Three Views of Japan

In the mid-17th century, Japanese philosopher and scholar Hayashi Gaho compiled what he thought were the country’s most celebrated sights, also known as the ‘Three Views of Japan’ – namely the islands of Matsushima, the sandbar of Amanohashidate, and the torii gate at Itsukushima Shrine.

The gate dates back to the 6th century, though the current torii was erected in 1875, while the establishment of the shrine complex has been attributed to the 12th century noble Taira no Kiyomori. As a testament to the sanctity of the shrine and the island, commoners were forbidden from entering, with pilgrims being required to take a boat through the floating torii gate in order to approach the sacred space.

Fast forward a few hundred years and the shrine has become one of Japan’s most popular tourist spots. Our little party set out from Hiroshima Station, taking the roughly 30-minute train ride to Miyajimaguchi Station and the Miyajima Ferry Terminal. From there it was another 15 minute ferry ride to the island, surrounded by calm blue waters and the lush green hills of the Hiroshima countryside.

Miyajima Town

It’s easy to over-romanticise small, picturesque towns in Japan. Everything seems just-so, and the town nestled into the northern shore of the island was very much that kind of place. After disembarking from the ferry, we made our way over to the main commercial thoroughfare, the Omotesando Arcade. This covered street is chock full of okonomiyaki restaurants, dessert shops, cute cafes, snack kiosks, and souvenir stalls, and our journey took at least ten times as long as we stopped multiple times for ice cream, coffees, pastries, and the juiciest oysters along the way. I don’t know when high season is but it definitely was not as crowded as I had anticipated either (or maybe I still had Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto levels of tourism on my mind).

The Seto Inland Sea

The one spot where there was a bit of a crowd was in the lineup for the Miyajima Ropeway, which goes up the slopes of Mt. Misen. Once at the top, there are spectacular views of the surrounding landscape, including the numerous islands that dot the Seto Inland Sea. This body of water is bounded by three of Japan’s main islands, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, and it served as a key transportation link between the different regions of the country, as well as with rival kingdoms in Korea and China. Leading Japanese cities on the coast of the sea such as Osaka and Kobe benefited greatly from their proximity, though the development of modern land transport routes and a series of modern bridges linking the main islands has lessened the sea’s prominence as a key travel node somewhat. Looking back north, there’s a great view of the cityscape of Hiroshima and the green hills beyond.

Itsukushima Shrine

Despite being the marquee attraction on the island, the Itsukushima Shrine ended being our last stop of the day. I won’t lie, we didn’t feel like paying to go into the shrine itself when there’s a perfectly good view of the torii gate from the outside. There’s probably a really good angle of the gate from one of the piers in the complex, but I’m far from a perfectionist when it comes to photos. The area around the shrine has quite a nice, chill vibe, too, with benches and shade-providing trees along the shoreline for people to just sit and gaze at the scene at leisure. That’s what you get at one of the Three Views of Japan, I suppose.

Back to Hiroshima

In the late afternoon, we headed back to the ferry to start our return journey to Hiroshima. The sacred island seems a world away from the city, despite being in easy view of one another. There is one further link between the two places – on Mt. Misen there is something called the Kiezu-no-hi, or the eternal flame, one of the so-called Seven Wonders of Misen. The 9th-century monk Kobo Daishi, founder of the island’s Daisho-in Temple, had started the holy fire and it has burned ever since. After World War 2, this same flame was used to light the Flame of Peace in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. May it burn eternally.