We woke up in Hiroshima and headed to a darling coffee shop called Coffee Room that did a Japanese take on British tea service. Caitlin’s toasted egg sandwich with tea was spot on and Michael couldn’t refuse his ubiquitous iced morning coffee.
After breakfast and a short trip to exchange money we were off to Miyajima! The island has a mountain range in the shape of a woman’s face and has long been revered as a deity. On the way we stopped for Donburi and the rice bowls with fried oysters and pork cutlets were delicious!
Upon taking our ferry from Miyajima we were immediately picked up by our Ryokan, Iwaso Inn. Iwaso is over 160 years old and was built in the Edo Period. We stayed in a building built in the early 1900s with an open air onsen.
Check-in wasn’t until 3:00pm, so the front desk gave us a map with some tips on what to do next. Our first stop was Itsukushima Shrine. This Shinto Shrine is famous for it’s “floating” Tori gate. Even though it was crawling with tourists, it was so peaceful and relaxing being in the shrine. We could tell why it was considered such a holy place.
After we “got our shrine on” it was time to stop for a drink. Miyajima Itsuki Coffee had a mile long line outside with people waiting to get soft serve, but was rather empty inside so we went inside for drinks. Caitlin tried a hot Hiroshima Lemonade, which she thought might be disgustingly sweet (for her) but was actually really delicious. Michael had his usual (iced coffee). The thing we were really excited to try was Momiji Manju, a maple cake stuffed with red bean made especially in Miyajima.
After rehydrating ourselves we were on to our next recommendation: Daisho-in Temple. This Shingon temple, a sect of Buddhism, was founded by emperor Toba in the 12th century. There were so many things to see. We happened to be in Miyajima at the same time as their Hima-matsuri doll festival and the place was decorated in dolls. This “peach blossom” doll festival is a special time of the year dedicated to prayer for the happiness and growth of Japanese girls. Each building was more impressive than the last and the trail of hundreds of bodhisattvas wearing handmade, colorful crocheted hats was incredible!
After all of our adventuring it was time to go back for our main event, the Ryokan! We were met upon check in with a guided tour of our traditional tatami mat room and served a complimentary tea service. The tea service also came with more Momiji Manju! Tea service was followed by a visit to the onsen, a traditional Japanese bath. Michael said it was good for his sore muscles and Caitlin was so relaxed she almost fell asleep in the bath! We dressed in traditional Yukata for dinner and headed down to the dining area for our Kaiskei meal. This was a showstopper!
Kaiseki would best be described as the Japanese version of French fine dining with small plates. There’s an amouse bouche followed by multiple courses, each being a different type of dish (i.e. sushi, soup, rice dish, meat, etc). They heard it was our honeymoon and so they prepared an extra special dessert with a red bean confection and decoration we were told you ate to symbolize a long and prosperous marriage. Top that off with some cold sake, and you have got yourself a heavenly meal.
After breakfast we had one last stop! A night cruise of the Torii gate at Itsukushima shrine helped us to see the place in a whole new light. All in all, it was such a memorable and wonderful day.
We were sad to leave Iwaso In the next day, but Japan was calling us. Iwaso Inn was a paradise we will not soon forget!
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