Solo Japan Part VIII: Hiroshima City Life + Miyajima

Day 12: Hiroshima City Life

So far Hiroshima has made a great impression. Day two and the sun was shining. I decided to take this day to explore Hiroshima city life a little more and see what I could stumble into before heading to Miyajima the next day. I visited some shops and took the city in on foot.

People were out and about enjoying their day, walking around, paddleboarding, bicycling. I chomped on a pastry and wandered. I didn't have any set destinations so I just popped into some shops. I especially love stationery shops so I was happy to visit the Hiroshima location of Tokyu Hands.

After shopping some, I continued to take in city life. I walked along the river seeing more hanami (flower viewing) picnics and even heard some men across the way singing at the tops of their lungs. They seemed to be enjoying their picnic a little more than others. 😜

As the sun was setting, I decided to catch the trolley back towards my hostel. That evening, I joined my fellow hostel guests for karaoke. One of the hostel volunteers had a membership to a 24-hour internet cafe that had hourly karaoke rooms, pool tables, manga, and all of the free ice cream and drinks you could want.

It was a dream come true.

Day 13: Itsukushima/Miyajima Island Part One

The next day, I went with some people to Itsukushima/Miyajima Island for a mountain hike. It was another sunny day and the sky was as blue as can be. The area is known for its Itsukushima Shrine, a Shinto shrine that "floats" when the tide is high.

I was surprised to see deer on the island so chummy with the local businesses. Like in Nara, these deer don't seem very afraid of humans and have been living in Miyajima for hundreds of years. They're considered to be "holy" among the local spiritual population.

We wandered around the area before starting our ascent towards the top of Mount Misen.

Walking Around Daisho-in Temple

Before the trail, we spent a while looking around Daishō-in temple. I was in awe of the hundreds of knitted hats and scarves for the 500 statues, a tradition kept by local residents and patrons of the temple.

I was also very pleased and surprised to see my old friend, Anpanman waving hello at one of the entrances.

Starting the Hike

During the walk, I got separated from my group. The other ladies I was with were seasoned hikers and I'm a slowpoke snack kid, so I said I'd catch up with them in a bit.

I enjoy walking alone generally. While hiking, it takes away some of the pressure of keeping up and I can freely stop to huff and puff and be a baby.

I was whistling down the woodsy trail when a sign caught my eye.

Underneath the photo was the emergency procedure to take if you're bitten by one.

My pace quickened.

I caught up with my friends near the top of the mountain and we finished climbing together. Apparently, they were so caught up in conversation that they didn't see the Mamushi signs. I rattled off the emergency procedure as if I had written it myself.

We made our way down quickly, free of the deadly mamushi and caught sight of the shrine during low tide. It was really beautiful against the water and mountains.