Horn OK Please

Japan 11 - Miyajima (Itsukushima)

Thursday, 21 May 2026

The island of Miyajima (Island of Shrines) was our favorite place we visited while in Japan. More formally known as Itsukushima (Strict Island - no births or deaths allowed!), this island in the Inland Sea near Hiroshima is an UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Japan's holiest places.

We had to drop anchor offshore and take Zodiacs to the small pier at Miyajima.

As we walked to the Itsukushima Shrine, it was impossible to avoid interacting with the deer - they were everywhere. The deer are sacred, will eat anything that looks like it might be food, and take it directly from your hands or bag. Paper items (tickets, brochures) are particularly vulnerable.

An interesting sculpture along the road to the shrine.

The torii that marks the entrance to the shrine, flanked by the traditional guardian dogs.

The path is lined with stone lanterns.

The "floating" red torii is one of the most recognizable "icons" of Japan.

The tide was out when we visited the Itsukushima Shrine - imagine this with a foot or two of water in this courtyard - the shrine would appear to float on the sea.

A view into the inner-most sanctum.

An enormous drum and oil lamps.

Looking out towards the torii.

Again, imagine this with even an inch or two of water over the ground.

After visiting the shrine, we walked through the town behind the shrine. A deer walks through the creek with water coming down from the mountain.

A moss-covered stone lantern along the road.

Momijidani Park.

As we returned from our walk in Momijidani Park, the tide had come in sufficiently to give us an glimpse of how different the shrine would have looked at this time.

Now the crimson torii really does seem to be floating on the sea.

More oyster farms as we cruise towards tomorrow's stop at Kurashiki.

Many bridges connect Japans main islands. Mostly we passed underneath bridges during the night, but not today. Between the many islands and bridges, the crew needs to be on their top game to navigate the Inland Sea.

Japan 10 - Hiroshima

Wednesday, 20 May 2026

It was long cruise from Ulsan to Hiroshima around the western end of Honshu and into the Inland Sea. We finally arrived in the early afternoon. Since we're officially arriving from South Korea, we had to go through immigration and customs as we disembarked.

Typical Inland Sea seascape with many small uninhabited islands.

There were many quarries on the larger islands.

The remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall is now more commonly known as the Atomic Bomb Dome - one of the few structures to remain standing after the bomb.

Cascades of origami cranes can be found in several places in the Peace Memorial Park.

The Memorial Mound in the Peace Memorial Park.

Cenotaph and eternal flame in the Peace Memorial Park.

The Cenotaph, Eternal Flame, and Atomic Bomb Dome line up as viewed from the Peace Memorial Museum. The dreary weather added to the atmosphere.

Japan - 9 - Gyeongju, South Korea

Tuesday, 19 May 2026

Gyeongju has several UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is close enough to Japan to include on a cruise in the Sea of Japan.

We docked in Ulsan, the closest port capable of hosting cruise ship. It was still a 2-hour drive to Gyeongju. We had to go through the whole immigration and customs process of crossing a national border - and this port is nor really used to dealing with cruise ships. I'm glad we were on a small ship (160 passengers).

The bus was clearly set up as a party bus, with a ceiling that changed colors as we drove.

The window shades were more elegant.

Burial Mounds and the Flying Horse Tomb

There are many burial mounds scattered throughout the area, ranging in size from small to huge.

Lotus flower in pond.

One of the large mounds has been turned into a museum for the Flying Horse Tomb. This is the reconstructed burial site that was covered to make the mound.