The next morning, I woke up early and caught a train to Arashiyama. I wanted to visit some of the temples, but rain started to pour, so I returned to the station and caught the next bullet train to Hiroshima.

Selfie

Just outside of Hiroshima is island of Itsukushima, most commonly known as Miyajima, or “Shrine Island.” To get there, you must take a ferry. Lukily, the JR Pass covers the fare.

^that Doraemon shirt is DARK…

The weather had changed from stormy to lovely.

Unemployed samurai who have found new beginnings.

And like the rest of Japan, has tiny little fire trucks.

A short walk later, one arrives at the Itsukushima-jinja.

Some interesting background from the shrine’s wiki:
Itsukushima-jinjais is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, the Shinto God of Seas and Storms. The shrine is also dedicated to the brother of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess.

Commoners were not allowed to set foot on it throughout much of its history to maintain its purity; as the island of Itsukushima was considered to be sacred. In order to allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built over the water, to create the illusion that it was floating during high tide (thus, separated from the island). The torii was built over the water for the same reason. People making the journey had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine.

Maintaining the purity of the shrine is so important that no births or deaths have been permitted near it. Even today, pregnant women, the terminally ill, or the very elderly are supposed to retreat to the mainland.