{"id":5303,"date":"2022-10-24T19:02:25","date_gmt":"2022-10-24T10:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/taking-a-day-trip-from-hiroshima-to-miyajima\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:33:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:33:54","slug":"taking-a-day-trip-from-hiroshima-to-miyajima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/taking-a-day-trip-from-hiroshima-to-miyajima\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking a Day Trip from Hiroshima to Miyajima"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most popular destinations to visit from Hiroshima is Miyajima. Officially called Itsukushima, the island has a collection of temples and shrines \u2014 including the iconic Itsukushima Shrine<\/a> \u2014 and is home to wild deer. It\u2019s an ideal place for a day trip while you\u2019re in Hiroshima.<\/p>\n

Reaching Miyajima from Hiroshima<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you have a JR Pass, the best way to reach Miyajima may be to take the JR Sanyo line to Miyajimaguchi and then the JR Miyajima Ferry. The ferry trip lasts just 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have a JR Pass, you may prefer to take a ferry directly from Hiroshima. From downtown Hiroshima, it\u2019s less than a 10-minute walk to Motoyasubashi Pier next to the Peace Memorial Park, where you can take the Aquanet Direct Ferry. The journey takes about 40 minutes (depending on the tide), and it\u2019s a scenic route.<\/p>\n

A final option is to take the First Beach Co. Ltd. ferry from Hiroshima Port, which stops at the Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima and sometimes at Kannon Pier and The Outlets Hiroshima<\/a>.
\nYou may find it\u2019s worth buying a Hiroshima Tourist Pass, including ferries, buses, and streetcars in Hiroshima and Miyajima.<\/p>\n

Itsukushima Shrine<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A UNESCO World Heritage<\/a> Site, Itsukushima Shrine was initially constructed in 593 AD. It comprises 20 buildings (all of which sit on the water) connected by boardwalks.<\/p>\n

The highlight of Itsukushima Shrine has to be the torii gate, which appears to float on the water at high tide. You can walk out to the gate at low tide \u2014 be careful about the changing tides. The first torii gate in this position was built in the 12th century, whereas the current one dates back to the 19th century. The gate will be under repair until December 2022, when it receives a new coating of vermilion paint, a replacement roof, and repairs to the wood.<\/p>\n

Sacred Deer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The wild deer that roam around Miyajima are sacred, as they are believed to be messengers from the gods. Visitors are welcome to feed them deer food purchased from stalls on the island, but you shouldn\u2019t give them any human food as this can make them sick.<\/p>\n

Mount Misen<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you want to hike on the island, head to Mount Misen \u2014 the highest mountain on Miyajima. (You can also take a ropeway if you\u2019d rather not walk.) When there are few clouds in the sky, the summit offers fantastic views of the island and coastline. Be sure to visit Daisho-in Temple on your way up as it\u2019s among the most important temples in Shingon Buddhism and features metal wheels with sutra along the stairs. If you spin these wheels as you ascend, you\u2019ll gain the same benefits as reading the scriptures.<\/p>\n

Miyajima is only a small island, but it\u2019s definitely worth visiting while you\u2019re in Hiroshima. Although it\u2019s most famous for the floating vermilion gate, there\u2019s plenty to do here to make a fun day trip.<\/p>\n

Balon Greyjoy<\/a>, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

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One of the most popular destinations to visit from Hiroshima is Miyajima. Officially called Itsukushima, the island has a collection of temples and shrines \u2014 including the iconic Itsukushima Shrine \u2014 and is home to wild deer. It\u2019s an ideal place for a day trip while you\u2019re in Hiroshima. Reaching Miyajima from Hiroshima If you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":5304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,104],"tags":[51,312,460,52,505,308],"class_list":["post-5303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hiroshima-2","category-temples-shrines","tag-hiroshima-city-2","tag-hiroshima-day-trips","tag-hiroshima-outdoors","tag-hiroshima-prefecture-2","tag-hiroshima-shrines","tag-hiroshima-temples"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5303"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49919,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5303\/revisions\/49919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}