The place that amazed me the most—and that I’ll never forget—on my first solo trip was Miyajima.
I usually get seasick super easily, so I was honestly a little worried before leaving. Maybe I was just too excited, but surprisingly I didn’t feel seasick at all during the whole ferry ride. The ocean views along the way were already beautiful, and once I actually arrived on Miyajima, I was even more blown away.
As soon as I got off the ferry, I saw deer everywhere, casually wandering around the island without being afraid of people at all. The whole island made me slow down without even realizing it. I walked along the streets feeling like I had somehow wandered into a hidden paradise. Even though there were plenty of tourists, it didn’t affect my enjoyment one bit.
I really loved all the little details hidden around Miyajima. The guardian-beast statues at the shrine had such cute expressions—one of them looked adorably goofy, and it made me laugh. The one on the other side looked totally serious, like it was there just to set the tone.
I happened to visit at low tide, so I got to admire the Great Torii up close. That’s when I noticed the pillars were covered in moss, which made me laugh again—it was such a different side of it.
Even now, when I think back on it, I’m still impressed with myself. Even though I knew I get seasick easily, I still chose to take this trip. I didn’t mind that the hems of my pants got covered in wet sand, because everything in front of me was absolutely worth it.
And because of Miyajima, my lucky trip to Japan was given its most unforgettable page.
Itsukushima Shrine | Review by 雨妤魚
Other Reviews by 雨妤魚
-
Yasaka Shrine
The shrine’s deities are Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Kushiinadahime-no-Mikoto, and Yahashira-no-Mikogami, and it is the head shrine of approximately 2,300 Yasaka Shrine and related shrines with Susanoo-no-Mikoto enshrined scattered throughout Japan.
As a tourist, of course I had to check out Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto~
Uh... but honestly, my impression of this place is: hot, very hot, extremely hot.
And it seemed like there were many different areas inside where you could worship separately. It felt like there was no end to them.
But what left the biggest impression on me was that I actually ran into two underclassmen from high school here!
The two of them are now boyfriend and girlfriend.
(Nice job, buddy. He pursued her for a long time, but have they broken up now? Sorry, I'm so nosy.)
And my first thought when I saw her was! How was she wearing full makeup without it melting at all???
(Sorry, but I can only wear sunscreen, otherwise it would be terrifying...
I honestly thought it was seriously impressive 👍
The main thing is, they had already gone all the way up to worship at Kiyomizu-dera and then walked down here...
And me? I just kept wiping away sweat.
(It was so hot it was seriously miserable.
Then he even took a candid photo of me and sent it to my high school homeroom teacher. That was so mean...
Even more annoying, my homeroom teacher later sent the photo back to me. I wonder if it's because I teased him first before. Is this the teacher's revenge? -
-
Yoroshi Keshodo (Cosmetics) “365 Hand Cream”
Yoroshi Keshodo (Cosmetics) develops and distributes original skincare products based on the concept of Taisho Romanticism. They are famous for their pretty package designs and the quality derived from the beauty essence of rice bran and sake lees.
This is the very famous hand cream and lip balm with dates on them from the shopping street in front of Sensoji Temple. I really think this idea is brilliant〜
As a souvenir, it feels like, hey〜I bought this because I was thinking especially of you!
And the scents are the kind that pretty much everyone likes, making it an impressive omiyage.
It also has your special date on it, like a birthday charm. The main selling point is that it’s one of a kind, and I’m exactly the kind of shopper who falls for that.
I immediately bought three, for my beloved grandma, my best friend, and myself〜
(Everyone else crying in the corner???
My grandma actually liked it quite a bit. She didn’t care at all what was written on it, but when I went to Tokyo a second time and didn’t buy her one, she actually got mad at me⋯
I guess she really likes the texture?
As for my friend, her hands get really sweaty, so I bought her the lip balm (I’m so thoughtful
As for mine⋯I haven’t used it at all ( ･᷄ὢ･᷅ ) I’m really so good at wasting things hahahahaha.
For the sake of writing this review, I dug it out from some unknown corner just to take a photo〜 -
-
Namba Marui
Located in the heart of Osaka's Minami area, Namba, it is directly connected to the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line Namba Station via an underground pathway, allowing customers to enter without getting wet even on rainy days. It also has good access from other JR and private railway stations.
We came here because my second aunt wanted to shop at GU or UQ—I forget, hahaha.
I looked around a bit myself and thought it was just okay〜
But then, unexpectedly, I found my favorite, gelato pique!
I thought I'd try my luck and see if they had the shark set, and they actually did! It was the men's version, but there happened to be a big summer sale at the time. I originally thought new items wouldn't be included, but when I checked the official website, they actually were.
(When I looked for it in Okayama before, the last one was in the hands of the lady right in front of me, and the sales associate told me they were sold out.
I can't believe I happened to find it here〜〜〜
The sales associate went out of his way to dig these out for me and said these were all they had left. I got the feeling he didn't think I'd buy them, but I'm the kind of person who'll surprise you. I didn't even try them on and bought them right away, hehe.
They were 30% off the original price, with another 10% off if you bought two, plus tax-free shopping. Wasn't everything just perfectly aligned?
And they were my favorite sharks. I'm basically the goddess of luck, right?
I immediately said, “これ and これ ください!”
The female sales associate's eyes widened, and she quickly called the tax-free counter for me and led me on a run through the department store〜
The person at the tax-free counter was a Chinese international student. He told me I was so lucky because if they hadn't just called, the counter would have closed. He also said my card looked really fancy.
Then the next second, he actually dropped my card?
I was like, what??? I was dumbfounded⋯
But anyway, I was super happy that I got those two pieces!
I even went back specifically to thank the female sales associate〜〜
Then, right when I was all happy, my second aunt and cousin got into an argument!
My second aunt thought my cousin had picked a size that was too small, but I guess he just likes wearing fitted clothes?
My second aunt told him to choose for himself, but after he did, she picked out another one that she thought was better.
My cousin got super mad right away.
(I'd be mad too.
“Then why did you tell me to choose?”
The two of them stayed mad the whole way, so even though I'd gotten my favorite shark set, I didn't dare act too happy at all.
We even came to this department store twice. We came back again on the last day because I guess my second aunt felt she was partly at fault, hahaha.
But amid all this chaos, I also saw a beautiful sunset glow.
On one hand, I unexpectedly found the shark set I'd been longing for; on the other, my family got into an argument for no apparent reason. Then, at the end, I looked up and saw the beautiful sunset.
But that's what trips are like—messy, but with some lucky memories worth remembering too, I guess〜(˶‾᷄ ⁻̫ ‾᷅˵) -
