Today’s adventure took us sailing across the waters to an island inhibited with giant spoons, green tea ice cream, and man-eating deer. Okay, I was kidding about the deer, because I actually befriended the one to the right after he tried to eat my map. But be wary, these creatures are literally everywhere! The island you see pictured above is Miyajima island, which is a peaceful and scenic place filled with temples, gift shops, delicious food, and natural beauty. There were many ways to tour Miyajima, including a sea path, boating tours, rural roads, and a forest trail. My group decided to wander across the sea path and take pictures of the torii (famous red arch), and visit the Itsukushima temple. As an outdoors person, I enjoyed seeing the ancient parts of Japan’s culture and walking around in the warm and beautiful weather. Riding the ferry to the island reminded me of riding to Mackinac Island here in Michigan, and it was a very relaxing and nostalgic experience.
Another fun part of our island trip was seeing all of the local food! A couple of colleagues of mine decided to be adventurous and try some oysters and squid balls. I decided to play it safe and try some strawberry ice shavings and green tea ice cream, but it was still very delicious. Another characteristic part of the island were the giant wooden spoons scattered throughout it. We were challenged by our professor to find the largest one and here it is, right in the center of the shopping district (pictured with Daniel Craun):
いっただきます！
Inevitably, our trip to Miyajima Island was rejuvenating and fill with a lot of fun exploration. Looking forward to experiencing more of Japan’s culture through it’s beautiful scenery!
Adventures in Japan (日本の冒険) 
Yeah this place was really sweet I was happy that we were able to take a trip out of the city and into some older culture that we didnt get a chance to see! The deer turned out to be quite the little demons eating nearly anything near their face. The one thing I really enjoyed was also the shrines on this island because they were absolutely beautiful. The orange contrast in the woodland areas was really shocking at first to see but was stunning to look at. Climbing the mountain was with everyone because we were all interested in different facets of the shrines. I personally thought the room with candles was breathtaking and really showed the depth of the Buddhist religion and impact on the culture during the past.
The Miyajima Island is so awesome! Maybe I would say, it was the best place of the whole journey, the reason is that I think there are many different elements on the island. We visited shrine, saw the biggest spoon in the world, ate organic green tea ice-cream, bought keepsakes, etc.
Miyajima Island has the best oysters! I usually keep myself away from the oysters because of the strong smell. But oysters are so fresh that I tried them twice! Besides, the ice cream and oysters, Miyajima Island is also famous for roasted eel. Eel don and eel udon are popular items among the local travelers. Jerry, Yang and I saw a wedding in the shrine that day. The new couple were in traditional Japanese wedding cloths. They look elegant and so sweet. By the way, I prefer the deer on this Island than those in Nara. They are more be themselves on the island! Another thing I do every time i was there, here is an postal office in that island. And it only takes 70 yen for international mailing!
I loved, the Greent Tea Ice Cream! Best thing I have had since a Honey Bun here :D. Also Miyajima was the most traditional place by far I have seen there. The shrines were amazing and the deer were very affectionate for all the wrong reasons. I could only imagine living on the that island, seems like it would be so peaceful, well when the tourist are not around of course.