Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima, Japan

Itsukushima Shrine [Japanese: Itsukushima-Jinjya, 厳島神社] ((UNESCO))
Location: Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi-city in Hiroshima prefecture in Japan 
　　　　　広島県廿日市市宮島町
Access: by Ferry from Miyajima-guchi/ 宮島口. 10 minutes ride. Every 15 min.
Fare: adult 180 yen, children 90 yen

 

 ferry from Miyajima-guchi/宮島口 to Miyajima-sambashi/宮島桟橋.

 

 

a monument showing that Itsukushima Shrine [Japanese: Itsukushima Jinjya, 厳島神社] is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 

 

Miyajima island [宮島] is one of the three most scenic sights of Japan;

"The Three Views of Japan (nihon-sankei, 日本三景)".
We found the monument of Nihon-sankei (日本三景碑) too.
 

 

Deer in Miyajima.

 

There was a pillar of the Three Views of Japan

around the entrance of waterfront toward the Itsukushima Jinjya. 
 

 

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We walked along the seashore to the Itsukushima shrine.

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We could see the Great Torii [Japanese: Otorii, 大鳥居] right away.
cf)Torii: a gate or the boundary between the spirit and the human worlds.

 
Some people were digging for clams during low tide.

 

The open stage located in front of the main shrine 

is called Hira-butai/ 平舞台.
It was a temporary stage but it became permanent.
Hira-butai is considered as a garden.

The part of Hira-butai looks like a pier is called Hitasaki/ 火焼先.

 

The vermilion corridors [Japanese: Kairou, 廻廊] in Itsukushima Shrine.
Anywhere on the corridor is a photo spot.
 

 

We could see the crabs coming out from the sand during the low tide 

below the corridors of the shrine.

 

an Arched Bridge [Japanese: Sori-bashi, 反橋].

It was used to enter directly to the Main Shrine for the festival in the past.
 

 

Episode of Itsukushima Shrine

Tomo & Chouchou went to Itsukushima Shrine [厳島神社, Itsukushima-Jinjya], which is floating in the sea, by group tour.  We went by bus until Miyajima-gushi/ 宮島口. Miyajima-guchi was in front of the train station. It took about 10 minutes to go to Miyajima-sanbashi (宮島桟橋) in Miyajima by ferry.
As soon as we arrived in Miyajima island, we could find a monument showing that Itsukushima Shrine is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
Miyajima island is also one of the three most scenic sights of Japan; "The Three Views of Japan (日本三景, nihon-sankei)". We found the monument of Nihon-sankei too.
As soon as we started to walk ahead, the deer living in Miyajima island approached us. Deer in Miyajima were more aggressive than deer in Nara. They approached us to check if we had any foods. We had paper bags. Then they tred to get them. They tried to eat even paper bags. It was a bit scary.
Around the entrance of waterfront toward the Itsukushima Jinjya, there was a pillar of the Three Views of Japan. We needed to walk along the seashore to go to Itsukushima Shrine. We could see the Great Torii [Otorii, 大鳥居] right away.
cf)Torii: a gate or the boundary between the spirit and the human worlds.

The Itsukushima Shrine looks floating on the sea during high tide. During low tide, people come with scoops and buckets, and get shellfish. When we went there, it was during low tide. So people were digging for clams.
When we entered Itsukushima shrine, we could see the beautiful Shinden-zukuri/ 寝殿造り of the Main Shrine/ 本殿.
cf)Shinden-zukuri (寝殿造): the style of architecture built for aristocratic or palatial mansions in the Heian period (around 10th century)
We walked to the open stage called Hira-butai/平舞台. We could feel Hira-butai was like a garden as it was said. We walked to the pier called Hitasaki/ 火焼先.
From Hitasaki, we could see the Great Torii [Otorii, 大鳥居] and Seto Inland Sea [Setonaikai, 瀬戸内海] in front. Sea wind can enter from anywhere of the Itsukushima Shrine. So we could feel the wind in the shrine.
We could see the most whole parts of the shrine from anywhere in the shrine.
The vermilion corridors in Itsukushima Shrine were so brilliant. Anywhere on the corridor was a good photo spot.
We found the crabs coming out from the sand below the corridor of the shrine during the low tide. We really felt the shrine was beside the sea.
There was an Arched Bridge [Sori-bashi, 反橋]. We couldn't walk on the bridge. But it was enough beautiful to see.

The Itsukushima Shrine is located beside the sea, however it still remains. It's very rare and very spiritual.
Green Mount Misen (弥山) is located behind the Itsukushima Shrine, Blue Seto Inland Sea in front of the Itsukushima Shrine and vivid vermilion color of the shrine; all the combination of color was just great. It was a lovely landscpae of the Itsukushima Shrine unifying with the nature.
The Itsukushima shrine existing between the mountain and the sea made us feel the coexistence between the nature and the human, and it made us understand how Japanese people lived with the nature and how much Japanese people worshipped the god of the nature.

Tomo & Chouchou's advices for Miyajima

1)Deer even try to eat paper bags if we have, so please be careful.
More and more we feed deer, more and more deer try to eat human foods.
Nowadays, some deer eat a plastic bag with foods and they die.
So please don't feed any foods except specific foods for deer.
2)If you travel to Japan, never miss the Itsukushima Shrine. It is the symbol of Japanese beauty and Japanese spirits. 

 

Information

Itsukushima Shrine is also called floating shrine because it looks floating in the sea during high tide. Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine and it's disignated as a World Heritage Site.
Itsukushima Shrine is located on the island called "Miyajima/宮島 or Itsukushima/厳島" in Hatsukaichi/廿日市 in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.
To go to Miyajima island, we need to take a ferry from Miyajima-guchi (宮島口) where is just in front of the train station. It takes about 10 minutes to go to Miyajima-sanbashi (宮島桟橋) in Miyajima by ferry.