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You are here: Home / Travel Plus / ... Destination / The Five Yen of Happiness! Visiting Itsukushima – Miyajima Island

The Five Yen of Happiness! Visiting Itsukushima – Miyajima Island

10/08/2015 by Kevincm

The Five Yen of Happiness! Visiting Itsukushima – Miyajima Island

The Five Yen of Happiness

  • I give in – I need a break (Introduction)
  • To Heathrow and The BA Galleries North Lounge
  • BA902 London Heathrow to Frankfurt Airport in Club Europe
  • Bumbling around Frankfurt Airport with random #AVGeek spotting
  • Meeting the A350 and the Air Canada Lounge
  • Qatar Airways QR068 Frankfurt to Doha
  • The joy of Hamad International Airport, and The Oryx Rotana Hotel
  • Qatar Airways Flight QR812 Doha to Tokyo Haneda
  • The Hotel JAL City Haneda Tokyo
  • Shikansen Adventures to Hiroshima!
  • Time in Hiroshima (featuring the ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima)
  • Hirosihima – 70 years on
  • A day trip to Itsukushima
  • More Shinkansen fun to Kyoto (Featuring Kyoto Tower Hotel)
  • A trip up to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
  • Dinner with The real_jetsetr!
  • The JR Central SC Maglev and Rail Museum
  • Shinkansen to Tokyo
  • The Strings by InterContinental
  • Cheap evening – From the Tokyo Metropolitan Building
  • The JR East Railway Museum, Saitama
  • Shibuya nights
  • Akihabara Days
  • Gotta Catch them All! A few Pokemon Centres.
  • Off to Narita
  • Nartia Airport, The JAL Lounge
  • Qatar Airways Flight QR807 Tokyo Narita to Doha
  • Four and Half Hours in Doha Airport
  • Qatar Airways Flight QR067 Doha to Frankfurt
  • More time in Frankfurt
  • BA8735 Frankfurt to London City Airport (Club Europe)
  • Homeward
  • Memories
  • And about that Five Yen Coin – The Sensoji Temple, Asakusa

If you’re in the Hiroshima area, there is a day trip that you’ve got to take. And its to Itsukushima. Itsukushima is sometimes called Miyajima Island – translated “Shrine Island”, and is home to one of the Three Views of Japan.

Getting there: There are a few ways to get to Itsukushima. One way is to take a direct ferry from Hiroshima port for a 22-minute ride (¥1800 on way). If you have a JR Rail Pass (or want to take the train from JR Hiroshima) it’s a ¥410 train, and another ¥180 for the ferry). You’ll need to get off at Miyajimaguchi station and walk across to the ferry. There’s two which go every 10 minutes or so – one operated by JR West (which if you have the rail pass is also free), or Matsudai ferries (who also charge… ¥180).

Itsukushima

JR West 227 series
The inbound train… and a posh one at that (for the Train Otaku, it’s a JR West 227 series)

The ride to Miyajimaguchi is a reasonably long one – so grab a seat, and watch the urban sprawl on the left or the urban sprawl and some mountains on the right. I’d sit on the right if you can.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima

Urban Hiroshima. As I said before. Ferro-Concrete land.

Once you get to Miyajimaguchi station, exit and follow the signs.

Itsukushima

Or if you’re really looking for directions – look for the Torii.

To Itsukushima

If you need to get your ferry ticket, do so – and then just follow the signs.

To Itsukushima

When ready, the crew will allow you to board. Cars do have priority first, so be careful.

To Itsukushima

And then board. Head to the top deck, and use your eyes where to sit/stand.

And if you pick the right spot, you’ll be rewarded with the sight of the Torri in the Sea.

_MG_0193

_To Itsukushima

To Itsukushima   To Itsukushima

 

To Itsukushima

Once on the island, it’s very much walk around by foot time. And so it should be – for there are wild deer everywhere!

Itsukushima Island
Everyone exploring…

Itsukushima Island
This deer was hungry it seems. And also cleaning so they could get in.

Itsukushima Island Itsukushima Island Itsukushima Island

This one was very hungry. So much so – it thought my Qatar Airways purple luggage tag was food. Turns out it isn’t .

Itsukushima Island
This dear is just resting. Oh deer.

Itsukushima Island
The great sea Torii

Itsukushima Island
More deer.

Itsukushima Island

Entering the Shrine area.

It was time to wander into the main Itsukushima Shrine. For ¥300,  I was let in to this holy site.

Itsukushima Island
Water to cleanse ones-self before entering the shrine.

Itsukushima Island Itsukushima Island
The main temple.

Itsukushima Island
The shrine itself is on the water and a very peaceful place – even with lots of tourists around.

Itsukushima Island
The great Torii from the Shrine.

Itsukushima Island Itsukushima Island
Those bright oranges in the temple

Itsukushima Island
And a clear view of the Great Sea Torii.

Itsukushima Island
I love the juxtaposition of the Torri and the lamp in this photo.

Itsukushima Island Itsukushima Island

The shrine is a holy place at the end of the day. According to Wikipedia, it is dedicated t the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, Shinto god of seas and storms, and brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu (tutelary deity of the Imperial Household).

Itsukushima Island

Japanese Shrines are businesses too – here you can get blessed items which will bring good fortune and luck.

Itsukushima Island Itsukushima Island
Of course, you can get fortunes. Some of them can be bad – so you tied them here to leave the bad luck behind.

Itsukushima Island Itsukushima Island   Itsukushima Island
The exit of the Shrine.

Itsukushima Island
Another view of the Great Sea Torii.

Itsukushima Island

Of course, you can hire someone to take you around traditionally.

Once done there are other things to explore – such as a mountain trek, the Pagoda or the Shopping Street.

No, I wasn’t in the mood to climb.

_MG_0329
The five storied Pagoda.

And there’s the shopping street for all your nick-nacks.

Itsukushima Island Itsukushima Island

This is the world’s biggest rice stirrer  – called a Shamoji – invented in this area

Itsukushima Island Itsukushima Island   Hello Kitty Hello Kitty
Even Hello Kitty who loves your money as well as friends has an outpost here.

Eventually, with my legs a little more than weary, I headed back to the ferry terminal and back to Honshu and back toward Hiroshima.

JR West Class 113
Inbound JR West Class 113. A lot more classic than some trains I’ve ridden!

Overall: If you want an experience that is peaceful, un-rushed and brings you one of the greatest sights Japan has to offer – a trip to Itsukushima Island is one of those things. It’s easy to reach from Hiroshima and a great way to soak up some of the spirit of Japan.

NEXT: Hiroshima 70 Years on / Off to Kyoto


Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond – Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, with in-depth coverage, unique research as well as the humour and madness as I only know how to deliver.

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Related

Filed Under: ... Destination, Japan II, Travel Plus, Trip, Trip Reports, Trips Tagged With: Deer, Ferry, Itsukushima, JR West, Shrine

Comments

  1. James K. says

    11/08/2015 at 8:14 am

    Awesome! Though btw it’s Torii not “Torri”

    • Kevincm says

      11/08/2015 at 2:05 pm

      Cheers. Fixed.

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