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Showing posts with label Torii Gates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Torii Gates. Show all posts

Friday, January 13, 2012

20 March Miyajima & Hiroshima


Another delicious Japanese breakfast, this time with a picture....


We set off early and took the train from Hiroshima to the port closest to Miyajima, then took a ferry. By now I have been on enough trains and boats in Japan that I no longer take photos of them, which means there are quite a few gaps in the photographic record of the day. however I took enough photos on Miyajima to make up for that! Without ceremony here they are, picture of one of the places I have been hoping to visit for many years:
My first glimpse through the misty rain.


The very very famous Torii Gate!


My favourite photo of the whole day, looks just like a postcard. Thank you Ms. Shika for posing!


Seriously bad hair day for me, but a good day for Deer to pose in out photos!




Amid all the chaos of hundreds of tourists sheltering from the rain I spotted this little scene.

The bridge that no one can walk across due to its slope.


Miyajima Special Oysters



Special lunch/bento box from a famous take-away shop near the ferry stop.

Inside was delicious grilled something (not eel, but like eel, I was told)

This temple had the most beautiful garden!



Delicious Mayple leaf azuki bean cakes.

After exploring Miyajima in the rain we headed back to Hiroshima on the ferry and then the train again. Though it was pouring with rain we decided to have a look at the Atomic bomb museum and peace park in what was originally the centre of Hiroshima. 

It truly was one of the saddest places I have ever been. For me the saddest part was a wall covered in letters. They were letters sent by the various Mayors of Hiroshima to the head of any nation known to have carried out testing of nuclear weapons, each time a test was carried out. It was absolutely heartbreaking to read their words, and to know that they fall on deaf ears.






After seeing this sobering sight we went shopping to cheer ourselves up a bit. Then we began the search for dinner, we ended up in a tiny little bar which sold... Okonomiyaki of course! 

Seafood, noodles, spring onion, cabbage, sauce and seaweed! Delicious!

On the way back to the hotel we had to pass through Hiroshima Station again and found a delicious looking cake shop. We bought a few delights and ate them back at the hotel!

Monday, November 14, 2011

17 March Fushimi Inari Shrine and Thousands of Torii Gates

The 17th of March was my last day in Kyoto, I had originally planned to spend a night staying in a temple, however due to the need to have access to Skype as the disaster unfolded in the Fukushima area I opted to stay another night in the Hostel. My adventure for the day was another iconic destination for tourists who visit Kyoto. Even though I spent a week in Kyoto in 2009, I spent most of that time in Arashiyama and the outer suburbs, and thus missed a lot of the main 'attractions'.

Fushimi Inari Shrine is often referred to in brochures as the Shrine of a Thousand Gates, however when you are there you realise that there are MANY thousandS of torii gates. There are enormous ones that are a few storeys high and tiny ones no bigger than my hand, and they are EVERYWHERE. I spent about 3 or 4 hours walking up and down pathways all around the mountain side and I still did not see every torii gate in the area. The main shrine is said to bring luck or wealth to businesses, so the torii gates are actually donated by businesses who want some luck. I took hundreds of photos and a couple of videos, but as they will probably mostly look the same I will just include a smallish selection of photos and one video at the end.





*An actual photo of me, just to prove I really was there* 



*This is my favourite photo, it gives you a better idea of what it felt like to be there, in the forest walking under these bright orange gates that form a tunnel*





*These were mini torii gates, about 20 or 30cm tall, which were hanging on racks*


*View of Kyoto city from the top of the mountain*


*Fox statues are common at Shinto Shrine*




*I walked along the left hand tunnel, and the video of that walk is below*