Miyajima

Chugoku, Japan · Remote island

The red torii only floats at high tide, which is also the only tide the rowed boat can slip beneath it on, so here you plan around the tide table. What almost nobody does is stay: once the ferries stop the island empties and the lit shrine is practically your own. There is also Misen, the 857-mat hall Hideyoshi left unfinished with its beams bare, and the deer, which will take the map straight out of your hand.

The essentials

Getting there

Ferry — Short ferry from Hiroshima

Frequently asked questions about Miyajima

What to do in Miyajima: 37 activities

• Itsukushima Shrine's Floating Torii Gate 2 h must-see

  The red torii gate that appears to float on the sea at high tide. The restoration work, the largest in seventy years, finished in December 2022 and the torii is fully visible; any warning about scaffolding is out-of-date information. Since October 2023 the island visitor tax has to be paid, one hundred yen per person, which the JR Pass does not cover.

• Miyajima at night, once the ferries stop 1 h must-see

  After six in the evening the island empties and the lit shrine is almost yours alone. It is the main reason to sleep on Miyajima rather than come as a day trip.

• A night at a ryokan in Momijidani valley 14 h booking

  Sleeping among the valley's maples, with a kaiseki dinner of Inland Sea seafood and the empty island on the other side of the paper screen. In November, book far in advance.

• Kangensai festival on lantern-lit boats 5 h only day 17 of the 6th lunar month

  One of Japan's three great water festivals: boats carrying gagaku court music cross the bay by night from the shrine. It follows the lunar calendar, the 17th day of the sixth month, so the date shifts each year between July and August.

• Anago-meshi, rice with conger eel from the bay 1 h

  The signature dish of the area: grilled conger eel with sauce over rice cooked in its stock. Be careful with the guidebooks, because the most famous house is in Miyajimaguchi, on the mainland, not on the island.

• Bake your own momiji manju 1 h booking

  Several historic confectioners on the island open up their griddles so you can fill and toast your own maple-leaf-shaped cakes and eat them hot.

• Chinkasai, the New Year's Eve torches 2 h only 31 Dec

  On 31 December the locals drag huge burning torches along the beach in front of the torii to ask for protection against fire. After the Reikado fire in May 2026 it carries a particular weight.

• Ferry crossing with the torii manoeuvre 0.25 h

  The JR ferry diverts its route to pass close to the great torii on the outward crossing. Ten minutes that are worth it on their own. Since October 2023 the 100 yen visitor tax has to be paid separately, and the JR Pass does not cover it.

• Five-storey pagoda and Senjokaku hall 0.75 h

  The 857-tatami hall that Hideyoshi left unfinished in 1587, with sea views between its bare beams, next to the 27-metre pagoda of 1407. Admission 100 yen to the Senjokaku.

• Grilled Miyajima oysters on the street 0.75 h

  Oysters from the bay are grilled in front of the customer at several stalls along Omotesando. In the cold season they are enormous and are eaten standing up with lemon.

• Heated seawater bath at an island ryokan 1.5 h booking

  Miyajima has only three lodgings with their own bath, of heated seawater or shioyu. Some allow day bathing, but it has to be confirmed by phone.

• Henjokutsu cave and the 88 temples of Shikoku 0.5 h

  A dimly lit gallery beneath Daisho-in holding sand from the 88 temples of Shikoku and hundreds of hanging lanterns; walking through it is symbolically equivalent to the whole pilgrimage.

• Hiwatari-shiki, walking on embers at Daisho-in 2 h only 15 April and 15 November

  The yamabushi cross a bed of embers barefoot on 15 April and 15 November; afterwards the public can cross free of charge. It is among the most intense things that happen on the island.

• Miyajima Kaki Matsuri, the oyster festival 2 h only one weekend in February

  On one weekend in February, grills and pots of oyster soup are set up beside the pier at token prices. It is the best excuse to visit the island in low season.

• Momotesai, spring bugaku dances 2 h only 16-18 Apr

  From 16 to 18 April, the court dances that tradition attributes to Taira no Kiyomori are performed on the shrine's raised stage, with a different programme each day.

• Night cruise under the illuminated torii 0.5 h booking

  The pilgrimage boat passes through the torii once it is lit, with the shrine reflected in the black water. It depends on the tide, so it is best to book on the day according to the tide tables.

• Rokai-bune rowing boat to the foot of the torii 0.5 h

  A boat moved by oar alone passes under the great torii in 20 or 30 minutes, with no engine and only at high tide. Adults 1,500 yen, children 500.

• Sea kayaking under the great torii 2 h booking

  Paddling out into the bay and approaching the torii from the water, which is how the shrine was originally reached. There are routes from an hour and a half to three and a half, and even a full circuit of the island.

• Sunrise on Nishi-Matsubara beach 1 h

  The pine grove and beach north of the shrine before the first loaded ferry arrives: low tide, sleeping deer and the torii with not a single person in front of it.

• Tamatorisai, the fight for the sacred ball in the sea 2 h only late August

  Dozens of men in loincloths compete in the water for a wooden ball hung in front of the shrine. The date depends on the tide, normally a weekend in late August. It is a religious rite: photograph it from the shore, without going into the water.

• A walk along Machiya-dori 1 h

  The street parallel to Omotesando where the craftsmen lived: wooden houses converted into cafes, galleries and design shops, without the crowds of the main street.

• Carve your own shamoji spoon 1 h booking

  Miyajima invented the shamoji two centuries ago and workshops in the village teach you to sand, wood-burn or personalise your own. It makes a considerably better souvenir than the shop version.

• Climb up Mount Misen 3 h

  A ropeway and trail to the summit, with views over the Seto Inland Sea. 2026 WARNING: the Reikado, the summit hall of the flame that never goes out, burned down completely on 20 May 2026. The twelve-hundred-year-old flame was saved and is kept elsewhere, but the rebuilding will take more than a year and the stretch between the Reikado and the Sankido remains closed, with a detour via the Daisho-in route. The ropeway also closes for several weeks of maintenance between January and March.

• Copying sutras or meditating at Daisho-in 1 h booking

  The temple offers shakyo sessions, copying sutras with a brush, and meditation practice in its halls. It is worth confirming availability by phone in advance.

• Craft beer at the Miyajima Brewery 1 h

  The island's only brewery, seven minutes from the pier, with its own beer on tap and a terrace. Note that it closes around five in the afternoon.

• Daiganji Temple and the hidden Benzaiten 0.5 h

  Right at the shrine exit, it guards one of the three great Benzaiten of Japan and was the temple that managed Itsukushima for centuries. It takes five minutes to visit and almost nobody goes in.

• Daisho-in Temple 1 h

  A Buddhist temple on the slopes of Mount Misen, home to hundreds of Buddha statues.

• Kiyomori Festival 2 h only one Sunday around 20 March

  A spring festival with a historical parade honouring Taira no Kiyomori, the founder of Itsukushima Shrine. It is held in spring, not in summer: the 2026 edition was on Sunday 22 March, from one to half past three in the afternoon, with a Heian parade of more than a hundred people from the ferry square to Kiyomori Shrine.

• Miyajima Hina-meguri, dolls in the shop windows 1.5 h only all through March

  Throughout March, private houses and shops display their inherited sets of hina dolls, some from the Edo period. You follow it with a map handed out at the tourist office.

• Miyajima History and Folklore Museum 1 h

  Housed in the mansion of the Egami family, soy merchants of the Edo period, with around 1,000 objects from daily life on the island and an inner garden.

• Miyajiman Kobo and miyajima-zaiku 1 h

  Exhibition and workshops of the island's turned and carved woodwork, with craftsmen working in view and direct sales.

• Momijidani Park 1 h

  A valley of maple trees beside Mount Misen, famous for its autumn colours and as the starting point of the ropeway.

• Omotesando Shopping Street 1.5 h

  The island's main street, lined with craft shops and stalls selling momiji manju and grilled oysters.

• Omoto Park and the camphor forest 1 h

  South of the village, a park of maples and giant camphor trees that is almost always empty, with Omoto Shrine and the start of the least-used route up Misen.

• Tahoto pagoda among the cherry trees 0.5 h

  A two-storey pagoda from 1523 on a slope above the village, with the best high-angle view of the torii and the shrine roof. In April it is wrapped in cherry blossom.

• A Stroll Among the Island's Sacred Deer 1 h

  Deer that roam freely by the shrine, regarded as divine messengers. They are wild animals and feeding them is forbidden: town policy aims to reduce their dependence on tourism and the number of attacks. They snatch food and paper out of people's hands, so keep your tickets and your maps put away.

• Miyajima Aquarium 1.5 h

  An aquarium focused on the marine life of the Seto Inland Sea, featuring otters and ringed seals.

What only happens on specific dates

• Miyajima Kaki Matsuri, the oyster festival one weekend in February
• Kiyomori Festival one Sunday around 20 March
• Miyajima Hina-meguri, dolls in the shop windows all through March
• Hiwatari-shiki, walking on embers at Daisho-in 15 April and 15 November
• Momotesai, spring bugaku dances 16-18 Apr
• Kangensai festival on lantern-lit boats day 17 of the 6th lunar month
• Tamatorisai, the fight for the sacred ball in the sea late August
• Chinkasai, the New Year's Eve torches 31 Dec

Ready-made routes through Miyajima

Chains well with

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