When should I go to Itsukushima Shrine? Low tide or high tide? why not both?

Miyajima Itsukushima Shrine is a must-see attraction in Hiroshima.
Because we were afraid of the crowds, we set out on Thursday, the second day after arriving.

Of course, you want to see the Torii gate on the sea up close and walk through it.
Before setting off, I specifically checked the annual tide and tide table and saw that the low tide would be between 3-5pm, so I went to visit Shukkeien and Hiroshima Castle in the morning.

To go from Hiroshima Station to Miyajima, you can take the JR to Miyajima (420 yen) or the Hiroshima Electric Railway (240 yen), and then take a boat to Miyajima. JR is a little farther from Matou and more expensive, but the time is almost twice as fast, so it is suitable for friends who have JR pass and are in a hurry. Hiroshima Electric Railway Miyajimaguchi Station is right next to the pier and can be used with Hiroshima Tourist Pass, but it is slower.

Based on time, take the JR to Miyajimaguchi. After getting off the bus, it takes less than 5 minutes to walk to the pier. If you use an IC card, you don't need to buy a ticket/tax invoice, you can enter the gate with just a beep. The ferry schedule is quite frequent, about 5-10 minutes apart, unless you want to take the JR West ferry and see the Torii gate from afar, in which case you will have to wait for a ferry every 15 minutes.

It was 1:30 pm on a Thursday and there weren't many people. After getting off the boat, we went to the shopping street to eat oysters and other snacks, and then strolled to Itsukushima Shrine.

The tide has receded and many tourists have walked onto the beach.
There are dry roads to walk on, and some muddy roads.
Walk along the tide and when you reach the torii gate, you will understand what "magnificent" means. There are a lot of mosses and barnacles under the torii pillars. This one standing on the sea is the gate to the divine realm.

After visiting the Torii, we went to the shrine. At around 4 pm, there were about 10 tourists. Walking through the community and looking at the mudflats, I really want to come back again when the tide is high.

When we got to Daiganji Temple and looked at the Torii Gate, we couldn’t help but walk to the beach again. Many tourists left and the tide began to rise slowly. The shoe covers I brought came in handy and I could step into muddy puddles and shallow water without fear. But be careful of deer on land. As long as you sit down with a plastic bag-like object in your hand, they will rush over and bite what they think is food.

Checking the tide table, the sea will not be high tide until 9:30 pm, so I will leave for the time being and plan to come back in two days.

March 1st, Saturday, was the day we planned to go to Iwakuni. On the way, we went to Miyajima Island. This time I had a JR Pass, so I had to buy a tax voucher when I arrived at the pier before I could board the ship. After getting off the ship, we immediately went to Itsukushima Shrine. On weekends, at 11am, there are a lot of people. There was a long queue at the shrine gate.

This means taking a walk around the outskirts of Shenshe and then going to the Red Leaf Valley. It was scary that the cable car had stopped running, so before leaving we had to go to Toyokuni Shrine and take a look from a slightly higher place, then take a boat off the island and head to Iwakuni.

Experience sharing:
1. Check the annual tide and tide chart
(See the Japanese version of the Miyajima Tourism Association website). In fact, you can enjoy the torii gate at both high tide and low tide in the same day.
2. There are more people on weekends and in the mornings
3. When the tide is high, there is a boat that passes through the Torii Gate (1500 yen/person)
4. Miyajima oysters are really delicious

#3月好去地方2025 #Hiroshima #Miyajima #Itsukushima Shrine #ひとり旅 #個人旅 #Itravelalone