Japan’s best day trip – MIYAJIMA | Japan travel vlog

Today we’re showing you Japan’s BEST day trip, Miyajima! In this Japan travel log, we’ll show you our top 5 things to do in Miyajima. We show you Miyajima’s top tourist attractions and sights!

Miyajima is Japan’s perfect day trip, easily accessible from Hiroshima by train and ferry. Make sure to add Miyajima to your West Japan itinerary! It’s jammed packed full of Japanese history, with many stunning temples and shines all conveniently located within walking distance of the main port. Miyajima is famous for its floating Torii gate, and floating shrine, Itsukushima, as well as delicious momijimanju.

Miyajima is also famous for its deer, which live alongside humans and get up to mischief! The deer are very friendly but be careful with your belongings as they will try (successfully) to eat your things!

Where we went & what we did:
00:00 Hiroshima station
01:33 Miyajima station & JR Ferry
04:19 Arriving in Miyajima & deer
07:58 Floating torii gate
10:00 Itsukushima floating shrine
12:10 lunch & world’s largest rice scoop
13:30 Omotesando shopping street
14:28 Gebura ¥300 yen drinks
15:12 Momijimanju
17:49 Miyajima at low tide
19:29 Momijidani park
21:00 Info about the Ropeway
22:52 Miyajima beach
24:26 Buying souvenirs

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WHO WE BE:

Hi we’re Theo and Ashley, a British couple who lived in Japan for 3 years 🇯🇵 We spent a year living in the countryside of the northern prefecture of Hokkaido before moving to Kobe City! We’re back in Japan, documenting our time and making videos about things we find interesting, without being too serious.

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[Music] Ohayogozaimasu from Hiroshima  station. today we’re going to Miyajima,   one of the top locations in all of Japan. super  excited. we have been before but we didn’t film   then um cuz the weather wasn’t so great but we  are super looking forward to going today. yeah  

There’s lots to do: Itsukushima shrine,  that torii gate in the sea, great food,   momijimanju. yeah let’s go. come on. snacks  for the train. early morning because it takes   a while to get there you have to get a  train, you have to get a ferry. Ikimasu [Music] Sakura line local train to Miyajima

The next stop is Itsukaichi so we’re outside JR Miyajima station, the  ferry which is also JR, which means you can   use your IC card or Suica or welcome suica or JR  pass, is sort of just over the street that way.

So today we’ve taken the JR train and then  the JR Ferry which we’ll do in a minute uh   and the reason why we’re doing that is so we  can compare and contrast. last time we did a  

Direct Ferry which goes from sort of near the  peace Park and that was pretty good. last time.   but we want to yeah as Theo said compare so  we’ll let you know which is better.I have a   sneaky suspicion the fast ferry is a lot easier  if you’re staying near the peace Park which most  

People will normally do. uh it’s pretty much  direct but sometimes there were massive cues   and there were no cues to get on the train but if  you have a Jr pass you can do this way that we’re  

Doing today. yeah the fast ferry though, the  fast ferry uh you can book it but it’s only in   Japanese you need to call them up and use your  Japanese skills which if you don’t have any,   probably not ideal. good luck. so the JR  train & ferry is probably more convenient  

For those who have zero knowledge of the  Japanese language. Miyajima let’s go! oh Twilight Express I’d love to get on  a train like that. Japan has so many   really fancy trains that you can  get on. fit check. although I’m a   religious family Mart enjoyer today  I’m an average Uniqlo appreciator

Miyajima sighted in the distance. The  ticket booth is right here but we don’t   need it cuz we have an IC card. a  big queue for the Japan Rail Pass. touchy touchy. how easy is it using the IC card?  well you just touch it and then  

Walk straight through. so if you  have a rail pass you need to get   a tourist tax ticket. I love ICOCA and  the Little Penguin as well is the mascot. very beautiful Miyajima and ocean this is the most impressive and Unforgettable  memory for all those who visit Miyajima.

And just like a normal train you’ve got  to tap off I’m guessing. oh maybe not? no. Miyajima is great to visit and if you  have a chance to stay over night you   should definitely do it. the the architecture  here is amazing the announcer on the ferry was  

Saying it’s all sort of Heian style, it was  the architecture Style favored. it’s uh one   of Japan’s three most scenic spots. where  are the other ones? Mount Fuji’s got to be   another one. doesn’t say. I reckon it’s Mount  Fuji and maybe Matsushima Bay in Sendai but  

I could be wrong. we’ll check on screen now.  why did i bring my coat. stupid. you’re hot.   stupid. I’m not hot. I’m temperate. you’re  going to pretend that you’re cool all day   so you can keep wearing your jacket?  I’m temperate. sweaty. man’s not hot.

It’s worth grabbing a a map and a guide because  it shows you all the spots on Miyajima and how   to get there exactly. got one. got one here,  although we already know where we’re going   because we’re travel Legends. the map on  the back has a little bit of history and  

Information about each site which is useful and  they have it in all different languages. Miyajima   like Nara is famous for having wild deer. wild  boar. no, deer. We’ve sighted an active deer. quite clumsy aren’t they. no don’t eat that. oh  dear. I don’t know how to… no. oh God no no

No oh. you can’t exactly grab it [ __ ]  I don’t know what to do because… spit   it out! oh God oh God. that’s why.  and that is why you don’t litter. oh I don’t know what to do cuz I’m like – can  I go and grab it? but I don’t want touch it,  

It’s a wild animal it might bite me. but then  I feel like everyone has just stood around   watching it going like “oh no” but they’re  not doing anything. and that is why you do   not litter in Japan because the wild animals  or anywhere really because the wild animals  

Will eat it and then die. oh I feel sad now. rip  Bambi. pour one out for the homies. for the B-.   pour one out for the bambis. they’re literally  sacred. yeah they’re sacred actually on Miyajima   and in the rest of Japan, so don’t litter  otherwise there will be a lot more of that.

Welcome to Japan. we were filming the deer  and then turns out our SD card was full and we   didn’t have another one. we’re like oh no, but  it’s Japan. just go to a convenience store get   a new one easy and it was 1,500 Yen. absolute  bargain. our storage management has been quite  

Bad this holiday we’ve been so busy just doing  stuff you know maximizing our fun times uh one   thing you have to do though if you’re filming  lots is remember to move the footage off the   SD card onto the laptop or storage device for  transportation because SD cards are much smaller  

Than like external hard drives. and um yeah  so we’ve been… I feel like you should get   away from the edge it’s splashing over. oh I  do like to be beside the Seaside. that’ll be   copyright. but yeah Miyajima is bloody lovely,  it’s bloody lovely! it’s noticeable already that  

There’s less foreign tourists and more Japanese  tourists. yes Miyajima is like a pilgrimage for   Japanese people it’s a really popular spot for  Japanese people to come. all of my colleagues   when I was working in Japan uh always came  here, they love it and trips come here,  

Lots of students. well it’s a really nice  place to come they’ve got the right idea we would recommend that the first place you or  visit on Miyajima is the Torii gate which is   obviously in the sea. last time we came it  was under construction so it’s really nice  

To finally be able to see it um it’s looking  very magnificent. so yeah the torii gate if   you follow the coast around from the port uh  you’ll get to itsukushima Shrine but before   that you get to see the amazing Torii gate in  the sea which is one of the probably one of  

The most photographed spots in the entirety  of Japan. and also it depends um obviously   on the tide so at high tide you’ll see it in  the sea and at low tide you’ll see it on the  

Sand but you can walk up to it at low tide so no  matter the tide is still very nice. it’s worth   checking out the tide schedule for the day. also  Itsukushima Shrine which is around the corner,  

Much better when high tide um but if you want  to go out to the torii gate and take photos,   you need low tide. we think last time we  were here it was low tide and I’m telling  

You it looks better at high tide for sure. it  looks all sloppy and muddy at low tide [Music] so in the spot for photos there is a massive  queue in the shrine, to take one directly   in front of the shrine. but this place at  the side view. the side view is fine. side  

View is lovely. side view is good. you get them  diagonals going. but um if you did want to wait   it looks very long the queue over there. Ta-da!  it’s there, one of the best three views in Japan. I’m pretty sure the restoration Works took  about 3 years, because I think they just  

Uncovered it. well we were here, we were here in  2020 and it was under construction or renovation   and I think it was just fixed um after we left  which is not ideal. great photo spot. [Music] so we’re inside the shrine now it was  300 Yen for an adult to come in it’s  

It’s Kashima Shrine it’s the main thing  to do on Miyajima island or it’s actually   itsukushima but more popularly known as  Miyajima and it’s famous for floating   during high tide so it looks like it’s  floating over the water it’s very beautiful Can never get away from the scaffolding. I  guess because of the water they have to do   lots of repairs. I was just thinking about  that like how has it not got um rotted away. damn it it’s so cool oh pagoda. it’s lovely.

It’s not wobbly at all you’re not  going to get sea legs coming on here. thats more like a cat than a pirate [Music] so much scaffolding again! we’ve had such bad luck  coming here it’s always under under construction.  

It’s any this little bit I think the rest of it is  fine. although it’s kind of ruining the ambience. so I’m just leaving the shrine now I’m  starving time for some lunch I think. another really cool part of the  temple Shrine complex is that there One of the crew. in our quest to find a spot for lunch  which is difficult actually in Miyajima   because it’s so busy, we found this nice  back street view. super nice back street   with a great view of this Pagoda which  is part of itsukushima Shrine but you  

Have to sort of go up the hill to see it.  very nice nice pagoda p p pagood pagooda. that was such a good little lunch I didn’t  get to film it because it was quite busy   and quite loud. I think it was copyrighted  music playing as well so I couldn’t film it  

But I can highly highly recommend Miyama  Cafe. it’s down this little tiny little   Alleyway you might miss it. it’s really really  good and you should definitely check it out. just got a hot chocolate from the vending  machine. fun fact you can get hot drinks  

And vending machines it was right next  to the crab soup. didn’t fancy that so we’re on the uh the Main Street which  is very busy. I mean it’s less busy than   when we were here last time because last  time we were here on a national holiday,  

But yeah very busy. so we actually  went for lunch on just street over,   nobody there. it’s brilliant.  look at this dog! in the jumper! last time we were here we went to this  place called gab gaburo? Gaba? Gebura.  

And they did like sort of craft cocktails  but once you had it you could refill it   I’m pretty sure for free it was free back then  but but now it’s 200 yen to. yeah I want one. they’re expanding it’s clearly popular  Gebura for your alcoholic needs. is it  

Time? should we get one? I want one.  do it. Hiroshima Lemon chu-hai, dry. okay you can refill for 200 yen  so please bring the cup later it tastes so good so fresh. we  got like exactly the same thing  

Last year well I think I got actually  I’ll take I’ll put the picture up but   tastes just as good. oh that’s  really good that’s so tasty. the traditional one would be red beans.  so what is Momijimanju? it’s famous from  

Miyajima but also in Hiroshima yeah and it’s  shaped like a maple leaf. it’s a soft cake   and inside various fillings are available. the  traditional one would be the anko which is the   well… I don’t like anko. you don’t like it  but Japanese people like it. go on then have  

One. I thought so. I thought so. I don’t  like anko. it’s really cool to see their   machine showing you how uh how it’s done.  I don’t know if you can call it handmade. fresh off the press or whatever you call it the  momiji mega Manju million 5000. they’re hot,  

I’m looking forward to try this.  I’ve got the chocolate flavour,   not traditional. no no I don’t like anko.  anko suki janai. right chocolate for me today,   if I can get into it. is it hot? it’s boiling hot. maple leaf. oishii oh so rich.

[Music] that it’s really good I  need more. I recommend. Oishii.   it’s delicious I need some more. it’s a bit of a Mad shop this is it. there’s  a lot going on. it’s bit overwhelming. look at   this Ultra nice packaging from the well  the Miyajima Brewery it’s like the like  

The uh the Torii gate. mecha Kawaii! it’s  cute. a set for 1,300 yen which is about £7 it’s eating more trash. the deer is is literally eating  the newspaper out of his hands. hello so it’s a bit later in the day now and  the sea has actually gone out quite quite a  

Lot you can see a lot of people over here going  out onto the sand to take photos in front of   the Tory gate eventually the sea goes all the  way out and you can take photos directly under   the gate what’s interesting though is now the  shrine there’s no one there’s no water under  

It at all it’s you known as the floating  Shrine but now there’s no water it’s just   that’s why we recommend coming at high tide  and that’s why we recommend coming at high   tide because it looks a lot worse [Music] now  Christ there’s like an Asian Hornet there was  

Messy I know I was going to say something  else but got distracted it’s huge yeah def D what I was going to say is as we said just  before it’s definitely not as nice um in the  

Shrine at low tide it just doesn’t look as nice  it’s not like the famous thing about it is that   it floats in the water so definitely make sure  to check the tide times and come during high   tide it looks muddy swampy also yeah the  tide goes out very very quickly so if you  

Want to get the pics don’t go for lunch um and  expect the water to still be there cuz it’ll be   all [Music] gone it’s funny that the deer are all  around the um street food vendors they know where  

They’re going to get the best they know what’s  up they know where they’re going to get the snack 10 minute walk seven if run a little so  we’re here in Momiji Dan Coen or momijidani   Park this is supposed to be one of the  top spots you can come to see um momiji  

The Autumn Leaves we’re on this super nice  bridge and there’s a really well as in lots   of places in M but there’s a deer just right  there and it looks very Scenic Scenic [Music] deer [Applause] differently to the deer in Nara here there’s  been nowhere where you can buy SBE to feed  

Them so they’re eating the Natural Way leaves  or plastic and Maps hand tows definitely don’t   litter on Thea you will be a deer killer  oh dear oh deer oh yeah. cha cha [Music] that’s anyway Momiji Dani Park is definitely  worth coming if you’re visiting in Autumn um  

There’s a load of really fancy hotels around  here but there are no toilet facilities so so   if you need the Lo like Ashley does right now  try and go before you come up uh if you don’t  

Want to do the ropeway you don’t have to you can  hike up if you’ve got an hour and a half to make   the climb up and then you can always get the uh  way down shrines and temples on the way of the  

Hike yeah there’s so You’ Miss on the ropeway I  think there’s loads of stuff to do pretty much   speaking of the ropeway we actually went up last  time that we were here and it was really good you  

Get a really good view um but it became quite  a nightmare situation because we got to the top   plenty of time spent some time looking around and  then it said the last ropeway is in 15 minutes and  

The said 30 minutes from this point and then we  were also rushing to get the last ferry so make   sure you check when the ferry is finished I  think in normal times like now it’s at 10:  

P.m. but back then in covid times it was 400 p.m.  so we were really stressing and thinking like   we’re going to be stuck on Miyajima and there’s  definitely no hotels available basically just just   get down a bit early don’t wait till the last  minute or the last half an hour and if you’re  

Going to do the Rope I recommend doing it like  earlier in the day we’re about to leave the park   and head back to town to refill our our drinks  and um we spotted the golden of goldens whatever  

We’ve been searching for um a really big Daruma  doll a monster Daruma all holiday, we found one.   we’ve not found it and there’s one here so um a  big one we’re going to look and maybe purchase.

Look I found it the Daruma the Daruma of our  dreams there’s no such thing as too big a Daruma   okay but it’s dusty it’s dusty surely we can  like wipe it down Hiroshima lemon chu-ahi dry dry I’ve said it before but I think Miyajima is  like my favourite place in Japan it’s always  

Really I mean we’ve been when it’s really nice  weather I think if it was bad weather it would   not be so nice but if it’s if it’s a nice  day so stunning and even though it’s busy  

It’s really peaceful and you get these better G  and you got the beach dear on the beach you do   not want my lemon too high I can’t be unhappy at  the beach always happy at the beach this is such  

A Scenic spot for a lemon sour in Miyajima great  company great drinks great location seen it great Vibes we’re on the way to get a Daruma  we finished our lemon Chu-hai and now   we’re going to go relook at the big  Daruma that we saw before it’s very  

Busy so trying to push through the crowd so  busy cuz we’re on that main street that we   on the Main Street with all these people  anyway the daruma shop is this one right here look at that big boy in the corner 11,000  Yen you’re coming home with me we spoke to one  

Of the shopkeepers earlier uh and we said we’d  come back after we finished our tourism stuff   to pick it up he said it’s monstrous you’ll see  it in a second it’s massive um but he said there  

Is a box which is good cuz we need to ship  it back to the UK or check it in as one of   our sort of checked bags they’re really fragile  they made of like Pap mâché so we’re getting the  

Shing house girl it’s going to be difficult  it’s going to be difficult anyway here we go   here he is a few moments later so Ashley the  [ __ ] um didn’t film any of the transaction just purchased the daruma doll um I accidentally  did not film it but we did purchase it proof  

11,000 Yen which is so much cheaper than what  we looked at in Kyoto which is 30,000 yen for   exactly the same thing so top tip buy your  souvenirs in Miyajima so the shopkeeper is   currently trying to find us a box big enough  for our Daruma um he doesn’t have one so he’s  

Calling up other shops he’s told us to relax  and look around the store while while we wait.   why is this you if Theo was a momiji. and  this is me. this is you now. oh god oh no I think the souvenirs in Miyajima much better than  

Anywhere anywhere cuz they  have loads of cool stuff like when these are just magnets but they  have like lots of snacks and stuff here   like I bought that before hiroshima spice I  mean that’s just crappy but I was reading the  

Story about d The Hobbit it’s definitely  like a very religious thing can’t call it a nice so Dara has been acquired the guy was so  nice he spent quite a while wrapping it but it’s  

Because he was putting a handle on it which is so  useful because we’re going to puka right now on   the shinkansen on the shinkansen and we need to go  get our bags from AA so we’re going to be carrying  

Lots of stuff and now we so the handle is so  useful otherwise it would be like the hallway we   are with child we are with Daruma we with daruma  baby Daruma and this is going to be super useful  

The box he spent ages looking for a box bless him  and then he wrapped it all in bubble wrap which is   going to help us enormously when we take this home  to the UK to England we’ve been looking for one of  

These like since we left Japan I looked online  but it said it was going to be like thousands   of dollars thousands of dollars or Pounds to  like ship one of these big ones back to the UK  

But anyway thank you very much for watching that  has been our day and Miyajima we’ve done a load   of good stuff today we highly recommend you come  Miyajima is one of our top places to visit y it’s  

Definitely my favorite place to visit I just love  being by the seaside it’s just really nice here   it feels special it feels something great but  yeah anyway we will see you again soon bye bye