Japan diaries: Miyajima, red pants and a stalker
I’m baaaack, with a slight tan and a holiday hangover to boot. So this is mission blog catch up! Taking you allll the way back to November 26th 2011, when my inner Japanese conscience finally reprimanded me for not having checked out the autumn leaves. The internet told me that Miyajima was my closest, best option. Blue skies and grilled oysters were calling, so I threw on my red skinnies and headed for the island. The peak of autumn leaf viewing (yes, that’s an activity) meant that tourists and their cameras were out in droves. I cuffed an 80 year old couple snapping my pic and decided to strike up a conversation and make the most of their stalking. Ha! He and his wife ended up emailing me the pictures in five different file sizes with a cute Japanese message in each. Gotta love tech savvy oldies 😉
My top tips for Miyajima: 1) There are only a couple of things worth doing on the island but they’re all a real treat. You really could spend more than a day here. Head to Itsukushima shrine, the floating torii (unmissable), the five storey pagoda at the pavilion called Senjo-kaku and the cable way that takes you a fair distance up Mt. Misen (it’s still a 20min hike to the top after that). 2) Hang around at the island for the whole day so that you catch the torii during low and high tide. 3) Beware the deer: they eat anything from paper to the very clothes on your back. 4) Eat, eat, eat: deep fried momiji cakes all year round and seasonal oysters. Yes please!