Let's get to know Miyajima more deeply
Miyajima Advanced
After clearing the beginner level, challenge to the advanced level! Miyajima is an island that has been worshipped since ancient times as a sacred island. Not only Itsukushima Shrine, but power spots are everywhere. Furthermore, there are unknown backsides of Miyajima and anecdotes… I will introduce the wonders of Miyajima
Why is Miyajima, the island where gods dwell
The whole island is a power spot!
Miyajima, which has Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage Site, is also called the island where the sacred dwells. There is a secret in “Itsukushima,” which is the name of the island. Itsukushima has the meaning of an island that purifies the mind and body and serves the gods. In the past, the entire island was thought to be a goshintai where gods dwell.
[Featured column] Two names “Miyajima” and “Itsukushima”
Actually, it is said that the name “Miyajima” came to be called “the island where Omiya (Itsukushima Shrine) is located,” and the name of the island on the map is “Itsukushima”. Currently, “Miyajima” is widely used, but there is no definition of proper use, and two place names coexist.
Actually, Miyajima used to be a place like this! Miyajima, past and present
The main street of Miyajima was Machiya Street!
Omotesando is the main street where tourists pass when heading from Miyajima Pier to Itsukushima Shrine. The street is lined with restaurants and souvenir shops, and it is bustling every day. However, in fact, this street began to flourish during the period of rapid growth in Japan. Until then, Machiya-dori Street on the Ipponyamate side was the main street. Around the middle of the Edo period, there were many red-light districts lined up, and there were also movie theaters in the Showa period… Today’s Machiya-dori Street is a living road for people living in Miyajima.
The back side of Miyajima... do you know?
Remains of war on the island where the gods live
Go right with Miyajima pier in the direction of Itsukushima Shrine. After walking for about 40 minutes to the left, there is the Kanegaura Beach, which is crowded with many people in the summer. However, I think there are not many people who know it until then. The remains of the Takanosu battery, which are the scars of the war, are quietly asleep there. It was built during the Russo-Japanese War and is said to have been one of the Hiroshima Bay Fortresses. By the way, there is also the Murohama battery site on the west side of Miyajima, exactly opposite the Takanosu battery site.
Mysterious spots in Miyajima
Guide you to a mysterious world
There are many mysterious spots in Miyajima. Here are two of them. First of all, Daisho-in is the head temple of the Shingon sect Omuro school, which has a history of 1200 years and has the deepest history among the temples in Miyajima. Under the Daishido in the precincts, “Hensho Cave” is a sand stepping dojo where the principal images of 88 places in Shikoku are enshrined. It is said that if you go around the front of the principal image, you can get the same benefits as visiting 88 places in Shikoku. Next, the Reikado of Mt. Misen continues from Daisho-in Temple. There is an “indelible fire” that has been burning for over 1200 years. It is also the source of the “Peace Light” of the Peace Memorial Park.
How do I go to Miyajima from Yamaguchi prefecture?
Actually, it's more convenient from Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport!
If you are going to Miyajima sightseeing by plane from outside the prefecture, did you know that Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport is actually closer than Hiroshima Airport? From Hiroshima Airport, take the Limousine Bus, transfer to JR at Hiroshima Station, get off at JR Miyajimaguchi, and take a ferry to Miyajima Port in about 90 minutes. From Kataya Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport, take the Iwakuni Bus, transfer to JR at Iwakuni Station, get off at JR Miyajimaguchi, and take a ferry to Miyajima Port in about 45 minutes. It takes about half the time to arrive at Miyajima.
