I have nothing but excellent things to say about this island. After living in Japan for 6 years, this place was absolutely a highlight. Despite it being a tourist hotspot, it didn't feel particularly overcrowded on a Thursday afternoon. Very easily accessible by ferry, only a 10-minute ride and we used our Suica card for boarding, 300 yen one way. I was shocked to see how massive this place really was. There are a couple hiking trails that take 4 to 5 hours to complete, which we will come back to and didn't have the opportunity to do this time. Plenty of shopping streets for souvenirs, plenty of food vendors, and tons of deer also! We easily spent 3 to 4 hours here. I would recommend springtime for a visit where it's not too hot yet. We went on a day where it was about 16 Celsius with the sun out, and it was just perfect. Not too windy out either. Tons of foreign visitors here, me being one of them, so just take your time while transiting the streets because it's really easy to bump into people. Otherwise, what an amazing place to visit in a staple to our visit to Hiroshima!
Good place to visit if you are in Hiroshima. You can either take red street car to the last station and take the ferry or you can also choose to ride a ferry from Memorial Park. Memorial Park ferry is 2200 yen plus 100 yen for island charge per pax. The ride is longer. But it could be the time saver since you do not need to go back to the street car from Memorial Park and take train to the last station to get the normal ferry at 200 yen plus 100 yen per pax.
You can also purchase one day pass which allows you to ride as many street car as you want and includes ferry ride from the last station too. But I find that it may not worth to get. Since you would only need 2x trips on street car, 1x ferry if you decide to take ferry from Memorial Park, then total trip would cost about 680 yen plus additional 2300 yen for the ferry ride from Memorial Park.
So, unless you decide to go back to street car after Memorial Park, if not I would find it one day pass is not worth. Street car charges 240 yen per adult per trip.
Itsukushima, also known as Miyajima, is a breathtaking place with a serene and spiritual atmosphere. The iconic floating torii gate is stunning, especially during high tide when it appears to hover above the water. Walking around the island is a peaceful experience, with beautiful shrines, friendly deer, and scenic trails.
If possible, I highly recommend spending a night on the island. I didn’t know this was an option and regretted not being able to do so, as I believe it’s well worth it. Staying overnight allows you to experience the island with fewer crowds and gives you the chance to hike up the mountain to a viewpoint, which must be an incredible experience.
I was skeptical and afraid that it will be a tourist trap, but the island was well worth the visit.
The deer, the Tori gate, amazing temples and (for me most important) really nice hiking trails. A full day well spent!
Famous hundred years old tori gate in the sea. Lot’s of deers, beautiful nature view, town and shrine.
You can spend a day here if you want to go for a more relax pace to fully explore island including hiking. Otherwise come early in the morning to catch the ferry here as last ferry back to mainland departs between 5-6pm.
