Skip to main content

Miyajima Island, Japan (October 2013)

Even though I loved all of the places I visited in Japan, Miyajima Island (also known as Itsukushima Island), was one of my favorite destinations due to its tranquillity and beautiful nature and views. It is located in the north of Hiroshima Bay and there are frequent ferry services from Miyajimaguchi to the island; the crossing only takes 10 mins and is free if you have a Japan Rail Pass. It's perfectly reasonable to visit for a day trip but there are a few traditional ryokan on the island so longer stays are also possible (but book in advance as they seem to be very popular). Miyajima is probably most famous for the Itsukushima shrine which is more commonly known as the "floating torii gate" as it is submerged in the sea. During low tide you can actually walk right up to the gate itself. 
There is one main village on the island which is lined with independent shops selling souvenirs and food. A big attraction are the tame deer walking through the streets which like to come up to tourists to check if there is any food they can steel! 
Another great thing to do is walk up Mount Misen which with 530 m is Miyajima's highest peak. You can cheat a little and take the ropeway  which will carry you within a 30 min walk from the top. The effort is totally worth it, there is a reason why the the views from Miyajima belong to Japan's top 3 most scenic sights.


Waiting to board the ferry....
Destination: Miyajima!!
Torii Gate and shrine from the distance
The village on Miyajima




The island is a popular excursion place for school kids
Finally the first deer...
You see them relaxing in the sun...
And some more relaxing....
They sometimes like to mingle with daily life....
Some are the adventurous type and climb stairs... 
But most of all they love to bother tourists...
And you get the odd one who wants to enter restaurants!

Beach! 

Floating Torii Gate

Give me food!

Itsukushima Shrine


Itsukushima Shrine, low tide is setting in


Daily village life...
Lots of little shops to get lost in











On the way to Mount Misen



Being lazy...but taking the ropeway provides great views



Stunning views...
But there is still a walk left to get to the top




Bizarre rock formations
And finally arrived on the top! 
Great place to take a break...
And enjoy the view!


You will always have some kind of company when walking down







Time for some shopping



Ready to go back to mainland Japan
Bye bye Miyajima!


Comments

  1. Ellen Braksator25 February 2014 at 13:06

    Thank you Freya :) ! I had an amazing time when I was there, definitely recommend it!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Antwerp, Belgium (December 2012)

Antwerp often gets overshadowed by the more popular tourist destinations Brussels and Bruges, but not rightly so. It is a vibrant city in the north of Belgium and predominantly known for its port and the largest diamond stock exchange in the world. It is a relatively small city but has a lot to offer from museums, antique shops and popular cafes and restaurants and all the sights can be easily visited on foot.  According to a legend, a giant called Antigoon used to demand toll from people wanting to cross the river Scheldt, however anyone who refused to pay got their hands cut off. One day a hero called Brabo cut off the giants hand and threw it into the river and this is supposedly how Antwerp got its name (hand werpen = Dutch for throwing hands). Welcome to Antwerp! Inside Central Station Inside Antwerp Central Station Antwerp Zoo Outside view of Central Station Entrance to the Meir, a popular shopping street The hand, symbolical
4 comments
Read more

Samos, Greece (Seitani)

Samos Island is full of great beaches but by far the most beautiful ones are Mikro (small) and Megalo (big) Seitani on the north western coast of the island. They are not easily accessible but this gives them their unspoilt natural beauty. The only way to get to the beaches is by foot or potentially by boat, although I would highly recommend to do the hike as it's a scenic walk through pine forest and old olive trees and you get lovely views over the northern coast of Samos. I am not an experienced hiker but setting off from the port of Karlovassi it takes about 30 mins to reach Mikro - and from there another 30 mins to get to Megalo Seitani. There are no shops or any other facilities at the beaches so it's important to bring plenty of water and food.  As the name suggests Mikro Seitani is the smaller one of the beaches with beautiful crystal clear sea. This is a good place to take a break before heading towards Megalo Seitani. You only really notice how big Megalo Seitani is
Post a Comment
Read more

Porto Santo (June 2012)

If you are in Madeira and are missing quiet, sandy beaches, take a trip to Porto Santo island! Believe me, you will not be disappointed. There are two ways to get from Madeira to Porto Santo: either take the plane from Funchal airport which is the more expensive option, or take the ferry from the port of Funchal which is what I did. The good thing about taking the ferry is that Porto Santo Line ( http://www.portosantoline.pt/index.php ) has deals with some hotels on the island making it cheaper to book tickets and hotel together rather than booking separately. Porto Santo itself is very small, the main town is called Vila Baleira and has a number of cafes, restaurants and small shops. Nonetheless it is enough to keep you entertained for a few days and nothing is better than to relax on the 9km long beach after some extensive sight-seeing in Madeira! My restaurant tip for the island is a little restaurant called Pe na Agua ( https://www.facebook.com/PeNaAgua ) located right on the
4 comments
Read more