We arrived into Hiroshima, Japan on Friday morning. It was a beautiful, clear day. That morning, Rook, John, and I went on an excursion to Miyajima, a small, forested island known for its stunning natural beauty and ancient shrines. To get there, we took a short 10-minute ferry ride. While on the ferry, we could see the giant red torii gate that rises up out of the ocean as if it is floating. It’s a famous sight and instantly recognizable.

The island itself was cute. There were these tiny deer everywhere, and as docile as dogs. They would follow people around and little kids were petting them. Rook kept reminding us that we’re not supposed to pet them and that they’re wild animals, so we obeyed and didn’t pet them ourselves. 😊

At one point, we saw two deer begging for food at a food stall as if they were patrons. Another time, we saw a deer nonchalantly grab a ticket/flyer from a woman’s hand. She started tugging on it, trying to get the deer to give it back. The deer just keep eating the paper, not letting go. It had this look of bored determination as it ate the entire ticket and left the woman bewildered. People all around were snapping photos and laughing.

We walked to the shrine and captured amazing views along the way of the torii gate in the water.

The revered primary shrine that we walked through is also built over the water and together these iconic attractions have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, as they illustrate the Japanese concept of scenic beauty, in which nature and human creativity harmoniously combine.

At high tide, the gate and the 12th-century shrine seem to be floating on the water. To alleviate friction from the rising tides and more severe water conditions, the shrine’s wooden floors have spaces between the planks and were constructed without metal nails that would restrict the planks from moving with the tides.

After we visited the shrine, we walked down a quaint street with a lot of shops and food stalls. We sampled some delicious maple cookies that the area is famous for – not because they taste like maple but rather because they are shaped like maple leaves, a common sight on the island. They were great and we wound up buying some to share with the others on the ship.

We also tried some unique fried fish cakes. They looked interesting so we were only going to get one and share but it was so tasty that we wound up going immediately back and ordering one for each of us. Rook and I got an octopus and spring onion one and John got a shrimp one. Other flavors included ginger and spring onion, chicken cartilage, and asparagus and bacon.

Rook and I also tried some grilled oysters, another treat the island is well known for. They were absolutely delicious! John isn’t the biggest fan of oysters so he passed on these.

We did a little souvenir shopping along the street, browsing some stalls, considering some shirts and hats, and getting a few trinkets for the kids. At that point, it was time to head back for the ferry and back to the ship. Overall, Miyajima was a great place to visit. The deer were welcoming hosts and the tasty treats along the streets gave us delicious memories of a successful excursion.