It’s hard to know where to start with this entry. My usual process is take notes of my day-to-day happenings and reflect on them when sitting down to write these entries in one sitting. However, I haven’t been taking ANY notes lately. Since coming back to Japan, actually. I want to make more of an effort with my writing, so I’ll cover single topics with smaller entries instead of several topics in one large chunk.
Onwards!
I traveled to Miyajima with a good friend of mine last week. Unfortunately it was a really short trip which had to be re-arranged due to a typhoon passing through Japan. It literally rained for three days straight here in Kyoto with slight intermissions that allowed me to step out and get something to eat when I could.
This was the second time I’d been to Miyajima. But this time was to view things blowing up in the sky. Like so…
Sitting on a coastline watching fireworks in front of a massive temple gate will definitely go down as one of my defining memories of my time here in Japan. Commuting to and from the area was a bit nuts, because thousands of people travel from all over Japan for this particular fireworks event. More photos!
The echoes that bounced around the island with each explosion – as many as three or four at a time – are sounds that I’ll have a hard time forgetting. Situated directly behind where I was sitting on the beachfront is a temple with several wooden walkways. With each firework going off, the sound was amplified and tossed around these walkways as if it was trying to find a way out of the temple.
You can see the famous temple gate in the picture above. When the tide is out, you can walk underneath and around that gate. When the tide comes in, it is submerged in water. The last time I was in Miyajima was during my first trip to Japan back in 2010 with Greg. I distinctly remember it being a ridiculously hot day, 36-odd degrees with cicadas chirping their heads off as you’ve seen or heard in just about any anime depicting summertime in Japan.
This day was no different heat-wise. Stifling, oppressive and humid with the occasional ocean breeze wafting through for a temporary respite. Yet people flocked in the thousands to this island for these fireworks. Granted, they were impressive, but the conditions and commute are not for everyone, as I witnessed several incidents of people pissing and moaning about how hot it was or complaining about how long was it going to take to get on the ferry, even though they just got to see a free fireworks display that lasted for an hour or so.
A fair warning to anyone intending to go to this festival: if you choose to sit on the beach, right in front of the temple gate, the tide WILL come in while you are watching the fireworks. Until next time!