Japan: Miyajima, Hiroshima and Kyoto
This is my second journal from my 2-week visit to Japan. For a full breakdown of our itinerary and budget, check out Japan itinerary 2 weeks. We had a busy few days visiting Miyajima, Hiroshima and Kyoto.
You can read the other two parts of my Japan diaries here:
- Part 1: Japan: Tokyo, Osaka and Koya San
- Part 3 Japan: Hakuba, Snow Monkeys and Tokyo
A long travel from Koya San to Miyajima
Our longest travel day was going from Koya San to the island of Miyajima. With a total of 7 legs we thought it would take us most of the day. Still…. we were stepping off the ferry onto the island before 2pm – Japan’s public transport is amazing!
I already knew about Miyajima’s tame dear, who spend their days sticking their noses in tourists’ pockets looking for food, and the red Torri Gate so we spent some time checking these out first.
The real surprise of the day though was the incredible views from the peak of Mt Misen. If we had had more time we would have trekked the full 3 hours to the top, but instead, we made the most of the cable car, which dropped us off near the top and left us with just a short 30min hike to the peak.
We stayed in Coral Hotel, which is on the mainland with easy access to Miyajima Island ferries.
Hiroshima and Hemeji Castle in a day
The next day, we had an early start as we were heading to Kyoto and wanted to make the most of a couple of stopovers en route.
The first was Hiroshima.
We saw the A-Bomb memorial coincidently at 8.15 am, the exact time the bomb struck in August 1945, and then visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It was sobering and sad. An entire city and over 140,000 lives lost in a second…it’s impossible to take it in.
Our second stopover was to see Himeji Castle. As with Hiroshima, we left our bag in a locker, which you find at all the train stations, and walked the short 20 minutes to the site.
The castle was nice to see and very impressive once up close. We were also lucky to catch a few cherry blossoms in mid-bloom.
Reaching Kyoto
To make the most of the last couple of sunlight hours, once we had arrived in Kyoto, we headed to see the Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Afterward, while wandering around the Gion district, we accidentally stumbled across Nanzen-ji temple as they were reopening for nighttime entry. It was completely empty which gave us a peaceful and mystical walk around the grounds and bamboo forest.
Kyoto has some great Vrbo or Airbnb options for accommodation. Check out this house in central Kyoto:
Exploring more than just temples in Kyoto
Kyoto is a busy city with an impossible amount of attractions to keep you busy.
Cyclists are allowed to go on the paths so the best way by far to travel around is by bike…electric of course. At just $15 for a day of hire, the bikes were a bargain.
We saw so much and with a grid system similar to America, the navigation was easy. My favourite moments included cycling the Path of Philosophy, Nishiki market and Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Temple.
The absolute highlight, not just of the day, but of the whole trip, has to be seeing a spring geisha dance in Kyoto though.
It’s one of the few times in the year when the Geisha perform to the public.
Fascinating, elegant and beautiful, it is something that I will remember forever.
Visiting Nara from Kyoto
Before setting off from Kyoto there was one final place we wanted to see – Nara. Easy to get to from Kyoto (or Osaka), we visited comfortably in half a day.
There were 2 things that we were hoping to see. The first is the bowing dear. You bow at them, they bow back. It’s so funny and they are so sweet that I spent at least an hour scratching their ears and feeding them crackers.
The second sight is in the Todai-ji Temple which holds the largest bronze statue of the Buddha.
Walking past the waft of thick incense that greets you at the entrance and through the doors of the huge wooden temple, I looked up and got goosebumps.
The statue is simply huge. It is impossible not to feel in awe of its gigantic presence.
Sorted your travel insurance yet?
For insurance, we used World Nomads. They covered us for the full trip including adventurous activities (hiking and skiing).
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