The officially named Itsukushima, popularly known as Miyajima, “shrine island”, lies in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It’s best known for the Itsukushima Shrine and its giant torii gate, which appears to float on water at high tide. The sight is ranked as one of Japan’s three best views, and the shrine complex is listed as a National Treasure by the Japanese government, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Deer roam freely, but despite being considered sacred messengers from the gods, I found the ones walking the streets of Miyajima, unafraid of tourists, to be in much worse shape than the ones in Nara, which made me rather sad.
Apart from the famous floating shrine, Miyajima is renowned for its maple trees, which blanket the island in crimson during autumn—we visited toward the end of November, and it was probably the best autumn foliage we got to see on our trip. Maple leaves are so emblematic of Miyajima, there is a traditional local pastry called momiji manju shaped after them: They come with a variety of different fillings, such as custard, azuki jam, or chocolate—they are sold in many kiosks, and you should try one if you’re visiting, they make for a great snack!
Miyajima is mountainous and sparsely settled—the rural atmosphere makes it a rather romantic place, and if money is no object, I’d recommend spending the night in a traditional ryokan to experience the island when it is at its most peaceful. The bulk of tourists—us included—visit as a day trip from nearby Hiroshima, so the island is quietest in the morning and evenings.
We were in the area for two days, of which we spent the first in Hiroshima, and the second on the island: We took the ferry from Miyajimaguchi instead of the one from Hiroshima harbor, since it’s covered by the JR Pass (it is in fact the only ferry covered!). That station is much further out, but easily reachable my public transport, and the ferry ride itself took a mere ten minutes.
Since the floating torii was under renovation and completely covered in scaffolding (a bummer, but we were aware of it, and visited the Shirahige Shrine on Lake Biwa, near Kyoto, as a surrogate), we skipped a visit to the shrine, and made our visit all about Mount Misen instead. The summit is the highest point on the island at 535m, and there’s a ropeway that carries you within a 30-minute hike of the peak, but bear in mind that it is another 100m higher up from the upper station, so there’s still a considerable amount of walking required to get to the top. It’s worth it, however: On clear days, you’re rewarded with spectacular 360° views of Hiroshima and the island-studded Seto Inland Sea.
We chose to do a full hike—up via the Momijidani route, and back down via the Daishoin route. There is a third path to the top, the Omoto trail, which is the longest, and also takes you to the island’s second highest peak, Mount Komagabayashi. From the town, it takes about 1.5-2 hours to hike to the summit via any of the trails. Our choice on the way up, the Momijidani (“Maple Valley”) route, begins right by the ropeway station, after passing through the beautiful Momijidani Park, Miyajima’s prime kōyō (“colorful leaves”) spot. It is the steepest of the three trails, and mostly leads up through the forest.
Misen is considered sacred, since Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, underwent his ascetic practice here. There are several notable temple structures which belong to the Daisho-in Temple at the base of the mountain near the summit: The Misen Hondo, said to have been built by Kobo Daishi himself, and the Reikado Hall, housing the eternal flame, are of particular interest. The latter hall is gloomy and uninviting, the top half of it filled with sooty smoke from the smoldering flame: A holy fire said to have been lit by Kobo Daishi when he began worshiping on the mountain, which has been burning ever since—for over 1200 years! It was used to light the Flame of Peace in Hiroshima’s Peace Park, and holy water perpetually boiled on it in a large cauldron is said to have curative effects over various ailments—it is available for all visitors to drink. The Eternal Flame is one of the Seven Wonders of Misen, passed down from ancient tales.
We hiked back down via the Daisho-in course, which offers the nicest views, and is not as steep as the other two trails. It passes the Shiraito Falls (rather dry at the time of our visit) and ends at Daisho-in, one of the most important temples of Shingon Buddhism, which is free to visit… yet we did not. I can no longer recall why exactly, but we probably figured that since we would have to come back to check the Itsukushima Shrine and floating torii off our list anyway, we may as well save another sight for that future visit. I’m glad we didn’t skip the island entirely, despite the main sight being unavailable—the foliage was glorious, and the nature hike was a welcome chance to recharge after having spent the previous days in bustling cities.
watercolorstain 
I adore Hiroshima and Miyajima! Thanks for the great shots and sharing your experience.
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