Miyajima Island Guide – The Perfect Day Trip From Hiroshima

Miyajima Island Guide – The Perfect Day Trip From Hiroshima

Just off the coast of Hiroshima
Prefecture lies Itsukushima Island, more commonly known as Miyajima. It has been designated
as one of the three most scenic views in Japan, and one not to miss
if you’re also visiting Hiroshima. Famous for the iconic floating
red torii gate, free roaming deer, and beautiful
views of the Seto Inland Sea, Miyajima makes for the perfect day
trip from Hiroshima. If you’re planning to visit,
you can follow this one day itinerary
to make the most of your time here. Because the times for high and low
tide change every day, I recommend checking them
before you head over to Miyajima. At high tide,
the Grand Torii Gate will appear to be floating on the water,
while at low tide, you get a chance to walk up to it
and see it up close. Depending on what time
the ocean comes in on the day you’re planning to visit, you may have to swap a few bits
around in this itinerary. But either way, you’ll easily
be able to do everything, maybe
just in a slightly different order. If you want any extra information
about the sites and access to the Google Maps
we put together, make sure to check out
the written version of this itinerary
on thenavigatio.com Taking a day trip to Miyajima
is easiest done from Hiroshima. From Hiroshima Station you can get on the JR Sanjo Line
towards Miyajimaguchi station. From there, you can hop on one of the ferries
that will take you to the island. The ferry only cost
a couple of hundred yen per person, and you can even
use your Suica card to pay. It’s also possible to get the ferry all the way
from Motoyasu Pier in Hiroshima, which is located near the atomic
bomb dome inside the city. However, this option
is a lot more expensive. Once you get off the ferry
on Miyajima, you can start by exploring
Omotesando Shopping Street. As Miyajima is quite mountainous,
most shops are located close to the pier. This is also a great spot
to try the famous Momiji Manju. These small maple leaf shaped pastries are freshly
made on the island. There are loads
of different flavors to try, from the traditional red bean filling to chocolate, cheese
and even green tea. They have a soft waffle
like texture. I tried one with custard inside,
which was absolutely delicious. Similar to Nara, Miyajima is known
for its many wild roaming deer. In the Shinto religion, they’re considered sacred animals
and messengers from the gods. The name of the island
roughly translates to “island of worship”, so
it’s very special seeing them here. While making your way towards
Itsukushima Shrine, you’ll probably come across
dozens of them. They’re very cute, but be careful with food around them
and keep an eye on your belongings. On the day
we filmed this video, peak high tide
was around 11:30 in the morning. So by the time we got here,
the famous torii gate already looked like it was floating
on the crystal blue sea. Just to see this incredible sight, I think it’s worth making the trip
out to Miyajima. While Itsukushima Shrine was built
during the sixth century, the torii gate is believed to
have been built a little bit later. It has since gone
through many iterations. Today’s torii gate was built in
1875, undergoing extensive restorations
between 2019 and 2022. You can also visit the actual shrine, which is located
right behind the red torii gate. This shrine also looks like it’s floating on the water
during high time. You can get a ticket to visit Itsukushima Shrine
for just a few hundred yen, or buy a combination ticket
so you can also visit the Treasure Hall. After visiting the shrine, head over to Miyajima’s five story
pagoda and Senjokaku pavilion. Senjo translates
to “1000 tatami mats”. In Japan, tatami mats are a common unit
for measuring the size of a room, so the name of the pavilion tells
you just how big it is. The pavilion was originally
commissioned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1587, but he died
before they were able to finish it. The building remains
without any walls to this day, but it gives you a beautiful view
over the Seto Inland Sea. As Miyajima is an island, they have access
to the freshest seafood. Grilled
oysters are a popular delicacy, and you can get them
for just a few hundred yen. Actually, It’s quite good! It’s actually quite nice. It’s like the last oyster that I had. They were, um, like raw oyster. And that just tasted like,
you swallowed seawater. These are actually really nice
because they’re cooked when they have a good sauce
on them as well. So. Before we headed to Mount Misen,
we stopped for a quick coffee break at one of the nicest cafes
on the island. There’s a small cover charge
you have to pay to enter, but the coffees and cakes
are pretty cheap. From the outdoor seating, you can get a beautiful view
of the five storied pagoda, Senjokaku hall, and the crystal
blue sea in the background. After coffee, it’s time to head over to
Miyajima Ropeway Station, where you can get on the ropeway
to reach the top of Mount Misen. This sacred mountain reaches
535m above sea level, and will reward you with some
incredible views on a clear day. There is also a hiking trail
that leads up the mountain, but since we’re only visiting
Miyajima for one day, we took the ropeway up
and decided to walk down instead. If you can’t
or don’t want to do the hike, you can also take the ropeway back
down. Our first stop on the way down
is the Eternal Flame. So behind me
you can see the Eternal Fire hall, and inside there is a fire that is said
to be lit by Kobo Daishi himself. They’ve kept it burning for over
1200 years, and if you go inside, you can even scoop some tea out
that’s being warmed by the fire. And if you drink it, it’s said to cure all sorts of illnesses,
so uh, we should go do that. Kobo Daishi was a monk who brought Shingon Buddhism
to Japan during the Heian period. He also founded the Daisho-in
Temple in the year 806, which you can see at the end
of the hike down Mount Misen. He is one of the most well-known
figures in Japanese Buddhism,
so visiting the Eternal Flame definitely carries
deep spiritual meaning. The walk down Mount
Misen took us around two hours, but we got to enjoy
some beautiful views along the way. The path is easy to follow
and guides you through lush forests,
small shrines, and past lots of Jizo statues,
which are protectors of children and travelers. Towards the end of the walk,
you arrive at Daisho-in. This is the beautiful temple that was founded by Kobo
Daishi over 1200 years ago. It’s free to enter,
and during the autumn, the red leaves
make the area even more beautiful. On the side of the temple grounds, you can also find
a sea of Rakan statues. There are 500 of them, and each one
represents a Buddhist monk who was an actual disciple
of the Buddha. While walking up or down the stairs
inside the temple grounds, you’ll notice
a row of spinning wheels. Each wheel has a sutra or Buddhist
scripture written on it. And while you walk past it,
you can spin the wheels, which is said
to have the same effect as reading the sutras out loud. Once you finish the walk, it’s
time to head back for a final visit to the Grand Torii
Gate at Itsukushima Shrine. Depending on the times
for high and low tide during your visit to Miyajima,
you may now be able to either walk up to the torii gate
or finally see it afloat. On the day we shot this video,
it was peak low tide after our hike down Mount Misen, which gave us
the perfect opportunity to see this iconic torii
gate up close. We just finished our hike down the mountain and we ended
here at low tide, as you can see. And that concludes
our day here in Miyajima. It was very special walking here,
but do you remember that the sand is very wet and your shoes
will probably get a bit wet too. As the sun
set behind the mountains, we didn’t want to look away
from the beautiful torii gate in front of us, as it slowly
turned into a silhouette. As most shops on the island closed around 5pm, it’s
now time to return to Hiroshima. From Miyajima pier, you can get back on the ferry
and head to the mainland, where you can get on a train
towards Hiroshima. Miyajima is one of the most
beautiful spots I’ve visited in Japan so far. On my next trip,
I’d love to book a ryokan to stay the night on the island, as I’ve heard it
is even more to your visit. However, for now, I’m very happy
we got to visit on such a lovely, bright day. If you’re planning to visit
Miyajima for the day, you can also use our written
itinerary on the thenavigatio.com. It includes some more information
about the sites, alongside
an interactive Google Maps that you can save
and use on your own trip. You can find a link
in the description. Thanks for watching, and don’t
forget to watch our other videos to help
you plan your next trip to Japan.

Join our day in Miyajima, exploring the sacred island on a day trip from Hiroshima!

🗺️ My full guide with our one day Miyajima itinerary: https://thenavigatio.com/miyajima-yt

🌊 High and low tide website: https://www.tidetime.org/asia/japan/miyajima.htm

🏨 Ryokans on Miyajima: https://thenavigatio.com/miyajima-ryokan-yt

📱Use code “JPW042” for 25% off Pocket WiFi with Wireless Japan: https://thenavigatio.com/wireless-japan-yt

📍 Places covered in this video:

00:00 – Intro
01:02 – Getting to Miyajima from Hiroshima
01:36 – Omotesando Shopping Street & Momiji Manju
02:10 – Miyajima Deer & Grand Torii Gate
02:47 – Itsukushima Shrine
03:37 – Senjokaku
04:10 – Trying Grilled Oysters
05:03 – Tenshinkaku
05:22 – Miyajima Ropeway
05:49 – Eternal Flame of Reikado
06:46 – Walk down Mount Misen
08:15 – Daisho-in Temple
09:22 – Grand Torii Gate
10:16 – Return to Hiroshima

✈️ More free Japan travel guides:

2 week Japan itinerary for first time visitors: https://thenavigatio.com/japan-itinerary-two-weeks/

Is the Japan Rail Pass still worth it in 2025? https://thenavigatio.com/japan-rail-pass-travel-worth/

60+ handy Japanese phrases for toursits: https://thenavigatio.com/basic-japanese-phrases-for-tourists/

One day Nara itinerary: https://thenavigatio.com/nara-itinerary-one-day-trip/

One day Hiroshima day trip: https://thenavigatio.com/hiroshima-day-trip-itinerary/

Japan travel FAQ: https://thenavigatio.com/faq/

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