THE FLOATING MIYAJIMA SHRINE -JAPAN JOURNEY

 BLOG POST 14
We were dog tired travelling all the way from Osakha and going round the local places in Hiroshima finally wanted to have a sound sleep that day. After an early dinner at 6.30 pm we were taken to our hotel Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima .As soon as we entered the spacious and elegant hotel lobby our sleep ridden eyes opened wide at the stunning décor of the lobby

The checking in was over in a jiffy and we were given our keys ,we had our rooms on the 17th floor and the morning breakfast would be at the 23 rd floor ,while we were waiting for our lift we saw our women hockey players being taken up by the other lift. Like everyone whenever I am out of India, I start missing it and feel home sick so sighting the Indian women players made me feel thrilled

Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima looked out toward the picturesque islands dotting the Seto Inland Sea. It had magnificent views of the Hiroshima Port and Miyajima Island and shape of the 23 floored hotel was a dramatic prism.

The best part of the hotel was its private pier to take a cruise to the nearby islands, the Miyajima Island being 25 minutes away by high-speed boat. It had hot springs, a variety of restaurants and extensive conference facilities

Our room was quite big with large picture windows through which I could see the sea partly and also the city with its evening activity,the sun was setting down gradually leaving behind glittering garlands of lights  along the sea front

The next day we got up, freshened and went for an early breakfast,as we didn’t want to miss the views from the 23 rd floor.

It was so entrancing that I didn’t want to even waste even one second.

There were beautiful views all around us

and the breakfast spread was very lavish

while leaving  the fantastic views reluctantly, I met two sweet old Japanese ladies who wanted a snap with me

We checked out with our single bags ready for the outing for that day

Went ahead for the tour to Miyojima islands also known as Itsukushima meaning 'island of worship' Originally built in 593 CE by Saeki no Kuramoto , the island is worshipped as God and was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1996.
We reached the Miyajima ferry terminal and boarded the ferry to the Miyajima island.

As the journey was very brief, we stood on the deck looking at all the lovely scenery around us ,in no time we could see the vermilion colored O-Torii gate literally floating in the sea and also the 5 floored pagoda

We got down at the terminal and walked along the sea side ,it was difficult to focus on any single thing as we had the calm blue sea on one side, the green forest of Mount Misen on one side  and the  red vermilion colored Itsukushima Shrine on the other ,I thought no wonder this island is considered one of the 'Three Views of Japan'

We found deer everywhere

Following the visitors very inquisitively and vying with the children for treats from parents, many tourists were patiently pushing prams with children

I saw a small boy trying to take pictures with probably a brand new camera, in the process scaring a tiny tot who screamed out in terror

This didn’t shake the resolve of our young photographer who tried to picturize a deer with equal vigor but the affronted deer butted him and snatched away his food cover too , I felt it served him right for bullying the baby LOL!

There were rickshaws for tourists who couldn’t walk, the rickshaw pullers were dressed and had hair styles reminiscent of older Japanese styles

As we walked,stone lanterns 108 in number formed a welcome guard of honor with stone statues of lions and pillars interspersed in between

We couldn’t take our eyes off the Tori  gate which amazingly looked different from various angles
The O-Torii gate stands 16 meters tall and weighs 60 tons.

Surprisingly, the six pillars are not buried in the seabed, but use their own weight to remain standing. The strengthening of the ground around the structure ,the stones and pebbles inserted into the top of the O-Torii gate keeps everything balanced.

For the present O-Torii gate which was constructed in 1875 and built the 8th time, 600 year-old Camphor trees were used for the main pillars which apparently took years of searching
At high tide, the O-Torii gate elegantly sits on top of the water and at low tide, one can walk right up to the foot of the O-Torii gate to experience it up close, while we were there it was high tide so we couldn’t go nearer. We were lucky to have seen it just before restoration work was started on it which would go on at least for one year

As we came nearer to the Itsukushima shrine I was reminded of Venice which is also built on water and slowly sinking because of the rise in water levels.
In Japan, red is a symbol of fire, sun and color of life, to reject evil spirits, danger, and bad luck. It is believed that the red torii in front of a shrine wards off evil spirits, danger, and bad luck of the buildings

We entered the Itsukushima Shrine complex, and cleaned our hands with water

Marodo Shrine was the first shrine we arrived at after walking along the eastern corridor. It is the biggest of the four shrines within Itsukushima Shrine and dedicated to five male deities

We next came to the large central shrine, after first seeing the worship hall and the purification hall.

This Main Shrine is dedicated to three female deities dutifully worshiped as gods of sea, transport, fortune, and arts. With an area of 271 square meters , it is one of the biggest in Japan. The lack of doors or walls created a spacious environment, and also maintains a very sacred atmosphere

We were fortunate to see a Japanese wedding while we were there , it was a God given opportunity to be able to view a local wedding specially in such a special place

Japanese weddings when compared to our pompous Indian ones are  simple affairs. There were very few guests, no music or dance and lasted for a very short time .There is usually a lot of importance for rituals and protocol.

The bride looked elegant in her white flowing kimono and had traditional hood or a wataboshi which covers the bride’s ‘horns’ ( hair decorations  that represent jealousy, ego & selfishness that she is supposed to let go of once married) and fine makeup. The ever present feminist in me whispered the groom also should let go of these qualities for a balanced married life.

The bride walked slowly with immense grace and dignity, her face was very composed. The groom wore a black embroidered kimono and looked smart and solemn. There were photographers accompanying them
The priest offered prayers to the Gods, purified the couple and made them take their oaths and drink three cups of ‘sake’ and the family members looked on silently .We were told the wedding group then moves to a hotel where a more celebratory reception awaits them.We found plenty of barrels of Sake in the shrine

Everything was brilliantly choreographed and was a gracious reflection upon the disciplined culture and lifestyle of the Japanese. people
The East Corridor painted in vivid vermilion links the Marodo Shrine to the Main Shrine. The architecture and the craftsmanship of the both the East Corridor and West Corridor was breathtaking. The roof of the entrance was gabled in the "Kirizuma-zukuri" style and the architectural style of the West Corridor called "Kara-hafu" (Chinese gable).

The Tenjin Shrine devoted to the god of learning and study was located along the West Corridor. The two corridors have small gaps between the floorboards to relieve water pressure

Extending from the sides of the haraiden of the main shrine is a Noh stage which dates from 1590.
 Noh theater performances have long been used to pay homage to the gods through the ritual acting out of key events in Shinto myth.

Since the shrine is built in the sea, the foundation posts are constantly submerged in the water and decay rather easily and the shrine is battered by the sea breezes and typhoons. Constant and comprehensive maintenance is required due to these natural factors.
The cleaning of the accumulated algae and leveling of the sandbar are essential for maintenance of this unique shrine

To retain the purity of the shrine , since 1878  no deaths or births have been permitted near it. Even today pregnant women are supposed to retreat to the mainland as the day of delivery approaches, as are the terminally ill or the very elderly whose passing has become imminent. Burials are strictly forbidden on the island.
Returning  back we passed through Omotesando  shopping avenue  filled with souvenir shops and restaurants.

We pondered on munching on Hiroshima’s famous grilled oysters or maple shaped steamed sweet buns but abstained because we were travelling and being on the wrong side of fifty we were apprehensive of the tummy getting upset

There was the Miyajima brewery for a local beer with a funny poster

Everywhere very clean toilets were present

Deep fried sponge cake , famous Momiji Manju” (maple leaf-shaped steamed bun with filling), oysters and a steamed conger eel bun were being bought and voraciously eaten by the ever enthusiastic school children .Actually most of the food in this area was great and the shaved ice with strawberry topping was refreshing as the day was quite hot

As we were going through the streets doing window shopping of a lot of shops selling traditional handcrafts of Miyajima, such as rice paddles, wooden crafts, wooden spoons, carvings, wooden trays, pottery and paper crafts

our guide stopped us and asked me whether I would like to write a peace message for a group of children as a part of a project

Of course I wrote one and was gifted an origami crane of peace in the bargain ,it was indeed very refreshing to interact with these shy and well mannered school children

Just before we left for our ferry back to Hiroshima ,I observed a group of school children being briefed by their teachers ,on a gentle command all of them settled on the open ground and listened to their instructions ,their discipline was appreciable.

Overall our Miyajima visit was awesome and a memorable one