Miyajima

Taking a tram and then a ferry, Randy & I went to Miyajima, the location of the “Floating” Tori (gate). It is part of the Shinto creation myth that Japan was created through this area and is one of the most commonly photographed spots in Japan. During low tide you can go out underneath the gate, and during high tide, it looks as if it is floating. We also took a suspended cable car up the side of Mt. Misen and then hiked another half an hour up to the peak where we shared a bottle of wine and then were surprised by a Buddhist ceremony taking place with just a monk and two followers. This monk tends to a fire at the top of the mountain that has been burning for over 1200 years (and was very smoky!) and was eventually used to light the fire at the Peace Memorial. Complete with wild monkeys and overly friendly deer (one tried to eat my shirt in our first 5 minutes there), this is also home to momiji manju, which are maple leaf-shaped, palm-sized pancakes, stuffed with various fillings like custard, red bean paste, or chocolate. We actually got to see them made as we walked down the back streets of Miyajima.

Finding the kind of food we wanted at the hours we wanted it proved to be difficult. That being said, another highlight of this trip included trying okonomiyaki, which is a cabbage and cheese based omelette with various meats or toppings they cook on the heated counter in front of you. I’ve had this before in Osaka, where it originated, but in Hiroshima, it’s known to have soba (buckwheat noodles) added to the mix. We found this little building there where it’s just one diner booth after another of mom-and-pop businesses selling it. Complete with hot sauce and mine topped with squid, it was well worth the search.

See the link at the end of the Hiroshima entry below for photos of Miyajima.