Continuing my series of “Todd’s Travelogue Around Japan,” this installment takes us back to Hiroshima Prefecture, but to Itsukushima Island located in the Inland Sea, just northwest of Hiroshima Bay.
Most people recognize this island by the name of “Miyajima Island,” which means “Shrine Island.”
Most visitors to Hiroshima will visit Hiroshima City and then add this excursion on to their visit because of its beautiful and unique shrine that has a huge Torii gate (see photo) that seemingly floats on water during high tide when the whole area is inundated with water.
This island is famous for the Itsukushima Shinto Shrine complex which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shrine area itself is expansive and offers visitors a glimpse into traditional Japanese cultural and religious history.
Another feature of the island are the numerous, docile deer (see photo) that casually walk and graze amongst the tourists, but a word of warning is needed here! They are not afraid to come up and grab food out of your hands, or anything else for that matter. It is best to keep things securely fastened and if you have food, make sure you are far away from them or risk having it snatched out of your hands.
The island itself is quite mountainous but with few permanent residents living there. Only about 2,000 people (in an area of just over 30 square kilometers) live there fulltime. It mostly consists of shops (see photo) near the port area that are largely for the many tourists who visit there on any given day.
One popular souvenir from here is a type of rice paddle called a “shamoji,” (used to serve rice) and it is believed to be special because when used it does not change the natural taste of the rice, like a plastic paddle might.
The highest point on the island is Mount Misen and it can be reached by taking a series of ropeways (see photo) that take you near to the summit, but the last 30 minutes has to be done on foot to make it to the top. We took the ropeways, and I decided the views were sufficiently grandiose without the additional 30-minute hike up to the summit.
In the past, I have done the entire summit assent, but now that I am in my 60s, I decided to enjoy the mountain from a lower elevation.
Dawson Davis, the son of a dear high school friend of mine, accompanied us on this visit to Miyajima Island (see photo). We packed a lot into our several hours on the island.
We even got to see a traditional Shinto wedding that was finishing up. The shrine is a popular location for traditional Shinto weddings, and on most days, visitors can see newly wedded couples in their beautiful silk kimono traversing through the shrine grounds to get photos within the shrine complex.
Besides the main Shinto shrine complex, there are a number of Buddhist temples like the Daiganji Temple which is dedicated to the Goddess Benzaiten. She is well-known for being the patron goddess of music, wealth, the arts and general knowledge and eloquence.
Another historic temple on the island is the Daishou-in Temple, which is located on Mount Misen, the most sacred or holy mountain on the island. This temple is visited most in the fall season because of the crimson shades of the autumn leaves that are stunningly beautiful all over the island. There is also a lovely five-storied pagoda that visitors can see within the Itsukushima Shrine pavilion.
Getting to the island has a couple of options. We opted to get on a boat near the Atomic Dome memorial to the island which offers lovely vistas of Hiroshima Bay and islands that dot the scenic landscape. Returning to Hiroshima City, we took a small ferry to the closest shoreline and then boarded a train to get back to Hiroshima.
Any trip to Hiroshima should include a visit to Miyajima Island!
