5 November 2023
Double loop pollution view
Miyajima Omoto course and Tsusumigaura nature walk
It was supposed to be raining when I woke up. It was clear blue sky. Still is.
I spent the day on Miyajima and took a lot of photos. Unfortunately the farmers have decided to burn their crops, so the view of the islands around the island was crap, but the hike is still really nice with lots of scenery.
My course was a bit complex, I walked past the floating gate and went up via the Omoto course, which brings you up to a ridge somewhat west of Mount Misen. After a brief up and back to gawk at the view from Komagabayashi Peak, I briefly joined the main route to Mount Misen, then the main route down. It is here that a huge 6 foot long snake darted right across the path in front of me, at great speed making a hell of a noise. A post heart attack google revealed it to be a non poisonous rat snake. It was way too fast for me to take a photo of.
After going most of the way down the main route, I then headed back uphill again, following another loop with signs saying Tsusumigaura nature walk, which ends at a beach 2.5km east of the ferry terminal.
It was then time to fight a few horned deer and after 15km and about 5 hours, my hike was over. Too many pics so lets get into it.
There is my ferry. It is Sunday on a long weekend, I expected more people even though I was early.
The ride over is about 10 minutes, with a lot of smoke to look at. Also you do now have to pay the 100 yen ($1) tourist tax to go here. This adds a lot of confusion for everyone, locals included, as you have to get that ticket from a different machine, and present it to the person at the entrance to the ferry. This fee is part of the governments half arsed program to limit tourism, seriously, that is what it is called. Miyajima exists only as a tourist place, so limiting tourists from going there via a $1 fee seems well thought through.
The ferry sailed directly through the oyster farms.
There is the gate in the water. Well, it is sitting above the water at low tide. Most people at this early hour were not too interested.
Sadly, I was too early and Starbucks was not open yet.
I got a better pic of this last time I was here, with deer in front of it.
This is the best I could do for the pagoda thing. Most of the temples and shrines here are pay to enter.
Nice early morning light street view.
That guys yellow puffer jacket is excessive. It was 26c again today. Unseasonal!
I walked along a street full of closed ice cream shops.
Tide definitely out.
Here is where I started my hike up the Omoto course. I saw no other people for 2 hours, all the way to where the path rejoins onto the main path up to Mount Misen. I was amazed by this.
The path was concrete steps most of the way, no cobwebs today!
Plenty of mini shrines along the way.
Lots of dark areas with huge moss covered rocks. Why is there no one around? This should be one of the busiest days of the year.
Once up on the ridge line there were a lot of view spots.
Bright sun and green ferns make for good photos.
I sat here taking photos and having a drink and some calorie mate block for at least 20 minutes, still no other people.
Not too sweaty today.
Nice small tree on the right.
Nice enough to warrant, THE STANCE.
I think this is on Komagabayashi peak. A shame about the pollution.
Smog layer looking back to the mainland.
Here is where I rejoined the main path, there were a few other people but not nearly as many as I expected.
The summit. A lot of sick people choking on mucus! I could not wait to get away from them.
View from summit.
Inland sea, it is there if you squint. I have been fighting with lightroom to try and mask out some of the pollution. My laptop is getting angry with me about it. Very frustrating. This photo seems to have no colour in it for some reason.
View from the actual lookout seen a few photos earlier. There was a girl going up the stairs that seemed so sick I thought she would need a helicopter rescue. No mask, just projectile sneezing and full on phlegm firing coughing. I put my mask on in the summit area.
This is the main shrine near the summit I guess. A lot of smoke! Enough with the smoke already.
Vertical view.
I went about 3/4 of the way down the main path. Still not that many people, everyone must be taking the cable car. It was near here that the rat snake slithered across my path at great speed.
This is near the bottom, where I was looking for my next path back up a different peak. Colour at last.
These were really the only coloured trees around.
Time to head back up again. This path was fern encrusted for much of the 1 hour or so journey.
Some more fern view. Parts were quite overgrown with ferns. The ground was very sandy, so a thin canyon had formed, one foot in front of the other required.
That is the main part of Miyajima, the gate is there, just. I could have lined that up a bit better...
And here is where I came out at the hard to type Tsusumigaura park. There were a lot of these cabins here, but all were empty. They must be abandoned, if they cannot fill them on a long weekend with perfect weather, when would they ever get used?
A horned deer! Generally they remove the horns, but some avoid dehorning.
An entire flock of deer. They were all looking sideways at me.
This is advertised as a beach. OK then.
The last part of my journey was back along a road, and through this awesome tunnel. It had fantastic reverb. I stood in it for a few minutes making stupid noises. There was no one else around!
If you come back this way, which is the wrong way, you get to go past bonus mini gate. And if you time it right, there will be a ship inside the gate.
Time for the ferry ride back. I stayed away from people, first hanging out here until I was told to move on.
And then I found a spot near the engine room with my own personal window. This ends my second visit to Miyajima.