Saturday, April 1, 2017

Miyajima

What can I say that has not already been said about this magical island.  Its real name is Itsukushima, but it is popularly known as Miyajima which means Shrine Island.  Sitting in the Hiroshima Bay it is a quick ferryboat ride.
We had hoped to get there at high tide so we would see the shrine floating in the water, but the sea had partially withdrawn by the time we got there.  Still, it was magical, from the time we spotted the Ryobu Torii out in the water we knew we were some place very special. The Torii is made of camphor and cedar wood and can last 5-600 years, it stands 16.6 meters high and this version was put up in  1875.
The island is full of small deer that many consider a pest, but I loved them and  took many photos of them.  Mac is at work on a painting of one, it will be a gift to a very special lady.
We saw our first pagodas, the 5-tiered Goju-no-to pagoda and a second one I didn't learn the name of.
Here are some of my photos.
















12 comments:

  1. Interesting shots. You were fortunate to see this stuff up close and personal. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Lovely !
    What a wonderful day.

    cheers, parsnip

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  3. So different to "western" architecture... Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Interesting pictures. I was wondering about language and whether the Japanese speak English.

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    1. They speak very little English, but most signs are posted in Japanese, Korean and English. Our daughter speaks quite a bit of Japanese so it was easy to get around.

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  5. Lovely photos, especially that sunset, just beautiful.

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  6. I am so far behind in blog reading I had no idea you were visiting your daughter. It looks like a wonderful trip.

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  7. This looks like a great outing! I am quite fond of deer although they are a pest here, too. I am glad I get to travel to Japan with you. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Oriental architecture is so breathtaking they really put us westerners to shame! Beautiful photos

    Thanks for joining in with Five on Friday, hope you had a wonderful weekend

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  9. How wonderful! It is so beautiful isn't it.

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  10. Lovely to see your photographs here.

    All the best Jan

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