Why Honeymoon on Miyajima
Miyajima has a stillness that is rare at Japan's major sights. After dark, the island holds a few hundred residents, a handful of ryokan and its guests. The shopping street shutters early. You can walk the shoreline under stone lanterns, listen to the water slap against the shrine's pillars and watch the floodlit gate shimmer in the bay.
By morning, it is yours again for an hour or two. The tide may have pulled out, letting you walk across the flats to stand under the gate itself, something impossible at high water.
The island is also greener than most visitors expect. Mount Misen rises behind the town, covered in primeval forest, with temples on its slopes and views over the islands of the Seto Inland Sea. Most day-trippers never leave the waterfront.
When to Go
Spring and autumn are best. Cherry blossoms usually bloom in early April, scattered around the shrine and five-story pagoda. In mid to late November, the maples in Momijidani Park, whose name means maple valley, turn deep red. That is the island's busiest season.
Summer is hot and humid, with the rainy season from roughly June to mid July. The Kangensai festival, a night of music on boats in summer, follows the lunar calendar, so its date changes each year.
Winter is cool and often clear, with smaller crowds. It is also oyster season, which peaks from about December to February.
Check tide tables before you go. High tide shows the floating gate; low tide lets you walk out to it. A stay of one night lets you see both.
Where to Stay
Stay on the island at least one night. Accommodation is limited and not cheap, so book early, especially for autumn weekends.
Iwaso, founded in 1854, is the island's best known ryokan, set at the edge of Momijidani Park with its own garden and baths. Its separate cottages suit couples who want extra privacy. Rooms include a kaiseki dinner and breakfast. As a rough guide, island ryokan with dinner and breakfast run about $300 to $1,000 a night for two (approximate).
Other ryokan and small hotels line the waterfront and lanes behind the shrine. Choose a room with a view of the bay if you can.
If island rooms are full, stay in Hiroshima and come out before 8 a.m., then stay until dusk. You lose the evening calm but still see the gate in soft light. Hotels near Hiroshima Station make the commute easy.
Romantic Things to Do
Walk through Itsukushima Shrine's long red corridors over the water. The shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its painted halls and wooden stage for traditional music feel unchanged since the 12th century.
At low tide, walk across the sand to stand beneath the great torii. At high tide, take a small boat tour that passes by the gate, offered on some evenings when it is lit.
Ride the ropeway up Mount Misen, then walk about 30 minutes to the summit for views across the Inland Sea. If you are fit, hike up from town on one of the forest trails, which takes about an hour and a half.
Visit Daisho-in, a temple on the slopes with hundreds of small stone statues and a cave of lanterns. Afterward, linger over a drink as the shrine lights come on.
Getting There and Around
From Kyoto or Osaka, take the Shinkansen to Hiroshima in roughly one and a half to two hours. From Tokyo, it takes about four hours. Then ride the JR Sanyo line about 30 minutes to Miyajimaguchi and take a ferry for the 10 minute crossing.
Two ferry lines run frequently from Miyajimaguchi, JR and Matsudai. The JR ferry is covered by the Japan Rail Pass. A small visitor tax of about 100 yen per person has been added to ferry fares in recent years.
There is also a direct boat from Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, taking about 45 minutes, a scenic way to link the two.
Once on the island, walk. Everything around the shrine is within 15 minutes on foot. Some ryokan collect guests at the pier if you call ahead.
Food and Drink
Hiroshima Bay grows most of Japan's oysters. Miyajima's main street sells them grilled, fried or raw from waterfront stalls. They are best in winter but available much of the year.
Anago meshi, grilled conger eel over rice, is the other local specialty. A restaurant called Ueno near Miyajimaguchi Station has served it for more than a century and draws lines at lunch.
For dessert, try momiji manju, maple-leaf-shaped cakes filled with sweet bean paste or custard. Some shops fry them on a stick, which is better than it sounds.
In Hiroshima, eat okonomiyaki, the local savory pancake layered with cabbage, noodles and egg and cooked on a griddle in front of you. Okonomimura, a building packed with small counters, is an easy place to try it.
Honeymoon Tips
Keep food out of sight. The island's deer are wild and bold. They will snatch maps, snacks and even paper bags. Feeding them is not allowed.
Check tide times ahead and plan your shrine visits around them. Your ryokan can help.
The ropeway closes in the late afternoon. If you hike up, plan to be back before dark.
Set aside half a day for the Peace Memorial Park and Museum in Hiroshima. It is an emotional visit, but many visitors find it one of the most meaningful parts of their trip to Japan.
Send big luggage ahead to your next hotel. Ferries and ryokan stairs are easier with a small overnight bag.
