Miyajima Island Walking Tour
Miyajima Island is one of our favorite Japanese destinations, and since it’s just a short drive from Iwakuni, we find ourselves frequenting the island several times a year.
Miyajima, also knowns as the Island of Gods, is a popular place to visit year round as many Japanese people come to pray at the island’s shrines and marvel at its beauty; however, the island is especially popular during the Spring for cherry blossom season and the Fall for maple leaf season. Miyajima’s maples trees are renowned throughout Japan and draw thousands of tourists to the island every Autumn. In the shopping district, many souvenirs available for purchase carry the maple leaf emblem, including the ever popular Momiji pastries filled with chocolate, custard, sweet red beans, or green tea paste.
Whenever we have visitors in town, Miyajima is our go-to place for a day of scenic sightseeing guaranteed to impress out-of-town guests. Ryan and I always find ourselves walking the same loop in order to stop at some of our favorite landmarks, and rarely do we venture off that path. Luckily, we found an full-day itinerary tailor made for viewing Miyajima in all of it’s Autumn glory…
The famous O-torii gate is known as the floating torii gate because during high tide , it looks like it is floating on the sea. During low tide, visitors can walk out to the foot of this great torii gate.
The Itsukushima Shrine, also known as the Floating Shrine on the Sea, is a registered World Heritage Site. The vermilion color of the shrine and the O-torii is considered to keep away evil spirits.
A women washing her hands before entering the shrine.
The five-storied Pagoda
Miyajima’s shopping district, the perfect place to find great souvenirs and enjoy some delicious food.
Momiji pastries served with hot tea this fall.
Daisho-in Temple and its gorgeous gardens.
· More Information ·
Miyajima fall time viewing itinerary:
Miyajima Pier → The O-torii → Itsukushima Shrine → Daisho-in → Momijidani Park → Mt. Misen → Five-storied Pagoda → Shopping District
At the Miyajima ferry terminal, grab a guide map. Take a right out of the terminal and walk along the water to Mikasanohama, the beach are where you can
get a glimpse of the famous Torii gate {and even walk out to it during low tide}. Tour the Itsukushima Shrine and then walk past the Treasure Hall and Tahoto
Pagoda and up the hill to Daisho-in Temple. After touring the temple grounds, walk back down the hill and turn right to Momijidani Park. Keep walking past
the park to the Momijidani Station, where you can catch the ropeway to the top of Mt. Misen and enjoy breathtaking views. Head back down via the Ropeway
or the Momijidani climbing path. Stop at the Five-storied Pagoda before walking through the shopping district on the way back to the ferry terminal.
One Comment