Miyajima-romantic ferry crossing, momiji, oyster and fawns

On my second trip to Miyajima island, I got to enjoy a lot of firsts as well. The weather was a bit misty and the trip on the ferry a bit cute and romantic.

View from the ferry

 

 The Itsukushima shrine  from the sea

I enjoyed the view from the ferry and the approach to the pier. And on the way to the temple (Ometesando street) lots of shops sell spoons, oysters and momiji cakes (maple shaped cakes). The place fares up beautifully in autumn and we were just there at the right season.

 

The world's largest rice scoop (oshakushi 大杓子)...for real!

And so we got to see a giant rice spoon and admire how they make the momiji cake, an example of cultural expectation (show how cleanly and perfectly you do it to improve sale, and locally made too) and industrial culture (well there is a machine for it).

 

 The making of momiji cake

 

 

Yum, oysters

 And who could resist the oysters?  Baked, grilled, tempura, pick your favourite seasoning and voila. And remember to sit down to eat, it is bad form to talk and eat. Besides the recycle bin is only next to the snack shop. I think it is also good marketing thing because the more people gather in front of the shop, the more popular it looks like, therefore attracting more customers. On the practical side there is less chance you do end up with sauce all over your clothes while sitting. 

Personally I would have eaten at every other shop but with the parents I had to behave better. Besides I still had that awesome buffet breakfast from the hotel in the stomach.

As we approached and entered the temple, the vermillion colour was beautiful and truly uplifting. The contrasting white plasters and shoji (paper walls) were reflecting the lights from the sea, as the sky cleared up.

Tori view from the temple

 

Omikuji (fortunes)

It was my first time visiting the temple and although it reminded me of the Imperial palace in Kyoto (red and white also), the red colour is much lighter in Miyajima and the sea breeze made it very pleasant.

 Vermillion

 These are wooden structures that always amaze me for their craftsmanship involved and the care given to them to last this long. 

Miyajima is the kind of island one would like to live into for a quiet life, only a ferry away from the urban Hiroshima. I wonder how it is in the summer. It has a primal forest so would be great to explore plants for example.
Being one of the top 3 scenic places in Japan, it was not overcrowded though bustling. It can be enjoyed by young and old alike, with great outdoors and cute cafe, hiking and camping places waiting to be explored.

A series of firsts: Landing in Kansai airport and experiencing Hiroshima

Arriving in Kansai airport mid-afternoon at Halloween does not really bring a typical arrival experience, especially for my parents who have traveled for more than 24h. So landing in a dazed and tired mood was refreshed with a series of firsts that would continue throughout the journey.

*The first Japanese toilet experience upon arrival and in the hotel ('omg the seat is warmed up!')
*The first ride in a shinkansen headed to Hiroshima (store luggage between seats) after staring and ekiben
*The first kombini meal in Hiroshima ('what is that sponge looking thing?' referring to fried tofu in cup noddle)
*The first Japanese castle (Hiroshima castle)

 The already long day stretched into a walk around town to view Hiroshima by night. I found it appropriate to start our journey in Hiroshima because of its history and story of rebirth. We looked at what remained of the past (int he form of A-bomb dome),  and the tear jerking memorials and testimonies at the Children's peace monument beautifully display what and who were sacrificed for peace. Grapes and fields of senbazuru (One thousands origami cranes 千羽鶴 ) echoing the wishes and thoughts dispersed in the wind and punctuated by the peace bell. 

 

For a generation that did not live in wartime or experienced its hardship for years, we were reminded of the value of the current peaceful times once again.

 

To continue our appreciation, the next night we headed to the okonomiyaki village (okonomimura お好み村) to sample the experience and history of the food that sustained the survivors and brought us the current modern city.

Finally we wandered about to digest and fight the jetlag, as we enjoyed our reunion, thousands of miles away from home.

There are more to Hiroshima than the most visited places, and I would love to come back to experience current local life such as watching the Hiroshima carp baseball team, making kokedama, kyudo, pottery, etc..
It is a laid back starting point to visit the southern part of Honshu island and close to Kyushu and Shikoku.

Japan 2015 - logistics of travelling with parents

This was the highlight of the year, and one of my greatest life achievement: Between two jobs, I took my parents to Japan. I could afford so with the sudden exchange rate crash at the beginning of the year (airfare was suddenly 20% cheaper).

 

And so the whole year was excitedly spent in planing for this autumn trip. This would be my first trip with company in Japan, and I had to budget for 2 hotel rooms most of times, or a double or large room in minshuku. The Japan rail pass was of course used for all transportation, and the main meal of the day was breakfast, usually included in the accommodation.

The challenges were many:
-keeping a comfortable pace of traveling as there are much to see, and we have different rhythms
-selecting sights and activities that capture the local customs and spirit (zen, megalopolis, matsuri, onsen, food)
-satisfying their interests (Japanese gardens, industries, temples, markets, castles, trains, etc..)
-trying to experience something I have not experienced or seen yet.

Of course the trip sightseeing was great, but what was amazing and unexpected was also how I discovered and enjoyed my parents reactions. It was my parents' first trip in Asia and I was not aware of their expectations or prejudices. So it was with much amusement, laughter and sometimes incredulity that I experienced their wide eyed reactions or comments.



Resources and tips:
Thanks to Japan tourism website, all the major sights were covered using the Japan railpass for 2 weeks.

Since my previous trips were all traveling south from Tokyo, this time the itinerary was from Hiroshima traveling to Tokyo on Honshu island, with a quick side trip to Shikoku island. We would cover one city/town per day in average, and no more than 2 planned activities to allow for leisure exploring and getting lost, covering architecture (temples, castles), town histories, Japanese gardens, and Japanese factories.

We planned to but did not send our luggage (one suitcase and rucksack each) from the Kansai airport to the hotel by TAQ-BIN upon arrival, while we find our way. But we used the service from Okayama hands free travel counter in the train station to our hotel in Kyoto, and again from Nagoya to Tokyo. We traveled on a rucksack only to the onsen as there were bus travel from Kobe.

I also made sure we were not changing hotel everyday, but settles in a strategic town and explore the surroundings in daytrips:
Hiroshima based
Okayama based
Kyoto based
Nagoya based
Tokyo based


What to pack? For the season layered warm clothes are best. Of course my parents had to pack their medication. But other than that we could find everything else from the many kombini (convenient stores).


Itinerary
Landing in Osaka Kansai airport
Hiroshima - peace park and eating historical street food in Okonomimura
Miyajima - Itsukushima shrine and old town
Okayama - Kourakuen
Takamatsu - Ritsurin koen
Kurashiki - merchant warehouse and strolling along canals
Himeji - climbing a martial architecture world heritage castle
Kobe-Arima onsen - buying a suit and omotenashi experience in 7th century onsen town
Kyoto - history and culture strolling in the west capital
Osaka - Shin Osaka and wet market
Nagoya - minshuku stay and impromptu Toyota museum visit
Shizuoka - views from Nihondaira ropeway to Kunozan Toshogu shrine
Tokyo - Eating sushi in Tsukuji at 4am and Kagurazaka matsuri
Leaving from Narita airport

Accomodations
Hiroshima: Chisun Hotel Hiroshima
Okayama: Okayama Koraku hotel
Arima onsen: Hana Koyado
Kyoto: APA Hotel Gion
Higashiyama airbnb (Kyoto Amanogawa)
Nagoya: Kyoya Ryokan
Tokyo:
Mercure Ginza
The B Ikebukuro