Miyajima Island is a magical and remote Japanese island located in Hiroshima Bay, said to be one of Japan’s most beautiful and best kept secrets. Also known as Itsukushima, Miyajima Island is famous for it’s towering torii gate, a massive wooden shrine and UNESCO World Heritage Site standing 55 feet tall and painted in vibrant vermilion. At high tide, the red gate appears to rise from the water, creating one of Japan’s most iconic and magical views.

Beyond the shrine, adventure-seekers can hike Mount Misen, the island’s tallest peak, or indulge in the island’s fresh oysters, savory conger eel and momiji manju, sweet maple-leaf-shaped cakes. Your time on the island can be spent strolling through the charming streets filled with traditional shops, visiting the stunning five-story pagoda and experiencing the spiritual serenity of Daisho-in Temple.

Miyajima Island is also the perfect spot to experience a traditional ryokan, a Japanese inn with tatami mat flooring, sliding shoji doors, and futon bedding. Whether you're seeking cultural experiences, delicious local cuisine or scenic beauty, Miyajima Island is an enchanting getaway.

If you’ve chosen to follow our 2-Week Japan Itinerary: The Complete Guide, you will be traveling from Kyoto on the JR bullet train and making a stop in Hiroshima for a quick visit or to spend an afternoon. While many opt to day trip from Hiroshima to Miyajima, we believe the true magic of the island is experienced in the quietude after the tourist crowds depart.

VISITING MIYAJIMA ISLAND

HOW TO GET TO MIYAJIMA

Miyajima can be accessed fairly easily by JR Rail Pass and then by ferry. Take the JR to Hiroshima Station (if you are stopping to visit Hiroshima, this will be your first stop) and from Hiroshima, you can hop on the local JR Sanyo line for a 25-minute ride to Miyajimaguchi Station.

From Miyajimaguchi, take a 3-minute walk to the JR Miyajima Ferry station for a 10-minute ride to Miyajima Island (your JR pass covers the ferry ride as well). The ferry runs from morning until night but not all hours of the day so be sure to check out the ferry time table here.

IS IT WORTH GOING TO HIROSHIMA FOR A DAY?

First let’s talk about Hiroshima so you can make the decision on whether or not you want to stop there on your way to Miyajima. If you like history, this may be one of the only times in your life that you will be close enough to Hiroshima to visit but, as you might expect, it is a very heavy experience. The museum openly displays the atrocity that occurred to the people of Hiroshima and the images, artifacts and stories that you hear will stick with you for a lifetime.

That said, the purpose of the memorial is to honor those who were lost and make sure the world never engages in nuclear warfare again and is absolutely worth a visit.

DAY ONE: HIROSHIMA + MIYAJIMA

Whether you choose to visit Hiroshima or not, you will arrive in Hiroshima Station. If you do want to visit Hiroshima and your bags are heavy with trinkets, sake and other necessities, you can lock them up at the station for a small fee. Many train stations in Japan will have lockers for short term rental (from a couple of hours up to a week) but beware it may be a challenge to find open lockers for large bags.

Most people spend 3-4 hours seeing the main sites in Hiroshima so it can easily be done in an afternoon. To see the museum, park and other main attractions (all located fairly close to each other) you can take a 30-minute walk from the train station or take a bus. If you walk, there is plenty of signage to direct you to the different sites.

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WHAT TO DO IN HIROSHIMA: THE MAIN SITES

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Atomic Bomb Dome (A-Bomb Dome)
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Hiroshima Orizuru Tower + Observation Deck
Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine
Hiroshima Museum of Art

When you’re ready to head to Miyajima Island, connect from Hiroshima Station to the local JR Sanyo line for the 25-minute ride to Miyajimaguchi Station. From the station, the ferry is a short three-minute walk.

As you approach Miyajima Island on the ferry, you will quickly start to feel like you are entering some type of Jurassic Park as dark green mountaintops reveal themselves behind grey clouds pass and the mist rises sleepily off the bay.

One of the highlights of your Japan trip will be staying Watanabe Inn, a ryokan that has been run by the same family for over 100 years. Ryokans are Japanese-style inns that offer a glimpse into traditional Japanese home life. They often provide a communal bath (onsen) or spa-like component, exquisite multi-course meals (kaiseki), and a serene, minimalist aesthetic. You must stay at a ryokan at least once while traveling in Japan; it will be an experience that you will never forget.

Watanabe Inn has a small number of rooms so be sure to book as far in advance as possible (reach out to The Citrine Compass team here to help). The hotel will pick you up from the ferry station; the train station attendant will give the Inn a call and let them know you have arrived.

A quick ride up the mountainside and you will arrive at the inn, where your shoes will be neatly lined up against the wall (shoes are typically not allowed indoors in a Japanese home) and you can see the updated weather and tide forecasts on a chalkboard wall.

The real magic happens when you are shown to your room. The room is simple yet elegant, covered entirely in tatami mats with a low table and floor cushions set up with tea and momiji manju, local Miyajima baked goods filled with sweet adzuki bean jam. Through delicate sliding doors you can relax in a sitting room with a vintage vanity and wooden chairs that overlook a local babbling brook.

At the ryokan, kimonos and socks are provided for guests to wear at their leisure and are customarily worn at meals as well. While your kaiseki dinner is being served in the dining room, the hosts quietly rearrange your room; heavily cushioned futons are rolled out on the floor to allow to allow for a peaceful night’s rest. During breakfast, they futons are put away again so you have space for tea, reading or maybe a simple meditation.

At Watanabe Inn, dinner is served at a “Western” table with chairs or a low Japanese-style table where guests are seated on floor cushions. Kaiseki, Japanese haute cuisine, is served as a series of small dishes and reflects the local delicacies and regional culinary style. At a meal, you might encounter rounds of local hot sake, freshly sliced sashimi, baked or steamed local fish, hot soups, a variety of vegetables and a dessert of gigantic, impossibly sweet, jelly-like Japanese grapes.

DAY TWO: EXPLORING MIYAJIMA

Wake early to make the fantastic hike up Mount Misen. There are two routes up - have your hosts at Watanabe point out which route to take (one is easier, one a bit tougher). There is an entrance to Mount Misen a few steps from the ryokan that is challenging and takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach the top.

Before you depart, pop in to Daisho-in Buddhist Temple for your daily dose of tranquility and then embark on the hike where you’ll see Shiraito Falls and dozens of small temples and spiritual icons.

The challenging hike itself is almost entirely on ancient stone steps but the nature around you during the climb is reminiscent of The Jungle Book. The flora is incredibly lush and wild on Miyajima Island and Mount Misen is filled with hidden statues and mystical shrines along its pathways. It is common for statues to have red bibs and knitted hats made by locals to ward off evil and keep their gods happy.

At the top of the hike, you are rewarded by panoramic views of Hiroshima Bay. Be sure to visit Kiezu-no-Reikado Hall, adoringly called “Lover’s Sanctuary”, which houses a fire that monks have kept burning for 1200 years. This very flame was also used to light the ever-burning torch at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima.

From the top you can either hike back down if you’re feeling energetic and the weather permits (Miyajima is lush because of it’s frequent, often torrential, rain) or you can take the ropeway, also known as Hatsukaichi, back down.

Once back to sea level, head to Omotesando Street, Miyajima Island’s main street for shopping and restaurants. On your way you’ll have a chance to explore Miyajima Island’s 54-foot torii gate, Itsukushima Shrine. When the tide is high, the torii gate is an awe-inspiring sight as it appears to "float" above the water. When the tide is down, visitors can walk out to the gate and experience it up close on dry land. The gate is anchored in the seabed, symbolizing the connection between the spiritual and natural worlds.

Omotesando Street and this general area of town can be flooded with day-tripping tourists which can create a lively atmosphere during the day. You’ll find an array of boutiques to buy artisanal soy sauce and tea sets, food stalls to enjoy warm steamed buns and restaurants where you can dine on local Oysters Rockefeller and lemon mojitos.

This area is also a wonderful spot to mix and mingle with the local wild deer, known as shika. These deer are considered sacred in Shinto belief and are thought to be messengers of the gods. They roam freely around the island, often interacting with visitors. While the deer are generally friendly and accustomed to people, some are hungry little buggers and will try to snag your leftovers so always be careful when you encounter them.

Dinner is served nightly at your ryokan and while you’ll be ready for a good night’s rest after a day of hiking and exploration, make sure to head back out when night falls. You will never hear silence so absolute than what you experience walking the quiet streets of Miyajima when the daytime visitors have taken the ferry home.

Once back at the ryokan, run a hot bath in the wooden cypress tub to soak your weary bones. The evening can be wrapped up by finding a comfy corner in the sitting room and cracking open Granta 127: Japan, a collection of creative short stories that allow readers a glimpse into modern Japanese culture. Milk your last night of kimonos, deer and Miyajima magic and let the sounds of the trickling stream outside lull you to sleep.