A weekend away
For the first time since becoming a mother over 12 years ago, I decided to take a two-night trip alone to a hotel across from Miyajima last weekend. I’d never actually been on a solo retreat before. I’ve travelled of course, but only ever to visit friends or family. This was something completely new and I have to say I absolutely loved every minute of it.
When I planned my trip, I imagined spending two days lounging around the hotel with my laptop. I had justified it as some kind of “writing retreat”. I would catch up with some book editing, write a few blog articles, soak in the hot spring bath and relax as much as possible. It turns out though, that my higher self (my soul) had other plans.
Miyajima
I arrived at my hotel before lunch. It was too early to check into my room and so I decided to get the ferry over to Miyajima, just ten minutes ride across from the mainland.
I’ve actually been there so many times, I’ve lost count. I’ve pretty much-taken anyone who’s ever come to visit me in Japan to the area. Hiroshima is only a two-hour drive from where I live in Yamaguchi prefecture and it’s one of the top tourist sites in Japan, definitely worth a visit.
Miyajima is actually officially called “Itsukushima”, but it tends to be universally known as Miyajima, which means “shrine island” in Japanese. The main shrine, Itsukushima Shrine (a UNESCO world heritage site), and its famous red torii gate are built over the sea, so depending on the time of day the tide may be in or out, giving it a very different look. During high tide, the shrine and gate appear to float in the sea.
The torii gate is currently undergoing lengthy renovations and is currently completely hidden by scaffolding with no set finish date.
Why visit?
Miyajima is a beautiful place, mountainous, with rich nature and virgin forest. The highest point is Mt. Misen at 535m. There are walking trails, but there is also a ropeway system, which can take you up the mountain. From there you can see breathtaking views of the island and the surrounding area.
In addition to the amazing scenery, there are numerous shrines, temples and souvenir shops.
One of the distinctive highlights of Miyajima is that as soon as you land, you will immediately run into the wild deer that roam freely on the island. They aren’t shy at all and will not hesitate to come up to you and try and steal your ice cream or anything else you might have that takes their fancy.
Exploring Miyajima
Every other time I have visited Miyajima, my routine has been to take a right out of the ferry port, wander through the town to Itsukushima Shrine, then head towards Momijidani Park and the Ropeway. So, this time I decided to take a left and head towards a nature trail around the back of the island, that according to the map would also lead to the Ropeway.
I had barely gone a few steps in that direction before it started to feel very deserted. The majority of the other visitors had of course headed the other way, towards the main shrine. I wandered along the road, enjoying seeing a new part of the island and also relishing the quiet.
However, the further away from the main area I went, the warier I became. I found the path I had been looking for, but it just didn’t feel right. I hadn’t met any other walkers for a while now. The entrance to the nature trail had broken branches across it and it looked recently untrodden. I was alone and very aware that I could come across wildlife, such as wild boar, monkeys, vipers or bees at any point. It seemed a little too isolated to do alone. Generally, I just had a bad feeling.
So I decided to listen to my intuition and I turned around and wandered back towards the port and then further along the seafront, where I sat and enjoyed the view for a while.
A relaxing evening
A little while later, I returned to my hotel via the ferry and the hotel shuttle bus. I had booked dinner for 6pm and wanted to soak in the hot spring before then.
Hot springs are one of the pleasures I would miss the most if I ever left Japan. The majority of people back home would probably freak out at the thought of being naked in public, but to me, that is part of the charm. I feel a weird sense of freedom by discarding my clothes.
You can often find private baths if you are self-conscious, but they tend to be much smaller and of course a little more expensive. I love the big pools in the public baths. In fact, it was so relaxing, I went back in after dinner and then again before breakfast too.
I treated myself to a steak course for dinner. I can’t even remember the last time I had steak. I even managed to stick to a nonalcoholic beer, as I am currently doing a 25-day no alcohol stretch. (Day 19 as I write).
Before bed, I watched some TV and told myself I had plenty of time to write the following day.
Back to Miyajima
I can’t remember making a conscious decision about it, but the next morning I just somehow found myself getting on the shuttle bus back to the port and getting on the ferry to Miyajima again. It was like a weird pull. I just had to go.
This time I decided to head towards Itsukushima Shrine and then walk beyond there to Omoto Park and climb up to Mt. Misen on foot. Once again, I strayed from my usual route and ended up in new territory.
Climbing Mt. Misen
This route was also very quiet. In fact, I only met three other walking parties the whole two hours it took me to walk up. However, I didn’t get any feeling of unease like I had on the other side of the island. I somehow knew this route would be fine and it was.
The path started off deceptively easy. However, it didn’t take long before it became a steep incline. I suppose I should have known better and been more prepared with bug spray and appropriate clothing. I could hear that horrible high-pitched distinctive buzzing sound that mosquitoes make and I knew bites were inevitable. There isn’t much you can do halfway up a mountain though, so I carried on and tried not to think about it too much.
Not being particularly at my fittest, it was honestly a hard climb for me, but I did it. Reaching the top felt amazing.
Realizations
My body felt energised in a way I had completely forgotten. I had always been very active as a child and in early adulthood. I loved hiking. Life just happened though. I had kids, work got busy, weekends became more about catching up on the things I had been unable to do during the week.
I truly revelled in being outdoors, moving my body and spending time in nature, away from the incessant pressure of thinking about all the things I “should” be doing. I realised I had lost a really important part of myself. The sedentary Helen, sitting indoors is not the real me. I am an active, curious and vibrant person. I need to find her again.
Listening to my body
I had to take the cable car back down. I knew my knees would suffer if I tried to walk down the steep and rocky hill. Weeks of rest would be awfully frustrating now I’ve just newly discovered a part of myself I want to nurture again.
It wasn’t an easy decision, because I hate cable cars. In fact, I hate anything that suspends in the sky, including aeroplanes. It’s not exactly a fear of heights, because I am fine on a mountain. It’s a fear of falling I suppose. I admit I rode the whole way down with my eyes closed. However, I got to the bottom safely and for that, I am grateful the cable car exists.
Reflections
That evening, once again I ended up in the hot spring bath and subsequently doing no writing at all. Interesting writing retreat, I thought ironically! I didn’t mind though. Yes, my weekend ended up being time spent on doing something I didn’t imagine or plan for, but it has awakened something inside me and shown me how I have been inadvertently holding myself back.
This weekend really taught me that it is time for me to take a deep look at my life and discover and embrace the person I truly am.