Cherry blossoms, Miyajima and Japanese

Ｓａｋｕｒａ(桜）, Miyajima(宮島）, Japanese（日本人） 
Ａt the beginning of April every year,  you have a good time with some views of beautiful cherry blossoms in Miyajima.
 You can see these cherry blossom views around not only Itsukusima shrine but near the hills of Miyajima town's park or temple's garden. And you can see them blooming even at the top of Mt. Misen (the highest mountain in Miyajima).
As you see in the photos, those cherry blossoms match with red colored Pagoda and shrine's building. 


Ootorii gate  and Tahoutou pagoda 

The pagoda is surrounded by the flowers and it's just like in the thin pinkish white cloud.



Gojyunotou Pagoda

宮島では、毎年四月の初め頃、美しい桜の風景を楽しめます。桜をめでることのできる風景は、厳島神社の周辺だけでなく、周辺の宮島町周辺の公園の丘や、お寺にも、たくさんあります。そして、宮島で一番高い弥仙でも、桜が咲いている光景をみることができます。
写真には、桜の花と仏塔や神社の建物と良く調和しています。その仏塔は花に取り囲まれて、まるで、薄いピンクがかった白い雲につつまれているようです。

The cherry blossom is one of the national flowers of Japan, as another national flower chrysanthemum. 
The cherry blossom is called 'Sakura' in Japanese. And the name of 'Sakura' has been a word of well known in the world these days. 
This flower has been loved by the Japanese for a long time. Because it has had a close reference with our life, culture, and art since ancient.

桜の花は、菊と並び、日本の国花の一つです。その花は日本では「サクラ｣と呼ばれていますが、その名は今日、世界中に知られています。この花は、古来より日本人に親しまれてきました。それは、この花が日本の生活、文化や芸術に密接に関連しているからです。
Every year, Cherry blossoms are at their best during the end of March and the beginning of April in this region. But they burst into bloom and fall down quickly in the spring wind and the rain.


 When they are in full bloom, many people want to have a look their short period of the beauties at the cherry trees' in the neighbor. 
Some people, all the way, go to cherry blossom's park or hill and often have a drinking party under the flowers even at night time.  
An ancient famous poet (a.d.825-a.d.880) in the Heian era sang a poet as follows, 
’If this world of ours did not have cherry blossoms that bloom and soon fall, then our soul in spring would be quiet,restful,calm.’
Like this poem, Japanese people have had been interested in the  cherry blossom blooming.　Many forecasts of its blooming are reported  on TV screen in this season.

毎年、この地方では、桜は三月の終わりから四月の始めにかけて、いっせいに咲きそろいます。しかし、それらは、春の強い風や雨に打たれてあっという間に散ってしまいます。
桜が満開のとき、多くの人々は、近くの桜のつかの間の美を一目でも見たいと思っています。また、なかには、桜並木へ繰り出し、桜の木の下で、昼夜を問わず、酒盛りで盛り上がることもしばしばです。平安時代の詩人、在原業平（825年-880年）が、桜に寄せる人々の思いを、「世の中に　たえて桜のなかりせば　春の心は　のどけからまし　」と歌っています。
かように、日本人は桜の開花が気になる民族です。テレビで開花予想などもあり、話題をにぎわしています。

Itsukushima Shrine at the New Year holiday





The O-torii  Gate at 9:30 a.m on the 4th of January 2014

 The O-torii Gate in the morning sunshine seems welcoming the guests from all over the world.

朝日に輝く大鳥居は、世界中からやってこられるお客様を歓迎しているようです。



Otorii gate and Itsukushima  Shrine on the sea

 When it is high tide, you can see the more beautiful O-torii Gate and Itsukushima shrine palaces like the picture above. They are reflected on the surface of the sea.
満潮時には、鳥居や神社がこの写真にあるように、美しく海の水に映えています。



"Hatsumoude visitors are relaxing
around the shrine hall.

 Every year, during the New Year holidays, which are called "Shogatsu Yasumi" in Japanese, many people come to Miyajima island for not only sightseeing but for "Hatsumoude" which is the first visit of the New Year to a shrine or temple. Most of the visitors mainly go to Itsukusima shrine or Daishoin temple. 



Three maidens in the service of the shrine are mediating "Hamaya" and "Omikuji".

They throw some coins into a "Saisenbako" (donation box) in front of the shrine or temple halls. And they pray and make a wish for good health, the happiness of family or the success of the business, etc. in this year. 
After then, some of them buy a "Hamaya" or try this year's fortune by drawing fortune slip "Omikuji".  "Hamaya" is an arrow with white feathers, which is believed to protect the owner from evil spirits. "Omikuji" is a thin strip paper which tells the owner's fortune of the future.

毎年、正月に休みには、多くの人々がこの島を訪れ、観光だけでなく、初詣にやってきます。初詣の人々は主に厳島神社や大聖院を訪れます。神社やお寺の賽銭箱に、小銭を投げ入れて、その年の健康や家族の幸せ、ビジネスの成功などを祈ったり、新年の誓いをします。祈りがすんだら、破魔矢やおみくじを買って、魔よけを祈願し、その年の運勢を占います。

About the Shrine




One of the shrine's corridor    Five-storied Pagoda and Senjoukaku behind the corridor

MaroudoDen Palace near the entrance of the shrine

Itsukushima shrine is built in the sea. When it is high tide, the surface of the sea comes up just near under the floor board. The shrine buildings consist of many "Shindens"(left)buildings standing in the sea and these "Shindens" are connected by the corridors.