The Sights and Flavors of Miyajima and the Floating Shrine

After exploring Hiroshima a little and checking out the Peace Memorial Museum and Park, we hopped on a ferry to the nearby island of Itsukushima (厳島). Itsukushima is a small island in the western part of the Seto Inland Sea, just northwest of Hiroshima Bay and popularly known as Miyajima (宮島), the “Shrine Island.”

The island is so named because of the Itsukushima Shrine, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of the famous floating Torii gates (which also happen to be commonly renowned as one of Japan’s three most beautiful views). In addition to the floating shrine (when the water rises during high tide, the massive vermillion Torii gates and the shrine appear to float on the water), the island is also famous for its maple trees, azuki jam-filled pastries, wild Sika deer, oysters, religious significance, and as a luxury ryokan destination.

Miyajima is a mountainous island and sparsely populated, so most of the action is focused in the small town surrounding the shrine and ferry terminal. Among the souvenir shops are restaurants, ice cream stands, and street vendors selling the local specialty — grilled oysters:

Miyajima is a popular place for day visitors, but most of the tourists are aboard the final ferries and gone from the island by nightfall. But ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) are big business here, especially the modern, luxury kind. Determined to enjoy the full Japanese cultural experience, I decided early on I’d treat myself to a night in one, and Miyajima seemed like the perfect place to do it. At ¥15,000 per night, it was certainly an expensive experience, but the pricetag included tax, dinner, breakfast, and unlimited hot spring access, which I figured made it a steal, right?

Anyway, I made my reservation once we arrived on the island. During check-in, the concierge asks you to select a time for dinner. If you’re there early enough, you can opt to have dinner served in your room; I wasn’t, so I signed up for an 8:00 p.m. dinner in the main dining room and left to further explore the island and watch the sunset over the Torii before returning for my kaiseki (懐石): a traditional, multi-course Japanese dinner.

Kaiseki is much like the Japanese equivalent of Western haute cuisine; a complex and formal dining experience that places heavy emphasis on aesthetics and presentation; the balance of colors, textures, and flavors; and the use of only fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Similar to an amuse-bouch, the first course is the sakizuke (先付) appetizer. In this case, it includes a small prawn, radish, pickled vegetables, and a glass of wine.

The futamono (蓋物) course: vegetable and prawn soup.

The third course was mukouzuke (向付), a seasonal sashimi dish.

Drawing from the seasonal theme, the fourth course was a variation of Miyajima’s local specialty, oysters. In this case, baked with cheese and butter.

A shiizakana (強肴) dish featuring tofu, mushrooms, and sliced beef, served with ponzu and goma dipping sauces.

The yakimono (焼物) course: broiled fish.

A tome-wan (止椀) course: a wild rice dish with pickled vegetables and miso soup. If you’re wondering, this was followed by the mizumono (水物), or dessert, course: in this case, pieces of watermelon and kiwi.

In addition to kaiseki, a stay in a ryokan often includes a traditional Japanese breakfast, too. I came downstairs the next morning to find this waiting for me:

Japanese breakfasts frequently include rice, seafood, pickled foods, miso soup, raw or softboiled eggs, and green tea. Below we have a few fermented vegetables, a couple of pieces of sashimi, Japanese-style potato salad, a soft-boiled egg, and a bowl of miso soup. Not pictured, but also present, was some grilled fish, a bowl of rice, and green tea.

After breakfast, we made our way to the ferry terminal to hop aboard a JR Ferry. We bade farewell to Miyajima by 11 a.m. and began our trek out of Japan’s main island, Honshu, and onward to our next destination: the volcanic and subtropical regions of Kyushu.