This one day trip was focused on Miyajima island with an afternoon spent at the Peace Memorial park in Hiroshima. Itsukushima shrine in Miyajima is ranked as one of the The Three Views of Japan (日本三景, Nihon Sankei).

Miyajima (宮島) is a small island less than an hour from Hiroshima. It can be easily explored on foot. It is most famous for its great Torii gate that seems to to float on the water at high tide.

I learned about Miyajima when checking online about places to visit near Hiroshima. I did not know about the three views of Japan back then. This is a place I like to come back every time I can. It is beautiful and peaceful regardless of the countless visitors.

Miyajima (宮島) means “shrine island” in Japanese. The official name is Itsukushima (厳島). It has been a holy site of Shinto for centuries. Mount Misen, the highest point in the island, has been a place of worship by local people as early as the 6th century.

This is how I did a side trip to Miyajima and Hisroshima when changing hotels from Fukuoka to Osaka. This trip can be done from any of both cities. Hiroshima station can be reached by Shinkansen in 70 minutes from Hakata station (Fukuoka) and about 90 minutes from Shin-Osaka station.

From Hiroshima station it takes 25 minutes to reach Miyajima-guchi station. The ferry is at a short walk distance. The ferry ride takes 10 minutes. The cost of shinkansen, train and ferry is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass if using the JR Ferry.

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Started my trip at Hakata, the main station in Fukuoka. I took a shinkansen heading to Shin-Osaka station. The train was a little bit crowded in the non-reserved section of the train between Fukuoka and Shimonoseki.After a little more of one hour of travel. I reached Hiroshima station.

I headed to the coin lockers to unload my baggage before taking the train to Miyajima-guchi station.

I did transfer from the Shinkansen tracks to the local tracks and looked for the next train heading to Ono-Ura. It is about 9 stops (25 minutes) to get to Miyajima-guchi station. From the station it is a 5 minute walk down to the ferry terminal.

There are two ferries that serve Mijayima island. One is private and the other operated by JR, covered by the Japan Rail pass.

The sightseeing starts with the Ferry ride that takes about 10 minutes. The route is designed to have a sight of the Torii gate and shrine from the sea before arriving to the terminal. The sight I have enjoyed the most is when the island’s peaks are cloud covered. The red color of the shire and the great Torii have a pleasant contrast with the green of the mountains and the blue of the sea. I think that this is probably the reason why the island has been a place of worship for centuries.

After disembarking, I followed the signs to Itsukushima shrine. Wild deer roam in the plaza, park and streets near the Ferry terminal. The way to Itsukuskima is through a shopping street aligned with souvenir shops and restaurants.

Unlike Nara, deer at Miyajima should not be fed by visitors

At the end of the shopping street there is a beach path before reaching the shire. There is a good spot here to take pictures of the Torii gate before enterig the shrine. Found more deer around the shrine grounds.

Itsukushima shrine is not too big and can be explored in less than 30 minutes. An spot of relevance is the deck aligned to the big Torii gate. It is a preferred spot by tourists for their travel memory photo.

The exit of the shire is on the opposite side from the entrace. From this point, I kept walking by the beach until I reached some benches to take a rest. It was a good spot to take pictures of the shrine and the five storied pagoda.

I walked by the street that goes behind the temple to go back to the shopping street. There is a small stream with stone bridges that add to the beautiful view of this small island town.

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a popular pan-fried dish that consists of batter and cabbage. Additional ingredients can be added. They can be from seafood to cheese. The dish name Okonomi literally means “to one’s liking”, this reflects the variability.

After lunch, I took the back street to visit Senjokaku (千畳閣) Hall and the five storied pagoda. It is a short set of stairs uphill. From there I was able to see Itsukushima shrine and the Great Torii from an elevated point. After a brief visit, I started to walk back to the Ferry port to return to Hiroshima.

I used the back street to get back to the ferry terminal. I suggest you to use it if you get overwhelmed by the crowd at the shopping street as this street is mostly residential. This will allow you to see how is the daily life in the island. I like to take a slight right at the end of the street and keep walking until I find a short tunnel that connects straight to the park in front of the ferry terminal.

I boarded the JR ferry back to land. I was able to have a last sight of the shrine and the gate on my way back. I cannot get tired of the view. It is simply beautiful. This is why I return here every time I have the opportunity.

After the disembarking and a short walk. I was back at Miyajima-guchi station waiting for my train. I love when the trains are different, in this case it was and older set. I like older trains as they take my imagination to the to past.

Are you a train enthusiast?

Back at Hiroshima station, I headed to the tram terminal that is in front of the station. It was easy to find what tram to use to get to the Peace Park.

I got off at the Atomic Bomb dome stop. This is right on front of the famous building that did withstand the atomic bomb blast. Although it was next to the hypocenter of the explosion. I took some pictures of the building and headed towards the bridge that connects to the rest of the Park.

I walked all the way to the end of the park past the Peace Memorial museum. From there I found the Phoenix trees. Trees that survived the atomic blast and are still alive.

From there I went to the memorial for the victims and spent some minutes in silence.

I headed back to the tram stop by a different route to take pictures of the dome building from the other side of the building. The park is very quiet, only interrupted by visitors ringing the sound of the Bell of Peace that adds to the atmosphere some solemnity.

The Peace Memorial Park of Hiroshima is a preferred spot for cherry blossoms. People sets their cloths on the sides of the paths to enjoy the view of the cherry trees, some drinks and and food with their friends and family.

After taking some photos I was back at the street were the trams do run. I spend some minutes taking photos and videos of the different tram sets.

I must admit that I’m a fan of trains and trams. But not yet to the point to know the specs of each model

The sun was about to set, so it was time to go back to the train station. did ride the tram back to Hiroshima station. Then, I pulled my baggage out of the coin locker and went to the Shinkansen tracks to complete the trip to Osaka.