When visiting the Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima, tourists can shop for souvenirs to commemorate their trip to Hiroshima on the Miyajima Omotesando Shopping Street, but they may be surprised by what else they see.
Many wild deer live on the island of Miyajima, and they can be found walking freely around the Itsukushima Shrine as well as on the shopping street. These wild deer are friendly and used to humans. Seeing them at the shrine and on the street makes for very funny and cute moments.
Some SJMC Japan students had interesting interactions with the deer. Arman Hopkins, a junior in advertising, had a cute interaction with a deer that followed him on the beach. A few students watched a deer sticking its head into a store to be fed by store employees. Near the ferry to the island, a deer came inside the ferry building and a funny interaction ensued as the employees tried to shoo the fella back outdoors.
Miyajima Omotesandō Shopping Street is the ideal place to look around for the perfect souvenir. The merchandise found here consists of unique brands of plushies and snacks only available in Japan.
However, these stores can be pretty pricey. Tourists will find deer related items for purchase like charms, plushies and headbands. Big mascot characters like Chiikawa and Cinnamoroll from Sanrio are available wearing deer costumes. These popular characters will grab the attention of fans who are excited to buy these exclusive items only available in these stores.
Miyajima Omotesandō Shopping Street also has many restaurants with foods unique to Hiroshima.
Hiroshima is known for their signature dish called okonomiyaki. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is typically made up of flour, cabbage and egg along with yakisoba noodles. Specifically, Hiroshima-style okonomyaki is layered and the ingredients aren’t mixed together. A few SJMC Japan students went to check out Sakuramaru restaurant to sample this Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. One of the students who went, Azuli Rodriguez, digital media innovation senior, said she would definitely eat it again.
“So I was really excited to eat it,” Rodriguez said . “But when I got the actual thing, it was more delicious than I could hope for, because it had like sauce on top.”
Hiroshima okonomiyaki isn’t the only kind of food offered at Miyajima Omotesandō Shopping Street. There are many other food options, like seafood, pancakes and ice cream, for tourists as they enjoy shopping for souvenirs on this unique street on Miyayima.
Overall, the Miyajima Omotesandō Shopping Street is wonderful place to find delicious local food and shop for Japanese exclusive limited merchandise, all while friendly deer wander nearby.
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