It’s about time I offered another post with a bit of local flavor, so here it is. Located on the west side of Shimoshima, the lower island of Amakusa, lie Reihoku and Amakusa-machi. The latter, Amakusa Town, is the namesake for what has become the collective of formerly independent towns on the island; Reihoku still operates separately from Amakusa City. They are two separate areas, but they have some of the most beautiful natural scenery, not to mention a few of the more well-known sightseeing spots, on the island.
One day after school in my first year here, a couple of the 3rd year JHS teachers had decided to go on a quick whirlwind tour of western Amakusa, intent on taking photos and videos that would further inform students about the greater area in which they live. Though many students have lived here their whole lives, they’ve never been outside Hondo, the most populous/urban area! I understand though; since I’ve been here I’ve yet to make it to quite a few of the highlights on the upper and lower islands. But I think since my time here may be wrapping up, I will make more of a point to visit them in the year that follows. It would be a definite shame to not check out the beautiful natural attractions for sure, a few of which are to follow.
Reihoku is known for its beautiful seaside, pottery, castle, and sunsets. It’s a mainstay on the sunset drives that come highly recommended in the area’s tourist paraphernalia. Here’s a sample of some of the beauty you can see here.
After our stop in Reihoku, we were racing against daylight to catch the sunsets at a couple of the other viewing points, so we stopped off two more times on the way to Amakusa-machi.
After this point, there was little to no sunlight left, but through a bit of determination, we made it to Amakusa-machi to check out Oe Church and Sakitsu Church, with varying levels of lighting, as you’ll see. Amakusa-machi is similarly well-known for its pottery and sunsets, but also for it’s beaches and history with the Hidden Christians. Groups of Christians observing their religion covertly due to oppression during the Edo period were found in rare pockets of multicultural exposure, mostly ports and harbours in Japan (also see Nagasaki, Kobe, to name a couple). It wasn’t until the Meiji era that religious freedom was restored and people were allowed to observe their religions without repercussions. I’m no Christian, but isn’t freedom of choice a wonderful thing?
Anywho, that just about wraps up what was my first whirlwind tour of the western shore of the island I’ve been placed on. More to come soon!
My last day is Hiroshima on a great note. The weather was sunny, but cool, and I set out early in the morning to hit the last three sights on my to-do list. Out of all museums, I think I enjoy art museums the most, so I wanted to make time to see more diverse museums than I can usually find in Kumamoto. I had heard some rumors of some great collections that would be there during my scheduled voyage, so I decided to tackle them all before hopping on a shinkansen around noon to head back home.
The first stop was close to my hotel, opening an hour earlier than the others, so naturally I headed there first. The Hiroshima Museum of Art in name, I found beautiful gardens surrounding an architecturally interesting building, which housed an impressive collection of paintings and sketches. They have four galleries presented in a timeline fashion: 1 – From Romanticism to Impressionism, 2 – Post-Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists, 3 – Fauvism and Picasso, and 4 – École de Paris. They also have a section called “The Annex” which houses special collections and exhibitions. I was honestly quite surprised that they had so many European paintings of note! (You’ll see what I mean if you check out the website.) This was the one particular museum that I didn’t research very much before coming, so I was pleasantly surprised even thought the entry fee was a little high. The special exhibitions at the time I went featured a variety of modern Japanese works, one which really appealed to me. It was a gallery of a man’s paintings of cats (and other aspects of life)! It really impressed me, but for some reason, now I’m unable to recover his name. If I find it, I’ll update the post immediately! :) The moral is, that I wasn’t sure anything would appeal to me in the annex, but it did! So I was happy about my venture in that section. One thing that could be improved – the museum could probably improve upon their English descriptions of the Japanese works. It’s quite good for all the other sections, but there are suddenly none in the annex, which is a bit surprising.
Next on my list was the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, located right next to Shukkeien, for those who are interested. At the time I visited this museum, the main collection was one put together cooperatively by all the curators, featuring some of their favorite pieces. There was a lot of cool stuff there, but one particular piece of note – Salvador Dali’s Dream of Venus was there in large format. It was an undoubted favorite among visitors I think, and I spent a good amount of time sitting before it, pondering its depths. It was lucky that the museum wasn’t crowded on this day because the holidays had ended, giving me adequate time to move through at my own pace. The piece was fantastic, and the rest of the main exhibition didn’t let down either! As I proceeded through works by artists I didn’t know, I found myself adequately stimulated the entirety of my time there. So though I can’t speak to other exhibits presently housed there, my experience was a good one, with proper English descriptions (if I remember correctly).
It’s a lovely walk over to the Higashiyama area. :)
The last stop on my route was Hiroshima MOCA – the Museum of Contemporary Art. This museum was different in all respects from those that preceded it – focusing on interactive art exhibitions rather than the usual. As is expected of a MOCA, the outside of the museum had plentiful sculpture surrounding it. What’s more is that the museum is in the middle of Higashiyama Park, so if you were to walk a little around the area I think you would benefit! The sakura was plentiful. The only thing is that the park and museum are a little ways away from the main sights you may be visiting.
As I mentioned, the main exhibit here focused on interactions with art, and it’s practical uses in the real world. There was so much to do here! Contrary to most art exhibits, it was encouraged that you touch and use some creations, featuring a puppet theater, a carriage creation, a library, and more.
Apologies for the darkness of the shot… it seems slightly creepy in this light. Not altogether inaccurate, but more child-friendly than is visible here.
My favorite part was the handmade wooden stairwell that led down to the second half of the exhibit.
Once you reached the bottom of the stairs, there was a video project and several scale model recreations. All in all, I think I had good experiences across the board at art museums in Hiroshima. Though exhibits cycle, I think you’d be safe spending some time at any of the places I listed that appeals to you. It was a nice, laidback day that can be much-needed in your itinerary, depending on your other activities.
That’s all for Hiroshima you guys! I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I did. I think I’ll move on to local highlights next to give a bit of a break. I feel like maybe I should also offer a few more insights and information regarding the JET Program. So keep an eye out for what’s next!
As you know, I visited the well-renowned Itsukushima Shrine and other smaller sites that one can find upon their exit of the shrine complex, like Daiganji Temple and cute little deer. Afterward, I set my sights on a path that would lead me up toward the Miyajima Ropeway, bound for Mt. Misen. But along the way, I got caught up in even more sights.
The Ropeway is located a little more inland than other sightseeing points. It’s possible to hike up to the mountain but it would take a whole day, plus it was raining and drizzling so I didn’t want to go that route. So on a day when I had to wander over to the ropeway on foot, it felt natural to stop off and see what the local area has to provide. First I was drawn to the Tahoto Pagoda, a small pagoda that was located amid many sakura blossoms. Then I continued on to make another happy discovery. As I mentioned, I found my favorite piece of Miyajima here; tucked away in the mountains, it goes by the name Daisho-in (大聖院).
I find the best travel discoveries are often such as these – the moment you stumble on something fantastic, something that wasn’t on your to-do list, but something that you went out of your way to go see just because it was close-by or seemed interesting. That’s what this was for me. A short hike inland, but still clearly demarcated, I followed the signs to Daisho-In Temple. I was expecting a run-of-the-mill, average temple, but I was surprised to get quite a bit more from visiting here. Right from the moment I arrived, I saw things I hadn’t seen at any other temple. Once you’ve been in Japan for some time and seen your fair share of temples, you find that most of their contents are the same. So you can image, a place like this was a happy coincidence.
As you can tell from the pictures above, there was no shortage of matter to lay one’s eyes on. Here were a couple of what I remember as my favorites.
Randomly sexy Buddha pose.
And of course, the fantastic spinning sutras! It is said that by spinning the sutras, you receive the same effect as if you were to read them aloud. And they make a very interesting sound when spun. It makes you feel like a lot is happening, but gently. I hope I received some benefits myself!
Another aspect of the temple I was a big fan of, was the natural cave that was designed as a tribute to the Shikoku pilgrimage, but I didn’t take pictures because at the time there were people there praying to the statues around me, and I didn’t want to be disrespectful. The atmosphere as you walk in is very somber and serene at the same time. Imagine a large golden Buddha at the end of a short hall, lined on all sides by rows of foot-tall figures, each representing a pilgrim, the lights dimmed, incense lit all around. And as you walk down and complete the first U-shaped walkway, you turn the corner and do it a second time. As I’ve often thought to myself and which I’ll now share with you, I feel more spiritual energy in a Buddhist environment than I’ve ever felt in a church, so perhaps that was why this was moving to me. There was a subtle moment, when staring at the Buddha from the entrance that I felt myself and my place. It wasn’t complete understanding, but a moment of intense self-awareness. Also of satisfiedness, as though I could linger in that spot for some time and not move from it. It was very inspiring.
Upon taking snaps of the Niō – the benevolent kings that guard temple entrances – I was content to leave the premises and make my way to the final destination of my Miyajima day, Mt. Misen.
It must be interesting to live on Miyajima in the off-season, when little to no tourists are around. That’s the thought that came to mind as I walked down to lunch amid the natural scenery, suddenly moved to snap this picture.
But before that! I was incredibly hungry, and since I had to retrace my steps a bit anyway in order to get to my final destination, I decided to pop in for a bite. I was lucky to get into a well-known place called Yakigaki no Hayashi, right before the lunch crowd swelled. I chose a tasty teishoku set meal of fried oysters (カキフライ) and unagi-don (うなぎ丼). The set was a little expensive but it was DELICIOUS. I highly recommend stopping in here for some of the islands specialty oysters if you get a chance, as you can’t go wrong.
Signage in Miyajima really helps ease you into your sightseeing course. If you come with no plan you haven’t got to worry as there are guidepost signs indicating directions and distances to sights close at hand. I had planned to navigate my way through the island but found it unnecessary immediately. So I relied on signage to lead me to the ropeway. I highly recommend this, as it takes you through a lovely park on the way, called Kōyō Kōen (紅葉公園). As you can tell here, from the photos below, there are many natural sources of good photo opportunity here, with all the quaint red-orange bridges tucked in amongst all the greenery. It could really be inspiring from almost every angle…
Anyway, I eventually reached the base point of the ropeway, and I have to admit, there’s always a lump in my throat or a slight clog that occurs when it comes to the thought of ropeways for me. Hoisted in a tiny box above open mountains and jutting trees may really not be for everyone… especially upon looking up and placing all faith and hope in your possession on the manmade cable mechanism that clicks away steadily above. For this particular cable car ride, I was allotted an entire car to myself! Which was nice and also terrifying. Plus, Mt. Misen’s Ropeway system has a stop in the middle, where you transfer cars to get to the second stretch, which brings you to the top.
Once you’ve arrived at the final destination, it’s a relief, especially if you’re of the same disposition as me. If you remember properly, this particular day was a misty, cloudy, rainy one, which will become evident in these last few photographs. So upon reaching the top-most point of our venture, there was little to no visibility on all sides because of the aforementioned conditions. I took a quick break in the indoor area before heading out, and as an interesting aside I’d like to share a quick tale. I decided to have a drink from the vending machine at that time, so as usual, I placed my exact change in the machine — only to have some little kid swoop out of nowhere and push a random button on the machine before I could!! This is a basic example of parental supervision here in Japan. Luckily for me, this kid was half-Japanese, so his father realized what had happened and reimbursed me, taking the drink that he had selected for me. Which I think was the right thing to do in that situation… thanks foreigner dad!
After drinking my drink, I set out to the summit viewing point with the intention of also checking out the temple, Dainichidō, on the way.
Dainichidō became the main point of interest for me, especially because of the weather. Firstly, the fog made it impossible to see past 2 meters ahead of you (complicating an already slippery hike), and besides that, the fog completely changed the atmosphere of the place. The fog leant such a surreal, mystical air to the temple, as though some dramatic scene drawn from the depths of Asian cinema would soon occur in real life. Aside from the number of tourists, I felt like I was in a completely different, fantastical world. I like rainy weather, so I think this was a fortuitous occurrence! The creepiness of the scene increased my affinity for the temple without a doubt.
As you can gather from the pictures, I lit a candle for my family and host family (names written on back) for the safety/security of one’s family, kanai anzen (家内安全). The picture of the steaming, smoking pot is a typical, though not necessarily common, Japanese temple scene; the pot requires diligent observation of those who work there to keep it continually burning, a part of its Buddhist heritage.
Eventually, I ended up at the viewing point at the top of the mountain, which for the reasons I stated earlier, was a tad bit disappointing. But I saw an incredible amount of rocks! Not to mention mud. And trees!
I closed my circuit of the mountain at about 4 to make sure I could catch one of the last few ropeway rides. I would have really disliked getting stuck at the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere, in the rain, which would require a hike back down. I arrived back to the ferry at around 5, and caught the train back in to Hiroshima proper. I forgot to mention that on Day 1, I had okonomiyaki twice in one day, and the second store I went to was occupied by one customer and two attendants. They gestured me over, so I dropped in, only to find out the current customer was also an okonomiyaki restaurant owner, who had worked for the elder attendant previously! So he had dropped in as kind of an indebted gratitude visit. So whilst we were all talking, he introduced his own restaurant to me via card and invited me down to it if I had time. So I went once I got back from Miyajima! It’s a really nice place, and I think he mentioned to me that he was opening another branch elsewhere in the city. So if you can, I highly recommend stopping by Kawasou (川創). The site is mostly Japanese, and you might need some of it to interact with people, but I like the restaurant for its authentic Japanese feel. The owner and attendants are very friendly and the vibe is very trendy and current. I mean, just look at the delicious picture! That’s all you need, really. As you can tell, I finally went for Hiroshima style, and it’s delicious!
One more little half-day post for Hiroshima, mainly of interest to those who like art! Stay tuned. :)
One day after school in my first year here, a couple of the 3rd year JHS teachers had decided to go on a quick whirlwind tour of western Amakusa, intent on taking photos and videos that would further inform students about the greater area in which they live. Though many students have lived here their whole lives, they’ve never been outside Hondo, the most populous/urban area! I understand though; since I’ve been here I’ve yet to make it to quite a few of the highlights on the upper and lower islands. But I think since my time here may be wrapping up, I will make more of a point to visit them in the year that follows. It would be a definite shame to not check out the beautiful natural attractions for sure, a few of which are to follow.
It’s a really nice place, and I think he mentioned to me that he was opening another branch elsewhere in the city. So if you can, I highly recommend stopping by 
laceywrites 