Yes, I admit it. I love Japan đ For me it is amazing to travel here: so many lovely people, so much delicious food, so many little details which make me smile. However, in terms of beautiful places it is rather a set back compared to Australia and New Zealand. There is hardly a view which is not obstructed by a high voltage power line, a road or another sign of civilization.The cities feel rather exchangeable and maybe I was in the wrong spots at the wrong time, but the colors of the country never got totally clear.
Therefore when I came to Hiroshima I didn’t expect too much either. Due to the beginning of the Japanese holiday season I was not able to get a bed in the hostel of my choice and I was forced to make a reservation a bit out of town. I ended up in Miyajimaguchi, a suburb roughly 40 minutes out of the city center, also known for being the port to the island of Miyajima, famous for its various temples and the iconic Torii (Japanese Gate) of the Itsukushima Shrine.
I completed the Hiroshima standard program in one afternoon which gave me the time to visit the island twice. The ferry journey only takes about 10 minutes and so I paid the island my first visit in the evening in search of a place to eat. It was already too late and most of the places had closed, however there is a lovely village area which gets especially charming in the evening when most of the tourists have left for the main land again.
For the next day I decided to hike onto Mount Misen, the highest peak of the island. It was a typical hot day for the season, around 35 degree, the sun was burning down. I was happy I took quite some water with me when I started the ascent. Leaving the crowded area close to the shrines behind, I made my way up into a shady forest, up along a small creek. As most of the people prefer to take the ropeway up to the peak, I was quickly on my own.
This was the moment when the island changed from just nice to wonderful for me. The sun was shining through the leaves, letting them glow in an intensive green color. By the creek I was feeling a cool breeze, a strong contrast to the big stones radiating back the heat of the sun. Without the people I was starting to hear the birds in the forest and some deer was also roaming around. Ascending to the top for maybe two hours, let me slow down and walk with my thoughts wandering off.
After enjoying the view over Hiroshima bay and the surrounding islands from the peak, I took a different descent which let me through some rather hidden shrines back to the shore and into the village, where I really appreciated a cold drink đ