Miyajima Travel Guide

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Miyajima

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Itsukushima Shrine and its floating torii gate

Miyajima is a small island less than an hour outside the city of Hiroshima. It is most famous for its giant torii gate, which at high tide seems to float on the water. The sight is ranked as one of Japan's three best views.

While officially named Itsukushima, the island is more commonly referred to as Miyajima, Japanese for "shrine island". This is because the island is so closely related to its key shrine, Itsukushima Shrine, in the public's mind. Like the torii gate, the shrine's main buildings are built over water.

Miyajima is a romantic place, best enjoyed by staying overnight at one of the island's ryokan. There are usually many day tourists, but in the evening the area becomes much quieter and more peaceful. There are wild deer on the island that have become accustomed to people. In the day the deer wander around the same sites as the tourists, and in the evening they sleep along the walking paths.

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Attractions

1 Itsukushima Shrine

Famous shrine with floating torii gate.
User rating: 94/100 (765 votes)
Visited by: 1332 users

2 Mount Misen

The island's highest mountain.
User rating: 90/100 (334 votes)
Visited by: 600 users

3 Daisho-in Temple

Buddhist temple at the foot of Misen.
User rating: 87/100 (402 votes)
Visited by: 774 users

4 Senjokaku

Large wooden hall built by Hideyoshi.
User rating: 81/100 (208 votes)
Visited by: 409 users

5 Walking Trails

Leading around town and up Misen.
User rating: 88/100 (304 votes)
Visited by: 585 users

6 Museum of History

Housed in a former merchant residence.
User rating: 79/100 (54 votes)
Visited by: 124 users

7 Miyajima Aquarium

Nice aquarium at the far end of the town.
User rating: 68/100 (21 votes)
Visited by: 45 users

Access and Orientation

Access and Orientation
How to get to and around Miyajima.

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Hotels and Ryokan

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Sponsor Hotels

Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto
17th century sukiya style Japanese hotel built in the Edo Period. With private open air baths with view of Itsukushima Shrine torii.

Tours and Packages

Hiroshima and Miyajima Tours
Various tours and travel packages for Hiroshima and surroundings.

User Ratings

Ratings for Miyajima:

japan-guide.com Rating:		best of the best
User Rating (by 994 users):	96/100	highly recommended

Best rated destinations (out of 148):

1. Kyoto 97/100

2. Yaeyama Islands 97/100

3. Ogasawara Islands 97/100

4. Yakushima 97/100

5. Miyajima 96/100

6. Tokyo 95/100

7. Mount Koya 93/100

8. Alpine Route 93/100

9. Shirakawa-go 93/100

10. Okinawa Island 93/100

Most visited destinations (out of 160):

8. Nagoya 2203

9. Kobe 2198

10. Hakone 2085

11. Nikko 2046

12. Himeji 1827

13. Miyajima 1812

14. Fukuoka 1634

15. Fuji Five Lakes 1620

16. Sapporo 1572

17. Narita 1299

User Feedback

Japanese Links

Hatsukaichi City
Official website of the municipality where Miyajima is located.

Related Pages

Travel
Sightseeing
Chugoku Region
Hiroshima

Itsukushima Shrine
Senjokaku Hall
Daisho-in Temple
Mount Misen
Walking Trails
Museum of History and Folklore
Miyajima Aquarium

Nihon Sankei
Shrines

Miyajima: Access and Orientation

News and Reports

	April 2, 2013 Hiroshima Cherry Blossom Report by schauwecker
	November 23, 2012 Miyajima Autumn Color Report by sean
	April 10, 2012 Hiroshima Cherry Blossom Report by sean
	November 21, 2011 Miyajima Autumn Color Report by schauwecker
	April 7, 2011 Hiroshima Cherry Blossom Report by scott
	Miyajima Cherry Blossom Report April 3, 2010
	Miyajima Cherry Blossom Report March 28, 2009

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