima Peace Park from “the other side.” More window hanging allowed me to capture this excellent photo.

The bullet train ride to Himeji provided a welcome nap time for our whole group.



Himeji

Once in Himeji, we checked into the Hotel Nikko Himeji, which has a fabulous location just across from the train station. For people on a whirlwind tour of Japan, Himeji’s premiere attraction is the Himeji Castle, which is an architectural feat, and really well worth seeing. It can been seen in a few hours, and with careful planning JR Pass users can arrive by bullet train in the morning, tour the castle for a couple of hours, and then return to the train station by late afternoon. For those with more time, however, the Hotel Nikko is a great central location, and allows you bit more time relax. (Okay, the relaxing is theoretical as we haven’t really had time to do that yet.)

Once we hauled our luggage across the street from the train station, we checked in and were immediately hosted by Himeji city personnel to a lovely Teppan Yaki lunch at the hotel. If you’re not familiar with Teppan Yaki, think Benihana without the theatrics.

After lunch, we were whisked away to the Kookoen Garden, which is located just outside the Himeji Castle. Here we enjoyed a traditional Japanese-style tea and then had some time to wander through some of the most gorgeous Zen gardens.

Eventually we were escorted to Himeji Castle which lived up to all the hype I’d ever heard about it.

Cherry Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms, Wherefore Art Thou, Cherry Blossoms?

The gorgeous gardens of Kookoen and Himeji Castle reminded us all that we were in search of blooming Cherry Blossom trees. Just outside the castle the air was too chilly, and no way were the Sakura trees going to bloom. Inside though, imagine our wonder when we found a warm, protected patch that had actually confused one of the trees into thinking it was spring.

Our whole group was pretty overjoyed by the blossoms, so we stood around for about five minutes snapping photos and generally congratulating ourselves. We’d already learned that a Japanese tradition is to set up a picnic (complete with Sake, of course) under the blooming trees to celebrate the start of spring. Sadly we had no sake with us.

The coolest moment, however, was when a group of Japanese people wandered around the corner to see just WHY the Americans were making so much noise. We excitedly pointed to the cherry blossoms, fully expecting to be mocked for our enthusiasm. Instead the Japanese group started chattering excitedly, pulling out their own cameras and snapping the tree from every angle. Cherry blossom season is a BIG deal in Japan.

Himeji Castle

Again, inside the Himeji Castle, I learned enough Japanese history to write a thesis, with no possible way to recount everything on this blog.

The main point being that this castle is best known for having the most modern and elaborate defensive system of its time. Also, it is the one wooden structure in Japan that has never been burned due to war, lighting or other adverse circumstances.

Again the views alone are worth the trip, but as with all historical things that end in a great view, a steep uphill climb must first be accomplished.

Not a fan of heights in the best of circumstances, I was a little, um, petrified to climb up the steep, uber polished wooden stairs built for five-feet tall, slender Japanese men in my sock feet. Totally a white-knuckle ride the whole way up. No elevators, you see, in these historical buildings. However, once at the top, there was no way I would have traded the experience for anything in the world.

Restaurant Mille

Again that evening we were hosted by the city personnel of Himeji, and even the mayor joined us for dinner. Here we learned that the people of Miyajima were wrong. You see, the best Sake in all of Japan is actually brewed in Himeji.

Not being a rude person, I felt obligated to try ALL the cups of sake that landed before me.

After dinner, we participated in an ancient Japanese custom known as Karaoke. At this point my memory becomes a little fuzzy, or maybe I intentionally lost track of just how much alcohol I ingested before returning to the hotel. In the photo, our wonderful, wonderful Hori-san gets to let down his hair a bit and perform some traditional songs for us. And Cindy san and Takahara-san perform a complicated dance number to “One Way or Another, I’m Gonna Getcha, Getcha, Getcha."

Osaka City/Miyajima Island

This morning, my premonition radar still hadn’t adjusted to the new time zone, so I still had no idea that this morning’s tight schedule (eat breakfast, check out by 8:30 and be ready to leave by 9:00 am) was in fact a pattern we’d follow the whole week. Getting out of bed at 7:00 am shouldn’t be that hard, but somehow the general lack of down time, and the sake evenings made getting up at 7 am harder and harder each day.

Osaka Castle

Our first stop today was the Osaka Castle. This is a famous location for cherry blossom viewing in Japan, but in the photo, you’ll notice the branches are bare. Although we knew we were about two weeks too early for Sakura (Cherry Blossom) season, we’d been told off a warm front in Japan, which might mean the early arrival of blossoms. Naturally, our mission for the week would be to seek out actual blooming trees.

The castle’s 8-story Main Tower is a museum today, providing numerous artifacts, drawings and facts about the history of Western Japan and the Tokugawa Shogunate. The tower is absolutely worth visiting for its grand views of Osaka.

APTEC Group

Before I forget, our hosts are a group of government officials from an organization known as APTEC (Asia Pacific Tourism Exchange Committee), which is a consortium of representatives of local cities that don’t necessarily have the same international recognition as do the big-name cities like Tokyo or Kyoto. The group invited several journalists for the purpose of visiting some of Japan’s oldest and most famous wooden structures, many of which have been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Hiroshima

After our morning in Osaka, we were (hurriedly) escorted to the Shinkansen bullet train for our ride to Hiroshima Station. Our departure time was 11:29 and I believe we hit the station at 11:22. Yikes seven minutes to get upstairs, while hauling our luggage. My tension level was escalating, but the Japanese are masters at getting people where they need to be, on time. I shouldn’t have worried, the seven minutes was plenty. (Of course there was no time for shopping. And the train stations in Japan have such lovely shopping arcades. Good for my budget, though.)

Upon arrival in Hiroshima, we were met by a bus that would carry us directly to the Miyajima Ferry terminal. The bus took us right by Hiroshima Peace Park, the site where the infamous A-bomb was dropped during World War II, but since Hiroshima wasn’t a part of our official itinerary, a stop wasn’t scheduled for us. So imagine if you will, five journalists fighting for window space, and hanging out the bus trying to snap quick photos before the light turned green.

Miyajima Island

Although Miyajima isn’t necessarily one of Japan’s top-tier destinations (or at least not for international visitors), visually it is extremely famous for the red Tori Gate that rises out of its coastal waters. This gate is often referred to as “the symbol of Japan.”

Our ferry ride to Miyajima Island gave us a great early view of this famous icon, and I was most surprised to learn that the base of the gate is not in fact completely submerged. The tidal levels in Miyajima can change up to ten feet, meaning that half the time, visitors can actually walk to the base of the gate.

It was a little daunting, upon our arrival in Miyajima, to learn that we would be followed by local media (from Hiroshima) for the day. So we were photographed, filmed and interviewed about our impressions of the island. Our first stop was a local Momiji Manju bakery. These are a type of waffle cake stuffed with red bean paste. Somewhere in Japan there is footage of me (looking like a prison matron as my group affectionately called me) baking Manju.

After the bakery we wandered (if the term “hurry up, we’re behind schedule” can possibly be synonymous with wandering) over to the island’s famous Itukushima Shrine. Along the way we were accosted by the wild deer that populate the island. They tried to eat everything in our hands, and apparently are quite partial to paper products.

We also were fortunate enough to witness a Shinto wedding procession and here you see an image of the happy bride and groom.


Itukushima Shrine

We were fortunate enough to be given a comprehensive tour of the Shrine by its head priest. He gave us a fascinating overview of much of the ecological problems facing Miyajima and Japan in general. The fact that the Shrine exists, in spite of hurricanes and floods, is a huge testament to the facility’s original architects, as well as the commitment of the locals who always come out to help in times of trouble.

In this picture you can (sort of) see how the floorboards are not tightly interconnected with spaces left deliberately between each board. The construction is intentional, in order to allow flooding waters to flow over and around the floorboards. This might not be great for the wood, but better than the alternative, which would be to have the whole floor sweep away with the pressure of the rising water.

Truthfully, we learned pages and pages of historical, geological and ecological information. I almost feel like I could write a Masters Thesis just on this shrine alone. However, there isn’t enough space on this blog to include everything, so suffice it to say that Miyajima and the Itukushima Shrine are definitely a must-see addition on any itinerary that includes Hiroshima or even southwester Japan.

The remainder of the afternoon we wandered around the island enjoying, the Daigangji (100 Tatami Mat) Temple, the Tahoto (Treasure) Tower and the Daisoin Temple. We were even allowed 45 WHOLE minutes for shopping. Heaven. Of course with camera crews following us around, the shop owners all wanted to know if we were famous, and we spent much of our time using broken English and hand gestures to explain just how famous we were not.

Kinsuikan Ryokan

We would spend the night at one of the local Ryokan (Japanese Style Inn), the Kinsuikan Ryokan. We enjoyed traditional accommodations, sleeping on a rolled out Tatami mattress. The floors in the rooms were super polished (clean enough to literally eat off of), and needless to say, shoes are strictly forbidden inside.

Kinsuikan was also the site our evening feast, and oh yum, what a feast it was. Sushi, shabu shabu in soy milk, grilled meats and tempura, finished off with cherry blossom wine and more beer than the human mind can imagine. We did learn, from the Miyajima City government officials, that Miyajima does produce the best Sake in all of Japan.

After dinner, when the tide had risen to its highest level, we were treated to a night cruise around the Tori gate. Upon our return I was feeling quite mellow, but did sneak upstairs to enjoy the (indoor) hot springs bath, which had a fabulous view overlooking the shrine.

On My Way Back to Japan

Now I know that when I travel, I ALWAYS say <> is my favorite place to travel, but Japan is truly one of my favorite places. The people are so gracious, and I always feel like I’m being welcomed home when I visit here.

At 10 hours, the flight isn’t too horrible and since we were lucky enough to fly United Airline’s Business Class, the flight was actually pretty darn great. Plus we arrived in the late afternoon, which means that our only immediate obligation was an informal (or at least as informal as the Japanese can get) welcome dinner, after which, we were pretty much able to get some sleep right away.

Our entire group would eventually be comprised of five journalists and three local hosts (babysitters, as we called them.) Three of us flew together from Los Angeles, and upon our arrival, enjoyed personalized motor coach transportation (yes, a whole 48-seat bus just for the three of us) directly to the Hotel Nikko Osaka.

The hotel was as deluxe as you’d expected a Nikko property to be, but truthfully we weren’t given a lot of time to enjoy it. Upon check in, we had a whole thirty! minutes time to freshen up for dinner. How quickly my fantasies of a short nap were dashed. This probably should have been foreshadowing of exactly how packed our week would be, but high on little sleep and sake anticipation, I had not yet tuned into my psychic “oh my gosh this is going to be a crazy week” premonition vibe.

For dinner, we feasted on Shabu Shabu, sushi, beer and sake. It was like being on the Star Ship Enterprise. If we wanted something, all we had to do was ask for it, and whatever we wanted appeared before our very eyes. Somehow my desire always ended up being some version of sake or another.

Japan’s Sake Culture

In fact, it was here at this restaurant that I learned that most Japanese tend to look down on warm sake. Imagine my surprise! The logic behind this is that most sake that used to be imported out of Japan was of a lower quality. So people would warm the inferior sake up, in order to improve the flavor. Thus, in Japan, warm sake is nearly synonymous with cheap sake. Dandy, with me, I have no problem drinking my high-quality sake cold.

Shinsaibashi Street

After dinner, we did a little walking through Shinsaibashi, an entertainment promenade through the center of Osaka. Look out 99 Cent Store, Japan has the equivalent in its 100 Yen store. I however, have vowed to behave myself, shopping wise this year, as I have no desire to repeat the shopping mania that made up my trip last year. So, I was pretty good on my first day of watching my Yen. No random acts of shopping for me. Or at least not yet.