A temple on an isolated island—Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

When it comes to a temple, most people have an image that it is supposed 100% artificial, but Itsukushima Shinto Shrine(嚴島神社) in Japan will definitely break this concept!

Itsukushima Shrine was registered as a cultural heritage in 1996 for its location and the famous "floating" torii gate(鳥居). Firstly, the shrine was built on an isolated island, so you need to go there by ferry.

Secondly, because the ancient Japanese believed that the whole island is a shrine itself "naturally", they located the torii gate far from the island, and maybe due to global warming, the torii gate starts to slightly sink in the sea sometimes, so the authorities concerned "nicely" forecast a “tide table” for tourists to plan ahead for their visits.

For better experience the effect of the ebb tide(退潮) and flow tide(漲潮) in the same day, we visited the shrine on 19^th of November for convenience, ie arriving around 8:00 (Taiwan time) and leaving after 15:00. The effects of low tide and high tide are so obvious that no one will get confused whether or not to touch the torii gate, which make the two different scenes more unique.

While waiting for the high tide, let's make use of time to look around the island and communicate with "locals".  And certainly don't forget to wash hands before entering the pretty shrine.

So if you want to witness the two different scenarios in a single day, be sure to check the “tide table” in this website, and for those who eager to learn more, I prepare a video below and hope you enjoy it.

8th post

Post for this week, November 15-21.

Forests with Hoodoos—Bryce National Park

Have you ever seen Terracotta Army in China? It's definitely amazing, but after all, it's artificial, so let's focus on the natural miracle created in America—Bryce National Park!
Bryce National Park features the countless hoodoos, which are the stones standing like a forest. The density of hoodoos here is second to none, even Terracotta Army can't compared to it.
It's like Grand canyon, but more exquisite.

    I deemed this place a lifeless desert, just like a grave when I took the first glance, but after I stayed there for a while, I found camping is available there and if you can afford it, you can even rent a horse and enjoy a ride in this unique “forest”, which makes this tourists attraction more friendly.  So, if you visit Bryce National Park in the future, be sure to spend some time relaxing in the special atmosphere there.

Here's a film about some secret spots in Bryce. Click it if you want to learn more!

Nikko Toshogu Shrine —A combination of the cultural and natural heritage

Looking for an ancient shrine with exquisite decorations on the walls to relax?  Nikko Toshogu Shrine(日光東照宮) in Japan would be a perfect place.  As a final resting place for Tokugawa Ieyasu(德川家康), it features luxurious pagodas, meaningful statues and a solemn gate.

It was said that after Tokugawa Ieyasu won a critical war, he built lots of gorgeous architectures here to highlight his power.  He also mixed some eastern philosophic signs in the ornament in order to keep him from indulging in the victory too much.

The most famous example for the signs are these three hilarious monkeys.

They're so cute, aren't they? They represent a well-known principle,  “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.  Although I have known them, I still laughed out loud when I actually saw them in person, because their facial expressions are too funny to make people relate to  the deep meaning of their gestures.
After understanding the cultural meaning of it, let's enjoy the beautiful scenery around the shrine!  Explore it by clicking the following film!