TANKS Travel Tales - a travelogue.......

Japan, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hatsukaichi, Itsukushima - UNESCO World Heritage Site Considered one of the 3 best views of Japan, the Floating Torii Gate is part of the Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Itsukushima. The island is also popularly known as Miyajima. As shown in the photograph below, the so-called Floating Torii Gate don't actually float. It is just that when the tide comes in, the partially submerged structure appears to float on the sea because its base is no longer visible to the eye. The Floating Torii Gate at low tide,  Itsukushima,  Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan (2019) Itsukushima Shrine,  Itsukushima,  Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan (2019) The Torii Gate as seen from the  Itsukushima Shrine,  Itsukushima,  Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan (2019) Besides the world famous and tourist-favourite Itsukushima Shrine and its Torii Gate, the island has lots of other renown attractions including magical Mount Mise

When the name Miyajima is mentioned, more often than not, images of the Great Floating Torii Gate  (a.k.a. Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate) and the associated Itsukushima Shrine comes to mind. While the purpose of my first ever trip to Miyajima in July 2019 was to visit the Itsukushima Shrine and the Great Floating Torii Gate, with both being items on my personal travel bucket list, I also took time to explore the island. For that reason, I chose not to be a day tripper to Miyajima but stayed over on the island for 2 nights at the Hotel Miyajima Villa. My stay on the island allowed me to hike around on personal exploration trips. While trying to escape the summer heat and the crowd in the areas around the Itsukushima Shrine, I chanced upon the Imaise Shrine. Nestled at the top of a small hill, Imaise Shrine is accessible after climbing a relatively steep staircase. Here, there were no crowds. I had the whole area to myself, except for the company of a young fawn. For those who