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
-
ICOCA
ICOCA, is the easy-to-use transportation IC card by JR West. You’ll know it when you see it by the mascot character, Iko-chan the platypus, marking the card that makes it easy to get around via train and settle up at stores that accept e-money payments.
Super convenient—even works at hair salons!
The current limit is still 20,000, but I personally prefer loading up the green Suica card first. I call this one the penguin card!
I usually add money when the exchange rate is good. Some stores don’t accept it, but most do. As long as you tell the staff “cardo,” they’ll understand!
Ahhh, I really want to go to Japan!
Just keep in mind that it does expire. I have four cards, and every time I go, I have to make sure to use each one so I don’t forget!
But it only expires once every 10 years. My aunt’s family let theirs sit for 9 years, and the station staff actually laughed about it... haha
Seriously, who can stand not going to Japan for that long?
Also, these are virtual cards now—you can use them on your phone, and you can add them to your watch too!
If you link it to Apple Pay, you can reload it directly with a credit card, which is super convenient. I hope EasyCard can be added to Apple Pay too. -
-
Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal
Opened in 2016, Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal stands as one of Japan’s largest highway bus terminals, located at JR Shinjuku Station’s South Exit. With around 90 bus operators serving the terminal, it connects destinations from Aomori in the north to Fukuoka in the south, with over 1,600 bus departures daily.
This terminal is pretty big (I mean in terms of floor space lol). The line for the women’s restroom was all the way outside, and I was worried I’d miss my bus, so I didn’t go~
There are lots of ticket machines, and inside this fairly large terminal there’s also a convenience store!
I got really lucky that day—there were only one or two seats left both ways. It was a super last-minute decision to go see Mt. Fuji!
My physical condition was really bad though... and sure enough, I kept getting nosebleeds over there 😔
*Just a heads-up for everyone: the charging ports on both my outbound and return buses were USB!*
I brought the wrong thing, and the one in the photo was borrowed from the person next to me. Turns out they were Chinese lol.
I was originally going to ask to borrow a cable, but they straight-up gave me a power bank instead! I’m seriously so grateful. Totally unrelated, but they nodded off all the way onto my shoulder hahaha—they were sleeping super deeply, which means the driver was really smooth~ -
-
Jagarico
This popular potato snack has a crispy texture.The stick-shaped snack is packaged in a cup, making it easy to carry around.They come in salad, cheese, buttered potato, and tarako butter flavors. Their most popular flavor, salad, includes carrot and parsley.Limited-time and special regional flavors are also available.
Crispy, sweet, and a little salty—so yummy!
The first time I ever had this snack was when my uncle and aunt brought it back from a trip to Japan as a souvenir for me. I fell in love with it right away. After that, every time they went to Japan, I’d look forward to them bringing this back for me. But sometimes they couldn’t because it took up too much space, and I’d end up all pouty... I was little back then.
Now I can go get it myself, hehe.
Every time before heading back to the hotel, I stop by a convenience store, and if I’m not sure what to buy, I just grab this. -
