Saturday at Miyajima

Miyajima island

This island was on the top of the list of the must see around the Hiroshima area.  We left the hotel early to catch a train out to the island.  We had to ride a ferry boat to get there and it was included in the train fare.  

This is the O-torii gate.

We heard that it is magnificent to behold during the high tide so we checked the tide schedule before we left the hotel and knew we had until 5 pm to explore the island before the tide came in.

This Daishoin temple.

You have to walk past the guards and climb the stairs to get to the main temple grounds. 

But first we enjoyed the outer part of the temple where statues of Buddha and other figures were displayed.

  

I absolutely love water features like these in the temples.  We lived in a mountain under a small temple when I was little and I remember drinking water from something very much like this.

There were thousands of these figures all over the temple

  

And some of them are more humorous than others

Some pictures from the main grounds of the temple

Our original plan was to ride the cable car from one end to other side of Mt Misen, but it was closed for maintenance so we decided to hike up Mt Misen from Daishoin temple.  For some reason instead of switch backs they have stair steps most of the way to the top.  Those stairs nearly killed me, but we made it to the top.

 The O-Torii gate during the high tide

Itsukushima shrine
This is a very popular place among tourists and the only place we had to pay an entrance fee, but it turned out to be a total disappointment.  There was nothing there; you just walk around the deck of the shrine.  I heard that it used to be a sacred place, but I just thought it was another tourist trap.  There was a long line of people to take a perfect picture with the O-torii gate as the background.

Five story pagoda

We didn't wait in line to take a perfect picture with the O-torii gate, but I thought this turned out just fine.

There were many deer all over the island.  They were harassed by the tourists, but they equally harassed the tourists for food.

There were many small shrines like this all over the island which I felt were more sacred than the famous Itsukushima shrine.

Hiroshima castle

 Hiroshima Castle.
The castle was constructed in the 1590s, but was destroyed by the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. It was rebuilt in 1958, a replica of the original that now serves as a museum of Hiroshima's history 

The main gate

The wall of second compound with holes which archers can shoot arrows through.  I assume this is the first line of defense.

Looking toward to second compound across the moat from the lower part of the main compound.

A willow tree that survived the Atomic bomb

The wall of the main compound

 Gokoku shrine in the lower part of the main compound

Holy water station where visitors can wash their hands in preparation for worship 

People write down their hopes and desires on white paper and tie them here.  I remember seeing similar things in Buddhist temples in Korea.  It also reminds me of the wailing wall in the old city of Jerusalem. It always amazes me to notice things like this.  Deep down people are not that much different from each other.  Whatever the different titles we give to our own god we all believe in a god who listens to our prayers and looks after us.  Some of us call him Father in Heaven, Shiva, or Allah. 

A small shrine set up in memory of the school girls who first sent out the message from the underground compound to alert others that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima

The wall of upper part of the main compound

There were a few foundation stones of the old buildings in the upper part of the main compound.

The castle tower.

It is used as a Hiroshima history museum.  You can climb to the fifth floor deck and from there you have a great view of the entire castle ground.

The map of the castle.

There is a small entrance fee to enter the castle tower, but all the rest of the castle grounds were free.  My favorite part was sitting on the bench at the top of the main compound.  It was a nice place to sit looking down at the water and contemplating life, the universe, and everything.

My trip to Korea, visiting Changdeok Palace

Changdeok Palace

Changdeok Palace was constructed in 1405 as a secondary palace of the Joseon Dynasty.  After its destruction during the Japanese invasion (1592-1598), it was rebuilt in 1610 and served as the main palace for about 270 years.

Injeongjeon Hall is the throne hall which was used for holding the most formal of state events such as audiences with ministers, coronation ceremonies, and the reception of foreign envoys.

 Other than the throne hall the palace has the King's residence, the Queen's residence, government offices, the Crown prince's study, and the Royal shrine.

 There is the secret garden in the back of the palace that we had to go as a group with the guide.  According to our guide the Changdeok Palace was loved more than any other place by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) because of the spacious and beautiful garden in the back.
This is the palace where the royal family can relax, but also a place for the king and queen to entertain their guests.  Sometimes military exercises such as archery contests were held here. 
Our guide also said that there is a plot of land where the king sometimes tried his own hand at planting and raising grains.

  

 In the garden there was a house somewhat out of place because it did not have the same glamour as the palace.  
This house was like any other traditional Korean house.  It is divided into three sections.  The outer hall for the men of the house, the inner court for the women of the house, and the servants area also serves as the wall of the house.

It was the day after Chinese new year so all of my siblings were there to celebrate with our mother.  It was great fun to hang out with all of them except my brother because he was visiting his wife's family.