Miyajima

The very first time I saw a postcard of Miyajima, I knew I had to be there. Instead of checking the internet for information, I asked my Japanese officemates about their first-hand experiences in the said island. That was in 2012. Fast-forward to 2015

tides

barefoot, i walked
along the shores
 listening to your songs
 without lyrics

 three sea gulls dance,
no, i mean sing,
 the blues
 until it was black

  the floating diamonds
are actually stars
did you know? 

 i can still hear your song
or was it really a prayer?

 i closed my eyes
barefooted
wash away

 cleansed.

/totomai

Miyajima is in Hiroshima and quite far from Tokyo. Our company is closed for its foundation day, giving me a long weekend to explore the prefecture. Hiroshima is the 23rd out of the 47 prefectures of Japan that I’ve been to. From Hiroshima station, I purchased the 1-day streetcar and ferry pass for 840 yen. As soon as I arrived in the island, I noticed tens of deer roaming freely.

I decided to spend the entire day in the island in order see the torii (gate to the shrine) in high and low tides. As I walk around, I got more. There are some locals wearing kimonos of a previous (Heian) era. I decided to follow them and asked if I can take their photos.

The Itsukushima Shrine appears to be a floating shrine when the tide is high. If you cannot wait for the low tide, there are available boat and ferry rides that can bring you underneath the torii.

The good thing about not rushing is that you have time to appreciate any phenomenon that may flash before your eyes. One example is the halo - optical phenomenon. And because of that, this photo deserve to be posted in large.

As soon as the tide ebbed, everyone wasted no time in going towards the torii. Some went as a part of their faith while others, just like me, because of curiosity.

Some visitors made it like a sort of wishing well, leaving coins in between of the shells growing on the lower part of the torii.

While waiting for the sundown, I researched on the history of this icon and found the following. Guess, this is the reason why it stood the tests of time. 

The shrine has been destroyed several times, but the first shrine buildings were probably erected in the 6th century. The present shrine dates from the mid-16th century, and is believed to follow an earlier design from the 12th century. That design was established in 1168, when funds were provided by the warlord Taira no Kiyomori.  

The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, Shinto god of seas and storms, and brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu (tutelary deity of the Imperial Household). Because the island itself has been considered sacred, commoners were not allowed to set foot on it throughout much of its history to maintain its purity. To allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built like a pierover the water, so that it appeared to float, separate from the land.The red entrance gate, or torii, was built over the water for much the same reason. Commoners had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine. more here

I took the last ferry trip back to Hiroshima. As the shrine slowly faded away from eyes, I can’t help but be thankful for this experience. It was truly one of the best trips I ever had within Japan.

And perhaps this is the longest blog post I’ve ever written. As well as the one with most number of photos.

And of course, here's the short video I made --> Miyajima trip video

/totomai

2015/06/07 

Photos taken with Nikon D7000, 

lenses used : 

     Nikkor 105mm 2.8f 

     Nikkor 18-300mm 3.5f 

     Tamron 11-16 mm 2.8f 

     Nikkor 10.5 mm 2.8f