Miyajima

The island of Itsukushima or Miyajima as it is often called is home to the Itsukushima shrine which is most famous for its giant Torii gate which appears to be floating on water. It is also well known for its friendly Sika deer population that can be seen throughout the island. The deer on Miyajima are considered sacred like in Nara. But unlike in Nara, the deer can not be fed. They are accustomed to people but be careful as they become aggressive if they think you have food.

Picture of a deer in front of the Torri gate at Miyajima
Adam Collins, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It takes less than an hour to get to the island from Hiroshima city by train and a ferry. Fall is a great time to visit the island as Miyajima is famous for it`s fall foliage.