Three other IES trips were a bit more oriented towards nature. After Hiroshima, our next stop was Miyajima, an island not too far from the city.

And here is the red gate in low tide:

In addition to being able to recreate some Tony Stark action while on top of the mountains, I also got to see the world’s largest rice paddle!

Hands down, it was one of my favorite trips with IES so far. It’s a secluded island, mountainous, with plenty of wild deer, a rope-way up the mountains and a beautiful red gate and Itsukushima shrine. Since the trip was 3 days, we got to spend a night on the island, indulge in some onsens, and eat the snack of the region, momiji, which are insanely addicting and extremely delicious.

With nice sunny weather and beautiful Japanese nature around us, it was a fun trip!

A little later, just in time for cherry blossom season, we headed out to Nara! Nara is mostly known for having massive amounts of deer, which are wild and roam free wherever they like. Deer are considered messengers of the god, so they are not allowed to be harmed or killed.

There was also Todai-ji, the biggest wooden Buddhist temple complex in Japan, which houses the world’s largest Buddha. Pretty cool!

The next day, we went to Yoshino, which is another mountainous area known for its huge area of cherry blossom trees. Unfortunately, due to recent chill, none of the trees had bloomed yet, which was disappointing, but there was plenty of sights to see and cherry blossom (sakura) themed souvenirs and food products as well! This included sakura noodles, alcohol, and even ice cream!

And thus ended our IES trips. They were all a blast, and definitely worth going to every single one! They really let us explore the side of traditional Japan, rather than the world of high-tech gadgets and such. Truly a breath of fresh air, metaphorically and physically.

Location: Miyajima, Hiroshima, Japan