|
|
back to all reviews...
|
|
check out more reviews by country...
|
japan:
general info
· travel advisories
· getting there
· getting around
when to go
· fast facts
· history
· maps
· itinerary
· hostels
things to· hitchhiking
· meditation
· forum
&#· · safety
· links
· read reviews
|
|
MIYAJIMA
Calling Code: +81
The Japanese say that their country has three most scenic spots: Amanohashidate, a sandbar that snakes across Miyazu
Bay in the northern Kyoto Prefecture; Matsushima Bay, which is dotted with 260 tiny, pine-covered islands; and Miyajima, or
�shrine island��12 square miles dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o-no-Mikoto, the Shinto god of the oceans.
The island is so sacred that no one is supposed to give birth or die here; there are no maternity wards or cemeteries. Cutting
trees is forbidden, and the forest provides sanctuary for dozens of bird species, as well as deer, which roam all over, and
monkeys, which live atop 1,740-foot Mount Misen (reached by a two-hour hike from the pier or a 30-minute cable car ride).
After a 10-minute ferry ride departing near Hiroshima, you�re greeted by a 50-foot-tall red Torii
gate that soars out of the water majestically, signifying entrance to the spiritual realm. Taira-no-Kiyomori, a 12th-century warlord,
funded the construction of the main Itsukushima shrine�a collection of buildings on stilts over a cove�to provide repose for the
souls of the war dead.
A five-story pagoda, folklore museum, and aquarium are all minutes from the docks. Stop at a shop for momiji-manju�sponge cakes
filled with sweet red bean paste, custard, or chocolate�or sit down at a restaurant for eel, oysters, or okonomiyaki, a vegetable
and meat pancake.
If you know of a great destination we're missing,
review it for us!!
|
|
|
|
|
