This was a full day tour to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island. After arriving by the bullet train, we took a short ferry ride to Miyajima Island. We saw the Itsukushima Shrine best-known for its floating torii gate, dating back to the 6th century. We had free time to explore and eat lunch on the island before boarding the ferry to Hiroshima. A bus took us to the Peace Memorial, a historic site near where the atomic bomb exploded, dedicated to the many lives lost in Hiroshima. After this solemn visit, we took the train back to Osaka.
Momiji manju is a confection that is baked. It is a buckwheat and rice cake shaped like a Japanese maple leaf, and is a local specialty on the island of Miyajima in Hiroshima. It is typically filled with red bean paste.
Peace Flame
The burning flame that marks these graves "will only be extinguished when all nuclear weapons in the world are destroyed."
Deer are sacred animals in the Shinto religion, and on Miyajima they roam around freely anywhere they wish. They are very tame and approachable, unlike the aggressive deer of Nara.
We picked up a bento box for dinner to eat on the shinkansen traveling back to Osaka.
A lunch stop at a vendor selling the two must-try dishes of Miyajima: oysters and conger eel.
Miyajima Island
This enchanting island is located in Hiroshima Bay, a short ferry ride from Hiroshima. This was one of our favorite places in Japan with scenic views, free-roaming deer, iconic temples, a floating torii, and fresh seafood.
Hiroshima
It is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan with a population of around 2 million. The city has the unenviable distinction of becoming the first city in the world to be struck by an atomic bomb during World War II on August 6, 1945.
Miyajima is also famous for their oysters.
