Miajima Japan

This past weekend we decided to test out our ETC card (a discount card for the highway tolls) and took an overnight trip to Maijima and Hiroshima. Surprisingly we made it there without our navigation system being figured out and did not get lost.

We left real early in the morning and drove a little less than 4 hour to catch the ferry to Miajima. Miyajima is a small island less than an hour outside the city of Hiroshima. While there we toured around the small town, took the ropeway partially up Mt Misen and then hiked to the top and finally to Tsutsumigaura Beach for a brief time in the sand. The island itself was very beautiful and we would recommend it as a must see when living or visiting Japan.

Famous Tori gate of Miajima. At high tide people say the Tori gate looks like it is floating.

There were two sets of ropeway cars that take you 2/3 up Mt. Misen. The rest is done all on foot.

We sometimes just shake our head and laugh. We never imagined living in a place where monkeys roamed free around us. No wonder we were offered several free insurance quotes before moving here.

Luckily we never saw any. But we did see these two animals... and lots of them all around us!
One of the best parts of the hour long hike to the top of Mt Misen was the view.
Part way up the hike you come across a buddhist temple where the flame is said to have been burning since AD 806, for more than 1200 years.
Finally after an hour hike in over 100 degree weather we reached the top.
We were all so soaked in sweat that we splurged and each of us got shaved ice from the observation deck at the top. And yes that is sweat covering Matt's shirt.
After the hike we wandered around town, got lunch then headed for Tsutsumigaura Beach. Since it was often season we only had to share the beach with a few snorkelers and wind surfers.

It was a great day at Miajima. After Tsutsumigaura Beach we took the ferry back to the mainland and headed to our hotel in Hiroshima. We were ready to just sit back and relax after a long, yet nice day on Miajima Island.

You can see all our pictures from Miajima here.