miyajima at night, ferry schedule?

Sorry another question!
Is it possible to stay on Miyajima long enough to see the shrine lit up at night and still make it back to the mainland?
Thank you!!

The last ferry from Miyajima back to the mainland leaves at 22:14. That is long after sunset, even during summer. So yes, it is possible.

Most tourists visit Miyajima Island during the day and fail to experience their beautiful sunset and the nightlight view of Itsukushima Shrine.

If we do not stay overnight on the island, we enjoy early dinner there followed by watching the sunset before catching the ferry and our train back to Hiroshima.

The best sunset viewing spot is at the point/corner just after the main shopping area and just before you get to the Shrine. There's a few pine trees at the viewing spot. Make sure you take a photo of the sunset next to the red-orange Torii gate with part of the pine branch at the edge of the photo frame. Of course, you need clear weather for this for an awesome photo.

I highly recommend your doing this. The JR Ferry is free if you have a JR Rail Pass.

I'll be in Miyajima somewhere between August 22nd and 26th... Which is the time of late sunsets. Can I still see the night (lit up) view of the shrine and torii and manage to catch the ferry back to the mainland?

Thank you!

Hey Den:

I checked www.wunderground.com/ and sunset for 08/24 in 2007 was 6:34PM with twilight at 7:00PM. This should enable you to plan your schedule.

Only if all or most conditions are right will you be able to view an awesome sunset and the radiant sky just after the sun sets. But, you will definitely be able to see the night lights of the red-orange Itsukushima Shrine and the Torii Gate.

To view what you'll see, visit this website http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~miyayado/e_nl-map.html and click on #17 Iwaso Ryokan. The scenes at the top will change with the first being the Shrine and Torii Gate. The second scene is the entrance to Momijidani Park at the entrance of Iwaso Ryokan.

You may consider going to the Island in the afternoon for some sightseeing, followed by early dinner before seeing the night lights. Allow enough time to walk up to the red bridge in scene #2 and enjoy the peaceful surrounds, fragrant air and let your eyes feast on the natural beauty. Near the entrance to Iwaso Ryokan is a walkway down to the stream where you can relax and take beautiful photos.

I hope you get the opportunity to visit and view one of what will be your most memorable places in Japan. After all, Miyajima is one of three most beautiful sites in Japan with the other two being Amanohasidate and Matsushima.

See my earlier post above and note that for JR Rail Pass holders, catch the JR Ferry since the fare is covered by the Rail Pass.

Den:

If your budget allows and if you've never stayed in a Ryokan (Japanese Inn), you may want to consider staying overnight at one of the Ryokans. Check out the website in the earlier post and you can see if their rates are posted.

We've stayed at the Iwaso Ryokan and Momiji-so. Interestingly, Momiji-so is situated in Momijidani Park in a forrest setting whereas most are in the more populated areas. Momiji-so gave us the feel of being in old Japan. We enjoyed our lunch in the open air next to a walking path, the same as you see in Japanese Samurai movies. People walking by stopped for sake, lunch and refreshments.

Thank you very much!

Actually, my plan is to depart from Nagoya at about 8 o'clock in the morning by shinkansen (I'll have JR Pass) to Hiroshima. According to http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi , I should arrive in Hiroshima at about 11:30. Then I wanted to do some sightseeing (just the "main" spots I guess...) and head for Miyajima. There I'd like to observe what is observable and see the place even after sunset. After that, return to Hiroshima to stay overnight. Do you think I can do all this in one day? It looks possible but I haven't really travelled yet so I'm not confident in predicting how much time it may consume.

Also, I just found this webpage in another topic: http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/tideshow.cgi
There are times of high tides predicted... I'll be in Miyajima most probably on 22nd August and the prediction for evening that day is low tide... Does that mean I won't be able to see the torii and shrine "floating" in the water? That'd be disappointing...

2008-08-22 13:11 JST 3.28 meters High Tide
2008-08-22 18:49 JST Sunset
2008-08-22 19:05 JST 1.39 meters Low Tide
2008-08-22 21:34 JST Moonrise
2008-08-23 01:01 JST 3.25 meters High Tide

Thank you.

It depends on what you want to see and do in Hiroshima and if you have more time in Hiroshima the next morning for more sightseeing. Yes, it's possible to do what you've outlined after leaving Nagoya.

On your way back from Hiroshima to Osaka, Kyoto or where ever, you should make a stop at Himeji Castle, the most attractive and one of the most well preserved Castles. Then, bypass seeing Hiroshima Castle. If you want to do all these more leisurely, you should consider catching the 7:32am train out of Nagoya for arrival in Hiroshima at 10:25am without changing trains.

The must see sights in Hiroshima are the A Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park, Peace Memorial Museum and the City Center. In touring the Museum, see if you can find the answer to this question. Why were Hiroshima and the Epicenter selected as the bombing targets?

In front of JR Hiroshima Station is the streetcar terminal where you can catch the streetcar to the City Center and the Peace Memorial Park. Catch the JR Sanyo Train Line from Hiroshima Station to Miyajima-guchi. Exiting the station, the JR ferry is straight ahead about 75 meters.

Seeing the Shrine and the Torii Gate during high tide is better than during low tide. But, you don't have a choice and at least get to see these in one of the two tides. I don't think the difference is that big an issue.