Miyajima, Japan - A Brief Guide And History

In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, I am in a fortunate position to be able to visit places of beauty around the world in order to pass on, first hand, my experiences to potential clients. In this case the destination was Miyajima, Japan.

It is believed that Miyajima is one of the three most scenic spots in Japan, steeped in history and tradition, with its blue seas, mountains and foliage, it was for me a huge highlight of my unforgettable trip to Japan.

Just a short but enjoyable ferry ride across to the island is a treat in itself with the gate of the Itsukushima Shrine standing in the sea as you approach. This fantastic vermillion coloured structure is about 200 meters in front of the main shrine and is called O-Torii. There are hundreds of shrines in Japan but for me this was a personal favourite due to the beautiful natural surroundings and its grand and unique construction displaying the artistic beauty of the Shinden architectural style.

On arriving on the island, it was a pleasure to see wild deer wandering around with the tourists, looking for any morsel of food they could find. They were not too fussy and would thankfully accept any spare pieces of paper they could snatch from an unsuspecting passer-by.

The Itsukushima Shrine is a stunning construction which overlooks the sea and what made it even more of a magical experience for me is that a traditional Japanese wedding was being held while I was there. The bride looked amazing in her traditional white Japanese wedding kimono which is called shiro-maku. The whole ceremony added an electric atmosphere to the entire experience.

Also located on Miyajima Island is Momijidana Park which is located at the foot of Mount Misen. It is covered by an extensive primeval forest which as you can imagine in the autumn time is awash with scarlet tinged maple leaves.
At the other end of the scale, in spring you are engulfed in the cherry blossom which adds to the pure splendour of the area.

Some of the little shops on the Island are dedicated to making Momji manju, waffles that are shaped like a maple leaf that are popular sweets of Miyajima. They come with assorted fillings and well worth trying while you are put there.

I was adventurous enough to sample one of the local delicacies on the island, fried oysters. They were truly delicious as was most of the food that I experienced in Japan.

Senjokaku is the popular name of the main hall of the Hokoku Shrine also located on Miyajima. It has a five storey pagoda that stands 28 meters high and is said to have been built in 1407. It displays an awesome structural beauty that skilfully combines Japanese and Chinese architectural styles. The image of Buddha is painted in full colour on the inside wall of the pagoda.

Miyajimas aquarium accommodates a wide variety of marine life. There are over 13,000 rare fish and 350 other sea creatures from around the world which are on display here. One of the most popular is the Commerson’s dolphin, with its distinct black and white markings. There are commercial seal shows to take in along with many other attractions.

Miyajima has much more to offer than I can list here but it is definitely worth a visit if you are in Japan and is made more attainable wherever you are staying due to the speed and efficiency of the bullet train.

Stuart Cheese is the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours and having visited over 110 countries, has a wealth of travel experience. One World Tours / The Holidays in Japan Specialists

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