When we planned our second trip to Japan, I knew I wanted to go to Hiroshima. I didn’t realize, until I started to look into it, that the beautiful floating torii I’ve seen in so many pictures of Japan would be just a day trip away on the island of Miyajima.

When further research revealed not only that Miyajima is known as deer island (Nara had been a highlight of our last Japan trip) but that the Daisho-In Temple is home to 3,000 jizo, I was completely sold on going to Miyajima. I strongly considered staying in Miyajima, but in the end we went the day trip route.

One day in Miyajima: Getting There

There are two ways to get to Miyajima. There’s a boat ride (about 40 minutes, about $25/person) from the Peace Park.

Then there’s the public ferry (one is a JR ferry included on the JR pass, the other isn’t; neither is expensive). To get to the ferry dock, you can take either a streetcar or a train from Hiroshima station (or from any stop along the way).

The Invisible Tourist, whose advice I really like, strongly advocates for the boat from the Peace Park, which saves time and land travel. We actually took the Peace Park boat to Miyajima and the JR ferry and the streetcar back. While the trip there cost a decent amount, the way back (with the JR pass) cost just about $2 per person.

The ferry ride was short and the streetcar trip long (we could have looked for the train, but the streetcar was right there when we arrived at the station so we just hopped on). But, we got lucky and got a streetcar with great air conditioning. Over the course of our hour-long ride, it was fun to see the oyster farms off the coast and the little houses in the outskirts of town (including some old wooden ones that I suspect predate WWII). It was also interesting to be on the streetcar with school kids, parents picking little ones up from day care, and workers on their way home. It felt like a slice of real Hiroshima life.

So, having experienced both, it’s definitely more efficient to take the Peace Park boat, but if you aren’t staying near the Peace Park, or have time to spare, I think the streetcar/ train/ ferry option is a perfectly interesting route!

Timing Your Miyajima Day Trip

It’s a day trip; obviously you want to get out early to enjoy a full day. But, with a trip to Miyajima, you have one additional consideration: the tides. Check the high and low tide times for your trip day. The floating torii only “floats” at mid to high tide. But, you can only walk out to the torii at low tide. We never saw the torii at high tide, but we caught it floating and walked out to it over the course of our day trip. And, although the blogs will tell you that you must see it at high tide, I appreciated both of the views/experiences that we got.

Photos from the shrine probably look best (most iconic anyway) at high tide.

But, walking out, looking up at it, and seeing all (really, so many!) hermit crabs beneath your feet is also great.

If you have kids, I highly recommend low tide. My teen actually preferred the crabs to the torii!

Note: Back in the day, people stuck coins between the barnacles on the torii for good luck, but it damages the structural integrity of the legs. So, even if someone recommends this, resist.

Itsukushima Shrine: The iconic Miyajima sight

Itsukushima Jinja is Miyajima’s most famous site and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The most photographed piece of it is the floating torii (which, yay!, just finished being renovated, so we got to see it with no scaffolding or construction material). Conversely, the shrine now seems to be undergoing renovations, so it doesn’t looks as regal and pristine as it might.

Like most shrines in Japan, the Itsukushima Shrine offers omikuji, or fortunes. They do not have them in English, but google translate does a fair job with them and you can look up the basics. I also learned to tell if the main fortune was good or bad, so I knew I should keep the omikuji (keep the good ones that include a kichi or blessing (吉)) or tie it up on the provided strings (the way to properly dispose of an ill omen or kyo (凶)). Itsukushima uses the system where you shake a stick out of a large cylinder and then read the number on the stick. Follow that number to a cubby with omikuji scrolls and that’s your fortune!

One of the things I liked most about Itsukushima is that you could watch the scholars write and stamp your goshuin. In many shrines, you drop off your book and they are inscribed somewhere in a back room, out of sight. Here, you got to see the process, which was very fun. They use old school techniques, calligraphy with brushes, picking up ink from a solid block.

Because so many tourists come to Itsukushima, there’s also a huge wall of ema and its fun to see what people wish for (obviously, we could only read the English ones and I only read the ones that are turned outwards). One little girl wished to become a mermaid. 🙂

It’s a beautiful shrine to walk around. While we were there at low tide, I could imagine how beautiful it would be to walk along the passageways, literally above the sea. There are variety of shrines throughout the complex where you can pay respects to the deities. You can learn more about them here.

Miyajima Deer: The most fun (and controversial) part of a Miyajima day trip

Unlike Nara, Miyajima discourages visitors from feeding the local deer. It took me a while to figure this out. Miyajima is often referred to as deer island and I assumed feeding the deer would be a highlight of our Miyajima day trip.

Deer lose out on handouts

Apparently, in the past, tourists could buy Nara-type crackers to feed the hungry deer (who are clearly interested in handouts from day trippers!). But, locals found the deer becoming too entitled, too aggressive, too invasive in their living spaces – and too distant from their grazing past. In other words the deer, dependent on humans, became pests. So, in 2008 the Island decided to “outlaw” feeding the deer. Since then, tourists have posted about how the deer are “starving,” which gives tourists like me pause: are we going to a place where animals are being mistreated? But, on the contrary, several years after feeding went out of fashion, the deer seem to want to grub from humans, but also fend for themselves.

Co-Existing with the Deer

We definitely saw deer taking maps from people’s bags. In fact, one almost got mine in a moment of distraction! And, we saw one deer aggressively try to get her share of ice cream from a munching family. But we also saw plenty of deer chilling in the hills, acting like, well, deer. I’m not a vet, but none looked sick or starving. We enjoyed them immensely. And, given that the main attractions of the Miyajima day trip are temples and shrines, the deer really help keep the kids’ attention.

If you google Miyajima deer, you’ll find posts that might scare you from visiting. Having visited, I now read them as either alarmist or out of date. I can’t help but think that the feeding ban was a godsend during the pandemic, when the tourists disappeared and the deer really did have to act like deer to survive. But, whether that hypothesis is true or not, the deer work opportunistically: they will take your snacks. But, you can also just enjoy the way they roam the town as if they own it.

Miyajima Snacks: Momiji manju and green tea!

Miyajima is famous of momiji manju, little maple leaf shaped capes that are traditionally filled with bean paste but now come filled with matcha, chocolate, cheese, and a range of other fillings.

You can take a seat at watch the momiji being made, while helping yourself to green tea from the self-serve machines. It’s a lovely first stop on the island. We tried traditional momiji manju on the way in and the deep fried versions after we visited the shrines!

Daisho-in: The jizo part of the Miyajima day trip

From the Itsukushima Shrine it’s a short walk up a hill to get to Daisho-in Temple. Like so many temple complexes in Japan there is a lot a do and see at Daisho-in. The temple was founded in the 12th century and was one of the most important Buddhist temples in Japan for centuries. So, this complex is probably more sprawling that most.

The first draw is the amazing population of jizo. If you are a fan of these little statues, often with their little caps and bibs, which are made and attached by locals, this place is magical. There are thousands of jizo guardians here (all different!). It’s hard to leave.

As you enter this Temple, Nio guardians protect the temple from evil. The giant wooden gate with the huge bell ropes. From the moment you enter, you know you are someplace special.

Then, along the stairs leading up to the temple, on the handrails, are wheels engraved with the Prajnaparamita Sutra. It is said that if you spin the wheels as you pass, it is like reciting the sutra, which gives you a blessing. There’s something very visceral about praying with your fingertips. And it’s fun, as someone who speaks/reads neither Sanskrit nor Japanese, to get to “recite” these sutra.

Like in most of the temples we visited, many of the ways to get a blessing at Daisho-in involve a sort of game. Part of it seems like a way for the temple to earn money (you make a donation to get an ema and wish for a blessing, you make a donation to get a scroll that tells your fortune, you make a donation to search for rocks that will bring good luck). But although a visit to a temple complex can get costly, I kind of love how creative they are in raising funds.

The photo below was our favorite way to earn a blessing at Daisho-in. For a donation, you get three clay balls, which you try to toss into the blue “cray pot” (as it was labeled… not unexpected as l and r make the same sound to the Japanese ear). Make the toss and you get to make a wish. You also get to ring the giant bell with a huge pole, which makes a wonderfully thunderous sound.

Once you reach the main buildings of the temples, there are various deities you can interact with. The Binzyrysonjya is the “touch and cure” Buddha. If you touch the statue in a place where you have pain, it will provide healing. You can tell by where the paint has been rubbed from the Buddha that he deals with a lot of head, knee, and foot pain!

In this building there is also a place where you can go downstairs, under the main floor and explore the Henjokutsu cave, which is supposed to contain statues and bowls of sand that represent 88 stops on the Shikoku pilgrimagem — supposedly going through the cave is the equivalent of going on the entire pilgrimage! The entrance to the cave is a little tricky to find and it’s hard to know if you are allowed to enter. I was thrilled to find it but so disappointed when I google translated the sign. The cave was closed due to recent flooding. No pilgrimage for me. But, look out for it if you visit!

The complex itself is gorgeous; each building looks like it comes from a movie. And, although high winds prevented us from taking the cable car to the top of Mt. Misen, there are gorgeous views as you ascend the temple complex.

And as you follow stairs up the mountain, there are more and more little buildings and shrines, more stairs with sutra, more ways to perform rites and receive blessings.

As you climb some of the stairs a waterfall runs along side the steps (filling a pool full of koi).

You can make an offering and pour water over the head of a Buddha for a blessing here.

Even higher up you find Maniden Hall, which is home to Miyajima’s guardian. Here, the guardians are carved in relieve off of slabs of stone. There are bibs tied around all of them. People come here to wish for happiness and long life.

Even higher, one of the small buildings has shelves and shelves of tiny, intricate Buddha statues. And even many of these tiny statues have miniscule red hats!

There are many different types of ema here. There are the typical wooden ones (and some many absolutely gorgeous places to hang there, where they feel practically at one with Mount Misen and sure to be granted!) Here is where I chose to hang my Daisho-in ema.

There are also Ema that are tiny baby jizo which I also could not resist. Jizo are guardians (often of travelers but also often of babies and lost babies). I could not help but make a wish for my baby on one of these darling baby jizo.

Garden of Jizo

You can take a side path back down the moutain and although there are many, many jizo in the temple complex proper, there seem to be hundreds along this peaceful, green trail that weaves alongside the stairs that take you in and out of the temple. I was in second heaven.

Each Jizo is different — different ages, expressions, activities. I can’t get enough of them. And although most jizo wear read hats and bibs, some of their benefactors get creative. I feel like I could literally spend my life as a jizo photographer (though the teen would quickly give up on hanging out with me in Japan!).

The Giant Rice Paddle

Miyajima is famous for several things: the floating torii, momiji manju, deer, and the largest rice paddle in the world. Legend has it that a Buddhist monk, Sheishin, decided to craft the giant paddle (and teach island folk to make smaller paddles) to create a craft that the island could become famous for. (He was prescient: the paddles, both decorative and utilitarian, make great Miyajima gifts — especially for Asians like me who use rice paddles on the regular!).

The giant wooden paddle, which weights over 2.5 tons, took Sheishin over two years to make and is kept behind glass, which made it nearly impossible to photograph in the afternoon when we finally located it at the Etta Miyajima Exchange Center (teen and I wandered through the center, but it’s actually in a display case off to the side!).

But, in the process of looking for it, and taking shelter from the rain, we stumbled upon the two other beautiful parts of Itsukashima shrine complex. The first to come into sight was the 5-story pagoda. Dating back to 1407, it’s really quite beautiful.

Next to it stands the unfinished Senjokaku (Hokoku Shrine). This shrine, which is called the Hall of One Thousand Tatami Mats, is the largest building on Miyajima. It was meant to be an enormous Buddhist library, but construction was never completed (thus the raw wood structure and lack of paint). We used the shrine to shelter from the rain (almost many other folks!) and apparently, it’s common for folks to use the shelter to hide from both rain and sun here.

The breeze was amazing and we enjoyed just sitting there admiring the art and all of the rice paddles! There is no doubt that rice paddles are critical iconography in Miyajima.

Heading Back to Hiroshima

We decided to take the JR Ferry back to the mainland (frequent ferries and we were not in a rush), so we got to experience both modes of transport. We enjoyed both boat rides. And the steetcar back into town was pretty interesting. If you are short on time, take the boat from the Peace Park, but if you’re staying on a budget or have lots of time to spare, the JR path works fine. I liked riding with folks who live on Miyajima, like the school kids with their iconic Japanese backpacks.

One day, I hope to return and get to the top of Mt. Misen (and explore the cave below Daisho-in). But truly a lovely day trip. Definitely reserves Hiroshima day for this journey.