Hiking in Japan is a very civilized affair. You can expect stone stairs, some pavement and easy transportation to and from the trail. Itsukushima (also known as Miyajima) is no exception to this rule.
Our day started with breakfast at Ippudo, the ramen chain we discovered in Tokyo, known for its spicy ramen. It’s not the Michelin Star ramen by any stretch, but it’s good and reliable. We opt for the “normal” spicy level, the lowest on the scale, and we get to keep our taste buds intact for the rest of the trip.
It takes about an hour to reach Itsukushima from Hiroshima Station. First, you take a train from Hiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi Station, cross the road, made easy by a convenient underground walkway, and you’re at the JR ferry terminal. The ferry runs every 10 minutes, so hop on the first one you get, and you’re in Itsukushima.
You go to Itsukushima for three reasons:
- It’s a “deer island”. By this I mean you’ll see deers everywhere, mostly looking for humans hoping they’ll give it food.
- It’s the home of the maple cookie. Now, you might be imagining those small sandwiches of buttery cookies on the outside with a maple flavour cream in the middle like we get at the grocery in Canada. You would be wrong. The only thing maple about those is the shape they come in. They are sponge cake cookies with different, mostly delicious fillings like custard, lemon, matcha, chocolate and cheese. They are delicious and worth the trip.
- There’s the beautiful Miyajima park built in the mountains on the island. There’s a set of trails that allow you to hike up and down the mountain or, if like us you’re limited in time because you got on your way only after lunch, you can grab a cable car to about 90% of the way up and walk the rest to the summit then back down to the ferry. It’s about a 4km ride in beautiful nature and well maintained trails.
You’ll never go thirsty in Japan, as you can find vending machines everywhere. Itsukushima Island and Miyajima Park are no exception. We found vending machines all the way to the summit. While hiking, it’s still a good idea to have a reserve water bottle with about 500ml. The heat can get to you quickly around here. But other than that, we’ve yet to find a usage for our water bladders. Maybe if we had hiked around Mount Fuji, or the Japanese Alps?
Before leaving Itsukushima, we stocked up on cookies at the different stores. Some of them are clearly there to take your money, but interspersed among the stores, ready to sell you any gizmo, you’ll find some truly dedicated to their craft, with a limited offering and on-site production. They offer the best product, and our shopping was well worth it.
With our cookies in our backpack and our plan to eat them tomorrow on our 4-hour train ride to Tokyo, we left the island behind and began the slow trek back home.