Miyajima overnight trip

Hi folks,

We plan to do an overnight stay at Miyajima in mid of Nov this year. We are wondering if it's possible to do this route:

- Arrive in Miyajima in late morning (10am)
- Check in at accommodation
- Itsukushima Shrine + Lunch (1pm)
- Walk through Momijidani park, take the ropeway all the way to Shishi-iwa Observatory.
- Hike to Mt Misen summit
- Hike down via Daisho-in pathway
- Explore Daisho-in temple
- Walk through Asebihodo nature walk towards Tahoto Pagoda
- Dinner

Questions:
1. Is this too ambitious for 1-day itinerary? 2. Is 1 hour enough to explore Daisho-in temple (it closes at 5pm)?
3. Is it better to explore the Daisho-in temple first, hike to the summit and then go back down via Ropeway?
4. Is it worth trying to walk towards the Torii gate during low tide?
5. Can you recommend a nice restaurant near Itsukushima Shrine for dinner?

Any experience you'd like to share?

Hi there

There is a six hour recommended walking course at Miyajima that will take you through everything you listed and everything worth seeing at the island, so allowing time for lunch and souvenirs will still be possible before 6-7pm.

Yes, you can go to the "water side" of the big torii gate during low tide, no problem :)

So is it better to visit Daisho-in temple before or after hiking to Mount Misen summit? I'm thinking in terms of the time it needs to leisurely explore the Daisho-in temple ground, take some photo shoots.

I checked that the temple closes at 5pm, so would 1 hour be enough to explore the temple?

Depending on the weather, is it better to hike up between 2-3pm and then hike down to Daisho by 4pm, or the other way round?

Hi
I intend to walk up Mt Misen via Daisho-in trail in early Nov.
It takes about 4 hrs up and down the mountain. I intend to spend the bulk of my day to complete this trail, noting the daylight is shorter in Nov.
Thanks.

Just a reminder, I think the check-in time in most Japanese accomodations is around 3 pm so I don't think you can actually check-in.

You can probably leave your luggage there though.

Have you not booked dinner via your hotel/ryokan? I stayed overnight in Miyajima in late March and nearly all restaurants were closed when we strolled through the streets around 5 pm and 7 pm.

Since daylight is shorter in Nov. maybe try exploring the temple first and then hike up to Mt. Misen, walk towards the torii at low tide, and explore Itsukushima after you spent the night (high tide)?

We will see if the ryokan do provide dinner or not. We were hoping there would be restaurants still open for dinner around 6-8pm. Too bad if they don't.

In regards to hiking up to Mt Misen, I think the missus is only keen to either hike up or down. So if we were to hike up via Daisho-in course, we'd explore the temple first and then go down via the rope way, then walk down via Momijidani?

Would this be a better experience than the other way round?

Definitely check if your ryokan provides dinner. And book it if they do provide it, one of the best meals I had was at a ryokan in Miyajima.

I think there is some thread here if there are any open restaurants around dinnertime in Miyajima and there were a few but most are closed.

About hiking... can't help you, since my friend and I used the ropeway to the highest station, hiked to the summit and used the ropeway again to get down. But we went there after lunch (~1 pm)and got back to Itsukushima maybe around 4.30 pm?

Note
The ropeway down
Last one is 7 I think
Or it could have been 630
So hiking down might be Better

What is the level of difficulty hiking up/down through the Daisho-in course?

I'm planning to bring my DSLR gear with me (a mirrorless camera + 2-3 lenses) and not sure if I need a hiking bag or a simple shoulder camera bag would be alright? Will be bringing water bottle and snack too.

Thoughts?