Miyajima
This is half day course. The fee is 20
USD from JR Hiroshima station.
Guests take train to JR Hiroshima, then to Miyajimaguchi. Then they take
ferry. It takes about 10 minutes by ferry to travel from Miyajimaguchi
pier to the world cultural heritage site of Miyajima.
Miyajima is a small island less than an hour outside the city of Hiroshima.
It is most famous for its giant torii gate, which at high tide seems to
float on the water. The sight is ranked as one of Japan's three best views.
While officially named Itsukushima, the island is more commonly referred
to as Miyajima, Japanese for "shrine island". This is because
the island is so closely related to its key shrine, Itsukushima Shrine,
in the public's mind. Like the torii gate, the shrine's main buildings
are built over water.
Miyajima is a romantic place, best enjoyed by staying overnight at one
of the island's ryokan. While there are usually many day tourists, in
the evening the area becomes much quieter and more peaceful. There are
also wild deer on the island that have become accustomed to people. In
the day the deer wander around the same sites as the tourists, and in
the evening they sleep along the walking paths.