Marine Day holiday

Monday, July 19, 2010 was Marine Day (observed), so Tarynn and I thought it deserved a trip to an island.  Marine Day is the newest public holiday, first celebrated with a day off work on 1996.  The purpose of Marine Day is to show gratitude for the blessings from the oceans and the hope for economic prosperity of maritime Japan since the entire country is made up of 6,852 islands!  Marine activities are vitally important to Japan but critics of this holiday claim it was instituted only because there were no other holidays in June, July, or August for hard working businessmen. 

Either way, I made sure to appreciate the beautiful sea on the 20-minute ferry ride to the sacred island of Miyajima.  Known as "Shrine Island", Miyajima is one of the 3 most scenic places in Japan.  (The Nihon Sankei were selected over 4 centuries ago.)

Miyajima Island is thought to be one of the most enchanting places on earth.  It's 12 square miles, has a sense of serenity & magic, and is known as a diamond in the Sea of Japan.  Because the island is thought to be sacred like a god, it was not inhabited (only worshipped) for many centuries.  People do live on the island now, but no one is allowed to give birth, die, or be buried there.  In fact, there is no hospital or cemetery.

Here is the ferry boat we rode over to the island.  I was surprised to see it also carries automobiles.  I guess I was thinking it would be like Mackinac Island and free from cars.  Also, people walk every in Japan, so why not walk around this island?!

Kerri appreciating the sea!

Getting closer to Miyajima.  You can see Mt. Misen above and the famous vermilion torii gate floating in the water.

The entire ride to the island we passed these floating docks, and I never did figure out what they were for.  I am totally puzzled by their purpose!

The entire island is a National Treasure and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The first thing you see when you get off the boat at Miyajima Island is... DEER!  Wild deer roam around the island and love the tourists.  They let you get right next to them, and you can even pet them.

The deer are thought to be "messengers of god" and have lived on the island for over 6,000 years.  Some deer were eaten during the tough days of WWII, but they are back to being worshipped again. 

Here's a quick up close and personal video of one deer.  (You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

When we first arrived, I was amazed at how tame these deer were!

Here's one with a big rack, and I took this picture especially for my dad!

I wasn't paying close enough attention, and one deer came over and took a bite out of my map of the island.  I literally had to rip it from her mouth.  Here's the irony... check out what she took a bite out of... a warning that deer like to eat paper and cloth!  LOL.  Oops!  Reading is fundamental!

This deer found a pamphlet and was tearing it to shreds and eating it as a snack.  Maybe if Japan had rubbish bins this wouldn't be such as issue!  Also, I read on the internet that in 2007 there was a ban on feeding the deer, and they became completely malnourished and bothersome.  I didn't see any signs (even in Japanese) about not feeding the deer on my visit, but they still liked to beg for food.

Famous torii gate and view of the Sea of Japan.

Otorii, one of Japan's largest torii gates.  This gate was originally erected around 900 A.D., but it has been replaced 8 times.  This latest version is from 1875.  It is over 50 ft tall and the two largest pillars are each 32 feet in circumference!  The coolest thing about the Otorii is that it is free-standing.  No part of it is in the ground!  There are rocks in the roof which weigh it down and keeps it standing upright!

This is one of the most recognizable icons of Japan, and we were very fortunate that it was under water.  I hear it's not quite as magnificent when it's sitting in a mud pit.

Itsukushima Shrine which is built on tidal land and appears to be floating during high tide.  (See what I mean about the mud pit?!  It's not quite as beautiful...)  This shrine was built in 593 A.D. and has a walkway of over 900 feet long.  There are no metal nails in this structure, instead it was built with precise inter-locking crevices in the wood to alleviate the pressure during high tide.  In addition, some planks are 5 ft wide and 33 ft long.  Imagine transporting those huge pieces of wood to the island over 1,000 years ago!!

This shrine sits directly behind the Otorii and is dedicated to the 3 goddesses of the sea.

As with all shrines, a fierce looking animal guards it from evil!

From the walkways of the shrine, you can see the 5-story pagoda built in 1407.

A group of boaters go out for a closer look at the Otorii.  Some people even walk out there to get a better idea of it's magnitude.  But those people were just trying to ruin my pictures!!

There's more of the beautiful island to come tomorrow :)