So Travel Today 4: Itsukushima
Itsukushima is about a 45 minute drive outside the main city of Hiroshima and this romantic island attracts visitors all year round. Itsukushima Shrine is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site so the island is more locally known as Miyajima Island, meaning "Shrine Island" in Japanese.
Itsukushima Shrine's tori gate is as famous as the island is. It's because of how the shrine itself appears to float on water during high tide (6am to 2pm) and it's priceless allure during low tide as nature allows visitors to walk along the ocean floor to the tori gate. Visitors of all ages gather at the tori gate to take countless photos and inspect the famous tori gate up close.
Although having been rebuilt a number of times, the original shrine was built in the 6th century. The design we see today was developed in 1168 when the shrine was funded by the warlord Taira no Kiyomori and reconstructed in the 16th century using the same design.
The purpose of the shrine was to express gratefulness and loyalty to the goddesses Kiyomori believe he owed his successes to. It is said that those goddesses are the 3 daughters of Susanoo no Mikoto.
3 surprises I wasn't expecting on Itsukushima was the amount of activities, the large amount of daytime visitors & also the 1000 plus Sika deers that live peacefully side by side with the locals. Daytime visitors usually trek along the walking trails through the island's naturalistic scenery, visit the island's museum and experience Miyajima's aquarium.
Miyajima is also the home of the world's largest wooden spatula. I stood there for close to 10 minutes texting my friends telling them I was next to the world's biggest wooden spoon until someone text back that it was a spatula. Either way, this wooden spatula is a sight to see!
In the daytime, there are plenty of restaurants, small eateries and souvenir shops on most inhabited parts of the island and they are opened until 6pm.
There are numerous streets and walkways dedicated to these little shops, cafes and even some very small bar-like places to get a drink or 2. There's also a 5 storied pagoda, the Daiganji Temple & the Daisho-in Temple that are must do's while on the island but try not to do the drinking before the temples if you have to drink. Do it the other way around and visit the temples first. You couldn't imagine, how many times in my 20's to 30, I was careless and made that mistake. Ha!
There's a ropeway you can take around the entire island to take priceless photos of the island's breathtaking landscape. If you're ever in Japan, Itsukushima is a must visit and on the top of any to do list. Thanks for joining us on So Travel Today 4!
And be sure to book your next trip at www.sotravel.today!
Elevation: 1,755′
Area: 11.73 mi²
Useful Facts:
3 star hotels average around $315 & 5 star hotels average around $495
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