Day 9: Miyajima

Today we take the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima, and then onwards by local train to Miyajima port followed by ferry to the island.

Although the official name of the island is Itsukushima, it acquired the name Miyajima (meaning shrine island) due to the presence of a number of shrines on the island, the most famous one being associated with the O-torii gate (one of the most iconic images of Japan).

The O-torii Gate at Miyajima

Arriving on the island, a polite notice informs you that, whilst the many very tame deer that wander the streets are perfectly safe to approach, they do have a taste for passports, tickets and other bits of paper!

We wander the streets of the town for half an hour before stopping for lunch at a local cafe; the island has two specialities eel and oysters so for lunch I start with eel washed down with a local beer.

Speciality #1: Eel (with beer)

We wander around temple and look at the O-torii gate (later this evening we'll be able to get much closer) - James agrees to a rare pose so he can prove to his friends that he actually visited "the place with the gate".

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KitKats and Green Tea

An unexpected bonus is that I finally find some Japanese Kit Kats - the local speciality for the Hiroshima area is citrus flavour.

James gets a "good luck with your exams" headband which will no doubt come in useful for his GCSEs next year (as long as he doesn't think that means he doesn't have to do any actual work).

Exam success, the Japanese way

We find our ryokan - maybe a little early, but our hostess is very welcoming with excellent English. She shows us where the baths are and how to use them. We settle in our rooms; as always with ryokan green tea and biscuits provided (plus supplementary kit kats).

After the last evening ferry leaves, the island loses its tourist bustle and takes on a quieter aspect. For supper, we try the Yamaichi Bekkan near the ferry terminal, which proves to be an excellent choice - the food is excellent and the chef is charming with a splendid command of English.

Eel

Giant Sushi Roll

Sashimi

Tempura

Speciality #2: Fried Oysters (with beer)

The lady at the ryokan told us that the evening tide will be out so we can get much closer to the O-torii gate, so after supper we walk back to take advantage of this.

The Gate after dark, tide out

Then back to our ryokan, for a spot of Japanese TV.

"Muppets" style TV programme teaching English