JapanSugoi

If you’re traveling to Japan and visiting Hiroshima, don’t forget to take a short ferry ride to the scenic Itsukushima island 厳島 (also known as Miyajima 宮島町)  to the city of Hatsukaichi 廿日市市.  Located there is the famous Itsukushima Shrine 厳島神社, with its large wooden torii (gate), standing in the ocean during high tide.

The shrine (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)  was established in the time of Empress Suiko and the island of Itsukushima, including the waters around it and are within the boundaries of Setonaikai National Park 瀬戸内海国立公園, .

The small picturesque island is only 12 sq miles and has a population of about 2000 though for a long time people were not permitted to live there. As a consequence the forests of Miyajima have never been logged; it is virgin forest, something quite rare in Japan.   The island becomes a very romantic place in the evening when the tourist crowds return to the mainland and only the visitors who stay overnight remain enjoying the sight of the illuminated shrine.

Mount Misen 弥山 is the island’s highest mountain and the Miyajima Ropeway carries visitors to within a 30-minute hike to the top where there are viewing platforms for views of the whole island. What you’ll notice is that there are plenty of deer and monkeys roaming freely about the island.  That’s because deer are considered sacred in the Shinto religion as they are considered messengers of the gods.

Itsukkushima Shrine

Mt Misen

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