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During my visit to Japan, I was enamored by Miyajima, a small island set in Hiroshima Bay, which is home to the famous Itsukushima Shrine and the Great Torii that seems to magically float in water. In fact, the island’s official name is Itsukushima, and “Miyajima” literally translates to “shrine island” in Japanese—that’s how iconic the shrine is! While the Great Torii is, of course, the main attraction, I’d say spending time on the island is worth your while too.
The island is considered a holy Shinto site, and its highest peak, Mount Misen, has long been worshipped. It’s a gorgeous little place with lush forests and ancient temples that will capture the attention of even the weariest of travelers. While I didn’t get to spend as long here as I would’ve liked, it was still an experience I’ll cherish forever.
It makes for the perfect day trip from Osaka—hop on a train to Hiroshima, which will take you about an hour and a half if you take the Shinkansen (bullet train). Then, take the 10-minute ferry ride to Miyajima Island. It really is that easy! And if you want recommendations for what to check out—from cute cafes to even cuter deer you can pet—you’ll find it all in my detailed account of an idyllic day spent in Miyajima below.
Hear me talk about my Miyajima Island experience with Ananya, the lovely host, in my exclusive interview with Trip101 Travel Talk
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Getting to Miyajima
Miyajimaguchi Port in Hiroshima
The best way to get to Miyajima is to take a ferry from Miyajimaguchi Port in Hiroshima, which will take about 10 minutes and cost you around 200 JPY (1.31 USD) one way without visitor taxes. There are two competing ferry companies that offer rides here—JR and Matsudai. Luckily, if you have a JR Pass, ferry rides by JR will be covered by it!
To reach the port, take the JR Sanyo Line from Hiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi Station, which will take you around 25 minutes and cost 420 JPY (2.75 USD) one way. This is also covered by the pass, so I think it’s very worthwhile to get it! Another way to get to Miyajimaguchi is to take tram line number 2 from central Hiroshima. While this will be slower, it’s also cheaper at 270 JPY (1.77 USD) one way.
We had the JR Pass, so we took the bullet train to Hiroshima from Osaka and then took the ferry from there to Miyajima Island. If you want to get to this island from other main cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, you’ll have to follow a similar process. From Tokyo, it takes around 4 hours to get to Hiroshima by the direct Shinkansen route. Meanwhile, it’ll only take you 1 hour and 40 minutes to get to Hiroshima from Kyoto by bullet train.
Visiting Itsukushima Shrine and the Great Torii
The stunning red exterior of the shrine
The spot I was most eager to visit was, of course, Itsukushima Shrine, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The amazing floating torii (gate) at high tide
The first thing that catches your eye is the Great Torii—it’s such a magnificent sight with mountains in the background, the skies overhead, and the calm waters below that lap at the gate at high tide. I loved taking photos of the gate’s vibrant red hue contrasted with the blue-green waters. We even saw people go right through the gate in a kayak—it’s meant to be auspicious! During low tide, you can walk right up to the gate, which we would have loved to do as well, but couldn’t as it was high tide when we visited.
The serene inlet and views from the shrine’s corridors
Once we were done admiring the gate, we went to check out the shrine itself. It’s really interesting because the complex is elevated by wooden pillars, so it’s not touching the sacred island. It’s also set in an inlet lined by paths, so you can admire the sea as you walk—it’s an unforgettable sight! The shrine itself isn’t huge, but the vivid red beams, the sloping roofs, and the large corridors certainly made me want to stay for a while. Although we couldn’t stay to watch the sunset, I’d definitely recommend everyone else to do it, as I’ve heard wonderful things about the view.
The glow of the shrine at night, which we missed
The opening hours for the shrine depend on the month, but you can refer to the shrine’s official website for an idea of the timings when you visit. As for tickets, it’ll cost you 300 JPY (1.92 USD) to visit just the shrine and 500 JPY (3.19 USD) to visit both the shrine and Treasure Hall.
If you’re planning on taking photos, I would definitely recommend coming to the shrine at high tide, so you can take photos of the gate and the shrine complex “floating” in the water. Another great time for photos is when the complex is lit up at night—glowing yellow in the dark. I’ve seen photos of this, but sadly wasn’t able to take any myself as we had to rush back to Hiroshima. We’d made the (eventually regrettable) decision to combine Hiroshima and Miyajima in one day and wanted to see Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum after the shrine. However, in a classic Murphy’s Law-esque twist, it closed at 5pm, and we couldn’t see it anyway!
Other things to see and do on Miyajima Island
Walking along the path on the island
In the short time that I was on the island, I absolutely fell in love with it. If you’re someone who enjoys peaceful walks, I think you’ll really enjoy spending some time on the trails on the island that cut through the forest and surround the town. Lined with trees that sway gently in the sea breeze, the trails were a feast for both my soul and my eyes. You can take some pretty amazing Instagram shots as you walk past moss-covered trees and Japanese-style houses.
My yummy meal at Miyajima Base
Once we’d had enough of the trails, we decided to treat ourselves to delicious food and drinks at the charming local cafes. The one we stopped at was Miyajima Base, and let me tell you, their combo of spicy beef curry with Miyajima chicken still calls my name. I followed that up with coffee, and off we went to make some new friends.
Selfie time with deer on the island!
By friends, of course, I mean the adorable, friendly deer that populate the island. Since they’re used to people, they came right up to us and let us pet and feed them. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be God’s favorite, having a deer pose for a selfie with you is certainly on the list of perks.
The park and the bridge
Our last stop was Momijidani Park, which is exactly what we needed—to enjoy a moment of calm in the middle of the frantic race to maintain our schedule. It’s a sea of green with various plants and trees, broken up by paths and a cute Japanese bridge. I took the opportunity to pose for photos on the bridge, and I’d highly recommend you do the same!
Daisho-in-Temple surrounded by colorful trees
There were, of course, several things that we couldn’t manage to fit into our schedules (and really regretted not visiting). On the top of that list, I’d put Daisho-in-Temple, which is located at the foot of Mount Misen. It’s home to fascinating Buddhist artifacts. In fact, there’s a cave filled with 88 icons representing the temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage here. If you enjoy challenges and want to see more of the complex buildings, you can even follow the temple ground’s hiking trail, which leads to the top of Mount Misen. Daisho-in-Temple is only a five-minute walk from Itsukushima Shrine, so if you have the time, definitely check it out.
Five Story Pagoda towering over the area
Another stop I wish we’d made is the famous Five Story Pagoda, which was built in the 15th century. It’s a huge tower with five roofs, built in the Zen Buddhism style and colored a striking red. It’s on a hill close to Itsukushima Shrine, so you’ll get panoramic views of the shrine and the gate from here as well.
Miyajima Ropeway Station
Mount Misen is an iconic stop on any tour of Miyajima Island, and there’s a ropeway from the town to the mountain. If we’d taken it, we would have seen panoramic views of the island, the town, the forest, and Seto Inland Sea. There are two types of ropeways here—circulating and funicular in series. I’ll definitely come here if I make another visit to the island!
The museum’s exterior
Miyajima History and Folklore Museum was set up to preserve the history of the island and would have made for a fascinating spot. Part of its facilities are set up in the main house and storehouse of the former Egami family, who were wealthy merchants in the 19th century. If you end up visiting the museum, I’d love to know what you learned about the island and its culture!
Raw oysters served in Miyajima
And last on the list of things I wish I’d tried but couldn’t are the island’s fresh oysters, which it is known for! If the thought of raw oysters makes you queasy, they do serve them grilled as well!
My tip for fellow travellers
Don’t make the same mistake that we did. We combined Hiroshima and Miyajima Island into a single day trip, but both these places deserve a leisurely visit for travelers to be able to properly experience them. Even though we took the earliest possible train from Osaka, we still couldn’t manage to do justice to either of these places. In our rush to get from one place to the next, we missed seeing the shrine at night and during sunset, and then ended up missing the museum completely anyway!
So, dedicate an entire day to Miyajima Island if you want to see and try everything it has to offer.
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