Shrines, Buddha, Killer Deer and 2011 Premiers

Day 6

Saturday October 1 (Grand Final Day)

Miyajima: 26ish and sunny

What a weekend!!!

Saturday started out with a bus ride from HIC to Miyajima-guchi station where we caught the ferry to the island. Such a beautiful place to visit and we were all very excited about wandering around the island and visiting the shrines and temples. The highlight of course was seeing the ootorii or big gate that is symbolic of shrines. Having been here once before, many moons ago with Kathleen, I was looking forward to seeing everything again. The main shrine on Miyajima is Itsukushima jinja (shrine) and the surrounds were made a World Cultural Heritage Monument in 1996.

Our morning started out with a constitutional coffee and momoji mangu (maple leaf shaped cake….there are a variety available on Miyajima: red bean, chocolate, custard, cheese, green tea filled – just to name a few).

Travis and I then headed off toward the ootorii, enjoying the smell of the sea air as we ambled along. A quick purchase of ika yaki (grilled squid) and away we went.

Leading up to the ootorii there is a beautiful stone gate or ishi tori guarded by two lions. This is the entrance to the shrine. The ishi tori is about 10 metres high with the cross beams being about 11.5m in length. Lining the path to the ootorii and to Itsukushima jinja are beautiful stone lanterns. It really is a magical place to see.

The ootorii on Miyajima is about 16 m tall, the cross beam is 24 m long and the ootorii itself weights about 60 tonnes!!! The current ootorii is the eighth one built and dates from 1875. The nameplate on the top of the ootorii reads ‘Itsukushima jinja’ and on the east side there is a sun and on the west a moon. The island of Miyajima is thought to be a god and as such damage to the island, such as farming or creating cemeteries is prohibited.

It’s pretty hard to describe how beautiful the ootorii looks, ‘floating’ in the sea. We were fortunate to be on Miyajima long enough to see both high and low tides. At high tide, the ootorii appears to be floating, although in my head it is still standing in the sea bed….no imagination!!!

Then it was off into Itsukushima jinja. At the entrance to the shrine, you wash your hand to purify yourself before entering. As we were there at high tide, the water was up very high (although not coming through the floor boards). There is a ‘boardwalk’ (for want of a better term) that extends out toward the shrine and is a popular photo spot

Near the exit of the shrine is the soribashi which was designed to create difficulty for any enemies to cross and enter the shrine.

After ambling through Itsukushima jinja, Travis and I decided to head to Daishoin temple which is located on Mt. Misen. The temple was nominated as the place to pray for national peace and security by Emperor Toba and was founded in 806!! Crikey that’s old!! Along the stairs up to the temple are spinning metal wheels that contain Buddhist scriptures. Turning the inscriptions is supposed top have the same affect as reading them……gee my Japanese is getting better on this study tour!!!

One path up to the temple has a variety of different Buddha statues. They were just amazing: each having a different purpose, a different face and doing different actions. Along the way, we found the 12 Chinese zodiac Buddha and made an offering on the head of our Buddha: I’m an ox…..

Walking up the stairs to the temple was a bell that you could ring for good luck……with the force that I used; I should have good luck for a bloody long time!!!

There were many different sections that comprised the temple and it was a stunning place to visit!!!

One of the things that I have loved coming back to Japan at this time of year is the smell of kinmokusei or fragrant olive (just had to look that up…..had no idea what is was in English!!!). If I could bottle this smell and bring it home with my, I would!!!! Outside my apartment building in Tokaichiba, there used to be a kinmokusei tree growing there.

Oh! And we found a samurai and Batman at Daishoin……

And a kappa (a mythical water creature) with big norgs……

And a frog….

And Anpanman (a cartoon character)…..

After going to Daishoin, it was time for lunch. Miyajima is famous for anago meishi or conger eel food. Anago is one of my favourite foods. I remember the first time I ate it was with Akiko in a sushi restaurant in Shibuya. It looked like a black snake and looked VERY unappetising. At first I didn’t want to eat it, but when travelling you have to try new things and it became one of my favourite foods. So, I was looking forward to eating anago on Miyajima. And I wasn’t disappointed!!! For lunch I had an anago teishoku or set. It consisted of anago on rice, some small dishes of pickled veges, miso soup and oranges for dessert. All washed down with a nama biiru (fresh beer)…..

Even though we had oranges for dessert, after our trek to Daishoin, Travis and I decided that we needed to be rewarded with a more fitting dessert: kakigori (shaved ice). I had an ichigo miruku (strawberry and condensed milk) kakigori. It was fantastic!!! That is until one of the local deer decided to come in for a close encounter!! There are around 500 deer on the island and they will try and eat anything!!

Then it was a wander around again; enjoying the views that Miyajima has to offer….

And what is a walk on an island without the obligatory wade in the water (Hey Mum!!!)….

By this point in time, the tide had started to go out…..as you can see from these photos:

Ometesando dorii and Machiya streets are two famous streets on Miyajima. Ometesando Street has all of the omiyage (souvenir) shops and Machiya Street is a very quiet street, reminiscent of old Japan. On the way to  Machiya Street, I was forced to partake in kaki yaki (grilled oysters). It’s a tough life I lead!!

Gojyuunoto or the five-storied pagoda is on up on a hill across from Senjoukaku, a large temple built in 1587 for memorial services for those who died in war. The wooden building has never been completed.

Near Senjoukaku is a pine tree that has stood there for around 800 years and has branches that stretch around 30m!

Machiya Street

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One of the tours that is offered on Miyajima is a traditional boat ride up to and through the ootorii. Tanya and I unexpectedly met up and went on the boat ride. It was such a fantastic experience being so up close and personal to the ootorii!!

We even go to wear a cool hat……

We were also able to get great views from the sea of Itsukushima jinja…..

Rocks are placed on the ootorii for good luck.

After the boat ride, I headed to the local beer garden to meet Travis and to wait to hear the Grand Final scores. All day I was on the edge of my seat waiting to hear via text message the quarter, half time and three quarter time scores. I had called Mum just before the first bounce to hear the ins and outs and the conditions on the field. We had a chat during half time and she promised to call me back at three quarter time. At this point, Geelong was up by seven points. Mum’s words were “It could go either way”.

From three quarter time, Mum very kindly sent regular text updates:

Hawkins 3 big marks. One pt one post one feed to SJ. 15 up.

(Big gulp of beer and a cheer)

Varcs. Up 21

(Another big gulp of beer and a louder cheer)

Jimmy up 26

(At this point I think I had finished my beer and was unwilling to jinx things)

7 mins to go pies need 5 unanswered goals. Geelong chant has started

(Fist pumping and stamping of feet……Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees)

We have it. SJ goal up 31

(Woo hoo and fist pumping followed…..by this point the Japanese sitting near me started to move their seats away from me…..)

Now as you all OBVIOUSLY know, the Cats were triumphant and won by 38 points. When the final text message came through (not from Mum…..by this point she was sobbing in front of the TV) I screamed and jumped up and generally made a spectacle of myself. And then had my first beer as the new reigning premier of the Australian Football League:

What can I say? I played a tough game, but we made it in the end!!!

Then it was off for a celebratory shop along Ometesando dori. I managed to almost finish my omiyage shopping and buy far too many momoji mangy!!!

Next we went for a wander back to Itsukushima and the ootorii as the tide has started to go out…..

By this point, it was hard to keep the grin off my face: in such a wondrous place and Geelong had won the Granny!!!!

It was so unbelievably fantastic to walk out to the ootorii, be so close to it and touch it!

People place coins on the ootorii for good luck….

The entire group met up at an okonomiyaki restaurant for dinner. Hiroshima style okonomiyaki has the ‘pancake’ on top and yakisoba on the bottom. The perfect winner’s meal all washed down with a beer. Yes! A. Beer. One. Not lots.

Fiona, Sue, Indra and our new Japanese mascot....

Ken, Mel and Bianca....

From back L-R: Anna, Robyn
Tanya, Margaret
Diana, Danielle
Travis

After dinner, we tool the opportunity to walk back to the ootorii and see it lit up. I was soooooo incredibly happy to do this. The last time I was on Miyajima we did not have this opportunity. As we were staying on the island overnight, we were able to see the ootorii lit up. It was just magical!!!

On the way back to the pier to be picked up to get to our ryoukan (traditional Japanese style hotel, we saw a tanuki (Japanese raccoon). They are quite rare and Travis and I actually saw one earlier in the day…..we (and the Japanese walking past us) just assumed it was a ferret!!!

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It was then off to Miyajima Seaside Hotel (our ryoukan) for the night. We (Mel, Sue, Fiona, Bianca, Tanya, Indra, Ken, Travis and I) sat outside and had a few beers and some mixed nuts. Forgetting that the rustling of wrappers draws deer from miles away. We were then gang tackled (poetic license!) by some deer. Yelling rude words at them in English does not work. In fact, it aggravated one very clever deer who obviously has studied the finer points of English!!

Then it was a green tea before bed and a great night’s sleep on a futon. I went to sleep with the strains of the following song in my head:

We are Geelong, the greatest team of all

We are Geelong, we’re always on the ball

Shall I continue???

We play the game as it should be played

At home or far awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

Our banners fly high

From dawn to dark

Down at Kardinia Park

Go you Cats!!!!! 2011 AFL Premiers!!!

And then I slept soundly ……