Hiroshima - Miyajima

Hiroshima is a city with a single focus…the elimination of nuclear weapons and world peace. They have dedicated everything they do to achieve that end. The monuments to honor the dead always contain the peace message along with it. The mayor writes a letter to every country who tests an atomic weapon, hoping each one will be the last one that is ever written.
The A-Bomb Dome is a grim reminder of the destructive power of the bomb. Peace Park is the home of the many monuments and tributes to the thousands of people who lost their lives. The museum is a terrible reminder of the horrible destruction. There really aren’t words to describe it.
After a somber day in Hiroshima, we took off to the island of Miya jima, and island held in awe for its fabled beauty as well as its famous Tori gate and Itsukushima Shrine. This incredible shrine is built right out upon the water with the foundation posts submerged in the sea. Unfortunately, this means that the posts decay easily and the shrine is battered by the ocean as well as typhoons, requiring constant and comprehensive maintenance. Even the beach and sandbar that emerges at low tide is kept clean and free from even the accumulation of algae.
The shrine has numerous buildings, connected with long, covered walkways. There are also several “stage” areas around, some covered, some out in the open. When we arrived, the monks were busy rolling out a red carpet and setting up one of the outdoor stage areas with another red carpet. We hung out on the fringes and watched, figuring something was about to happen (and no one was telling us to leave, in fact, they set up seats for people and we all sat).
Eventually, a number of priests came out and sat in a cloth draped shelter. Next, some men in elaborate silk robes appeared. Some wore masks, some carried various weapons, and all were dressed in elaborate, embroidered silk robes. The first dance was performed by a single man who wore an elaborate headpiece and carried a ceremonial sword. He very formally moved up to the stage and mounted it, then performed the stylized dance, moving through defensive postures. It was accompanied by music performed by some of the priests in the shelter, using various flute type instruments and a small taiko drum. More dances followed with groups and masks varying by dances. Afterwards we found out that we had had the honor of seeing Bugaku dancing, a performance that is only held nine times a year, generally for religious ceremonies or court occasions.
Afterwards, we decided to hike to the top of Mount Misen. We were armed with a nice, picture map of the area and it looked like it would be a pleasant hike, going past numerous temples, shrines and pagodas, and ending up at the small hut to be located at the top. It was a grueling, 5 km hike up STAIRS to the top. We did pass one beautiful Daishoin Temple grounds that was a great place to take a break but after that we were on our own. We almost gave up (it was starting to rain) but we persevered and were rewarded with a great view of the island and ocean.
We headed down, through some more temples, heading for the ‘monkey house’ and the ropeway. The monkey house turns out to be an open area with many monkeys cavorting around. One of the workers came out and threw a bucket of food scraps out and you should have seen the bee-line those monkeys made for the food. Watch out!!! They were fun to watch them play with each other. A few had babies who moved away cautiously but quickly scampered back to mom when something threatened them.
We decided to take the ropeway down and when we saw how far down the mountain it went we were very thankful we did. It was both very steep and VERY long.
Stay tuned...Nara coming up!