Hotels near Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima

Itsukushima Shrine was founded in 593 and rebuilt in its current form in 1168 by Taira no Kiyomori. The whole complex is built on piers over a tidal flat because the island itself was considered sacred ground that commoners could not set foot on. At high tide the corridors appear to float; at low tide you can walk out across the sand to the base of the torii.

The vermilion Great Torii stands 16 metres tall and is not fixed to the seabed. It holds position by its own weight, with stones packed into the box-shaped crossbeam. The current gate is the eighth, dating from 1875, and completed a major restoration in 2022. Shrine entry is JPY 300, and the island also carries Senjokaku hall, a five-storey pagoda and free-roaming deer.

Pro Tip: Check the tide table before you commit to a time. High tide gives the floating shot, low tide lets you walk to the gate, and the two are roughly six hours apart. Stay past 5pm when the day trippers leave and the shrine is lit.