Hiroshima and Miyajima · Miyajima
Itsukushima Shrine Miyajima
According to the shrine, it was founded in 593, and the site was chosen because it lies in the zone between high and low tide. According to the Miyajima Tourist Association, the whole island is considered an island of the gods, and so the shrine was not built on land. In 1168 Taira no Kiyomori rebuilt it in the shinden-zukuri style, the style of aristocratic residences of that period, and after him emperors and nobles from Kyoto came here. The buildings have been rebuilt several times after disasters, and according to the association they keep the form Kiyomori gave them. In 1996 the shrine was registered as a World Heritage Site.
The corridors, about 260 meters east and west together, are built of planks with gaps between them, so that seawater rises through them at high tide and does not press on the floor. The route is one-way: you enter through the east corridor, pass the main sanctuary and the Noh stage, and exit near the arched bridge.
The Great Torii gate stands in the sea about 160 meters from the shrine, 16.6 meters tall and weighing about 60 tons. It is not buried in the seabed but stands by its own weight, on wooden piles driven in under each pillar. The current gate was built in 1875, and according to the Tourist Association it is the ninth since the Heian period and the largest wooden gate in Japan. A major restoration of it was completed in December 2022.
Good to know
- The Tourist Association's tide table (miyajima.or.jp, on the 年間潮汐表 page) gives the water level for every hour. According to the association, below 100 cm you can walk to the gate, and above 250 cm the shrine looks like it is floating. This is not exactly the time of high or low tide.
- The JR ferry costs ¥200 each way, and on arrival on the island you pay another ¥100 visitor tax, collected since October 2023 with the ticket. The JR Pass covers the ferry but not the tax. On JR sailings leaving Miyajimaguchi between 09:10 and 16:10, the ferry passes close to the gate.
- The gate and the shrine are lit from half an hour after sunset until 23:00, and during the illumination you cannot enter the shrine. The last JR ferry leaves the island at 22:14, and after 19:00 it leaves every 30 to 45 minutes.
- The five-story pagoda on the hill above the shrine is under restoration until December 2026, and according to the Tourist Association you cannot see it at the moment.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Itsukushima Shrine Miyajima.
- HereItsukushima Shrine Miyajima
- ~4 min
Senjokaku (Hokoku Shrine) More to see
A huge wooden hall on the hill above the shrine, which Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered built in 1587. It was left unfinished because Hideyoshi died. According to the Tourist Association, 857 tatami mats can be laid in it, and many prayer plaques hang from the ceiling. ¥100.
- ~5 min
Kakiya Food
A restaurant that serves only oysters. Oysters grilled over a strong flame, 2 for ¥750, and a set of grilled oysters, fried oysters, oyster rice and miso soup for ¥2,900. According to the restaurant, it is listed in the Michelin Guide for the Hiroshima area.
- ~5 min
Momijido Main Store Food
Momiji manju cakes shaped like a maple leaf, and also 'age-momiji', a version fried in batter that is a registered trademark of the shop.
- ~5 min
Anagomeshi Fujitaya Food
Anagomeshi, grilled conger eel on rice, the dish most linked with the island.
- ~6 min
Yamadaya Miyajima Main Store Shopping
At the main store of Yamadaya on Miyajima island you bake by hand two momiji manju cakes in the shape of a maple leaf, one with red bean pas
- ~8 min
Giant Rice Scoop, Hiroden Miyajima Machizukuri Center More to see
A rice scoop made of zelkova wood, 7.7 meters and 2.5 tons, which the Tourist Association calls 'the largest in the world'. It was made in the 80s as a symbol of the island's scoop-making craft. Until 2021 it stood on Omotesando street, and today it is displayed at the island's community center. Free.
More in Miyajima
Appears in: Hiroshima and Miyajima: the Peace Memorial in the morning, the floating torii gate in the evening