Photo Tour: Miyajama, Japan

For a change of pace from my Italy/Greece posts, i thought I'd swap Europe for Asia and take you all back to Japan this week. 

During my trip to Japan last year i visited the island of Miyajama which is most famous for its "Floating" Torii Gates. As part of my day trip from Kyoto to Hiroshima, i did a small extension to this picturesque island. Its not far from Hiroshima, the tram and train lines will take you right next to the ferry port and there are frequent services to the island.

I hope you enjoy this little photo tour. Let me know if you do!

Views of Miyajama Island and Torii Gates

Miyajama Deer

The deer here are "wild" dear that have the run of the island but they are so used to having people around that they have no qualms approaching adults and kids alike in search of food - at one point i even saw a man chasing one that had nicked the luggage tag off his suitcase and was chewing it happily.

The Miyajama Torii Gates at Sunset

It really is worth staying till sunset at Miyajama. There is a certain stillness and peace that descends on the island. Just be sure not to miss the last ferry back to the mainland. There are hotels where you can stay the night and have the island to yourself after all the tourists and day trippers have gone if you fancy it.

Miyajama Temple

Its hard to miss the temple. When i was there the tide was low enough you could walk out between the buildings. When the tide is in, i can imagine that the look of the temple will be very different, almost as if it was floating of its own accord. I simply loved the reddish orange of the temple and how it seemed to frame its surroundings.

I do recommend making the effort to visit Miyajama. It is an easy trip from Hiroshima and i managed to do both Hiroshima and Miyajama on a day trip from Kyoto. Granted it was a bit of a full day but it is worth it if you are limited on time.

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Photo tour: Santorini, Greece

Santorini...where do i even start? If you have been there, you know what i mean. This is a place where every view is picture postcard so for this post, I'm just going to let the photos flow. Tips on staying in Santorini are at the end.

View from my terrace in Firostefani

My little terrace nook

Stunning Santorini sunset - view from my terrace

Another Santorini sunset view from my terrace with a view of Imerovigli to the right

Cable cars down to the Old Port, and Donkeys up.

Santorini has cable cars that will take you down to the Old Port and back. I decided to go down this way and take the Donkeys back - purely for the novelty of it. The donkey trip up takes a bit of time, glad i didn't have to walk it! There is a bit of a funny story to go with this but I'll post about that later.

The cable cars from the bottom of the line

View of Fira from the cable car - you can see the walking trail too

The Old Port from the cable car

Along the Old Port and Fira peeking out from the top

The Old Port - looking back towards the base of the cable cars

The Santorini donkeys are well looked after so i was happy to take them up the trail

Waiting patiently for the next customer

The winding path up the side of the cliff

Views around Fira, Firostefani and Imerovigli

Fira from a vantage point in Firostefani

Fira at twilight

The famous blue domes of Santorini - photographed and painted countless times

Another (smaller) blue dome and unique blue and white one

Fira bathed in sunlight

Blue and white as far as the eye can see

Arches and bells of a church overlooking the sea

Fira's hotels, restaurants and cafes

How do they build them like that? Also notice the colour of the water?

View from Imerovigli 

Love this photo...

Sunset at Oia (sounds like "ee-yah")

Sunset - view from the small port looking up to Oia

Sunset at Oia

The Practical stuff - Santorini Travel Tips

Getting around: Santorini's only public transport is the bus network which is centred in Fira. The buses (coaches actually) are cheap, 1.60 Euros from the airport to Fira, and reach all main towns on the island. Tickets are bought on the bus and a timetable can be found here.
Most people tend to opt to hire a car, atv or motorbike to get around.

Accommodation: If you have a good budget and want a romantic sunset view, opt for staying along the western side of the island in places like Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, Oia. If you are travelling on a tiny budget, opt to stay on the eastern side and you will probably need to compromise on views - Santorini does have hostels but make sure you do your research! As this was the indulgent/relaxation/splurge part of my trip i opted to stay at Homeric Poems in Firostefani. The place was gorgeous and the staff very friendly and helpful. I might do a separate post on them later - they are worth it.

One of Homeric Poems' terrace rooms

Eating: Santorini is expensive, but not prohibitively so. There are little supermarkets where you can buy things to cut costs but you can eat out cheaply too (if you are smart about it). Sharing plates is not a problem here and portion sizes are generous. For a snack there are Gyros (a delicious pita wrap with meat) for less than 3 Euros. It may be obvious but just in case...places with a good view will usually charge far more than places without.

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