The Seven Wonders of Mount Misen

Mount Misen (弥山) is one of Japan's sacred mountains. The peak is the highest point on the holy island of Miyajima, a part of the UNESCO World Heritage area of Itsukushima Shrine, and along with the Seto Inland Sea and a number of nearby islands, an integral part of the Setonaikai National Park.

After spending the morning exploring the island, my mom and I took a 15-minute trek through the gorgeous, forested trails of the park to the Miyajima Ropeway, the fourth and final cable car we would end up taking during our two weeks in Japan.

Halfway up the mountain, we had to transfer to a second cable car. The second car we boarded was a funicular; an older style of cable car that operated in a back-and-forth system rather than the circular method of the lower route.

The Miyajima Ropeway is one of the older cable car systems in Japan. It began service in 1959, and the two legs of the route have been ferrying visitors to the top of Mount Misen for nearly seventy years!

Mount Misen is the highest point and spiritual pinnacle of the holy island of Miyajima. From the ropeway station, we could look out across the bay to see all of Hiroshima Town spreading out across the water before us.

We decided to take a hike along the peak trail to the mountain's summit. The hike, which took around half an hour, was a calm winding trail that passed through the mountain's dense primeval forest, a natural landmark protected by the government of Japan.

Those of you who have followed my blog for any amount of time will probably know by now that both my mom and I are avid birders.

As we walked along the dense trails of the mountain path, we heard at least three new birdsongs which we were able to identify via our birding apps. Unfortunately, even after an infuriatingly long time of searching through the mountain forest, we were unable to lay eyes on any of them.

Technically, birders are able to add birds positively identified by their songs to their life lists, but I just don't buy that. Personally, I want to lay eyes on the bird, even if just for a second, before I register it.

In the end, we weren't able to add any new birds, but we still enjoyed a very nice trek along the trail.

Mount Misen's spiritual claim to fame are its "Seven Wonders", a series of seven miraculous occurrences found in ancient tales which surround the mountain. The wonders mostly center around the Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi (774–835), a scholar, calligrapher, and poet, and one of the most important religious figures in Japanese history.

He was the founder of Shingon Buddhism, an esoteric school of Buddhism based on teachings he brought back from China which have gone on to shape Japanese spirituality to this day.

His legacy remains so strong that he is still revered as a teacher, saint, and cultural hero more than a millennium after his death.

The wonders include:

Shakujo-no-ume (The Plum Tree of the Tin Stick)

According to the legend, Kobo Daishi was said to have rested his tin-topped staff against the ground, which took root and blossomed into a beautiful plum tree.

Mandara-iwa

Behind Misenhondo Hall is a huge bedrock wall carved with handwritten characters, Sanskrit script, and images linked to Kobo Daishi. The site is steeped in legend, though it is currently closed to visitors.

Kanman-iwa (The "Ebb-and-Flow" Rock)

This rock sits roughly 500 meters above sea level, yet saltwater inside its hollow mysteriously rises and falls in sync with the tides. No one truly knows how seawater appears this high on the mountain, adding to the mystery.

Hyoshigi-no-oto (The Sound of Wooden Clappers)

At a certain spot on the mountain, people report hearing the sharp sound of wooden clappers echoing through the night with no visible source. The sound is attributed to a tengu, a long-nosed mountain goblin said to reside in Mount Misen. Traditionally, locals stayed indoors when they heard it, fearing bad luck or a curse.

Shigure-zakura (The Showered Cherry Blossom)

This cherry tree was famous for always appearing damp with dew, as though a light rain had just passed, even on hot and sunny days. The tree no longer survives and can’t be seen today, but the legend remains.

Ryuoto-no-sugi (The Sea-Fire Cedar)

A large cedar tree once emitted mysterious flickering lights that could be seen from the ocean off Miyajima’s coast, especially on the eve of the lunar New Year. Only the stump remains today, but the stories of the glowing tree live on.

Finally, we arrived at the peak of Mount Misen where we were greeted with a cool breeze and a beautiful view of the island and surrounding sea.

We had arrived at Kiezu-no-hi (The Eternal Flame).

The flame is housed inside a two-story black pagoda at the summit of the mountain. The most famous of the seven wonders, the sacred fire is said to have been lit by Kobo Daishi in 806 when he established Daishō-in Temple at the foot of the mountain. Miraculously, it has been kept alight ever since. Water boiled over the flame is believed to have healing properties, and the fire even served as the pilot light for the Flame of Peace in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park when it was lit in 1964.

It was hot, dark, and smoky inside the pagoda and centuries of smoke had blackened every surface.

I could only stand to be inside for a minute or so before I began coughing my lungs out and had to escape to the fresh air of the mountain peak. The water boiled in the pagoda's kettle may be good for the health, but staying inside for more than a few moments certainly isn't!

There's also a small shrine at the top of the mountain dedicated to Kobo Daishi. We stopped in briefly to pay our respects before heading back down the trail to the cable car station.

It was late afternoon, and Mom and I still hadn't eaten lunch, so we made our way to Miyajima's popular Omotesando Shopping Street, a busy pedestrian street lined with restaurants and souvenir shops of all sorts.

We decided to eat at Kakiya, one of the top-rated restaurants on Miyajima.

Kakiya sells Hiroshima Prefecture's famous oysters and has been recognized by the Japanese Michelin Guide!

Now, neither Mom nor I were especially interested in eating oysters, but if this restaurant was the best on the island, then at this restaurant we were going to eat! We waited in line for around five minutes before being shows to two seats at the bar.

We both ordered the Kakiya Set, the shop's signature meal set. 

The set came with two pieces of grilled oysters served in the shell and fresh off of the grill, a plate of rice with three fresh simmered oysters, three pieces of battered and fried oysters served with a lemon wedge, an "oil oyster" pickled in an oily brine, red miso oyster soup, and salad with Kakiya’s original oyster oil dressing.

We weren't sure what to expect when we stepped inside Kakiya, but it ended up being an incredible meal. We were afraid that it was going to be too "oyster-y", but everything was absolutely delicious.

Mom also ordered a lemon beer, one of Hiroshima Prefecture's specialties (the area is renowned for its citrus).

As evening approached, we boarded the ferry back to Hiroshima. We had had a wonderful day on Hiroshima's holy island full of food, fun, and adventure, but it was time to head back to our hotel and start packing our bags. The next day, we would be heading back to Tokyo as our adventure together slowly drew to an end.

But the adventure was not over yet! We still had one long journey and two amazing dinners ahead of us!