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."