A 10 minute ferry ride from Hiroshima, in Hiroshima Bay is the special island of Itsukushima. It is seen as a scared island. Itsukushima means island of worship and from ancient times the whole island was worshiped as a god. For this reason we were told no-one is allowed to give birth or die on the island.
Visitors are welcomed to the island by the Floating Torii Gate. An ancient Shinto shrine that marks the entrance to Itsukushima Shrine. Both were deliberately built on piers to give the appearance and feel of walking on water. The true success of this look is because the Itsukushimi Shrine and Floating Torii Gate were built where the tides rise and fall. This is said to have been done to make it easier for the god. In 1996 this area was also added as a World Heritige Site. It is also listed as a Japanese National Treasure.
When we visited The Floating Torii Gate it was very low tide which meant that we could walk all the way out and fully investigate the Torii Gate. As I had never seen a Torii Gate before I found this fascinating. It was truly sensational standing beneath it and looking up at this enormous ancient structure. I noticed thousands of coins that had been in cracks in the pier for good luck over the years.
Unfortunately, our visit to Itsukushima was time limited so we were not able to explore inside the Itsukushima Shrine or climb the beautiful Mt Misen.
For me another fun thing about the island was the deer roaming freely about because they are deemed sacred. I had never seen so many deer up close in their natural surroundings. They were very curious and calming.
