Oct 31, 2012 - 1 min read

Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima

Japan's famous shrine is built over water

By Nicole Bauer

Community writer

Being built over water the shrine seems to float during high tide

The enormous torii (gate) floating at high tide

There are so many different views of the torii in the water that it's hard to pick a favorite one.

A common scene around the shrine: rikshaws and deer

Lovely old wooden bridge during my visit in 2012. When I visited again in 2013 it was under restoration and they might have actually replaced it completely. If you visit this place sometime, let me know how the bridge looks now!

At low tide you can normally walk around and through the torii. Just make sure that you don't forget the time out there, otherwise, it will be a quite wet experience!

The illuminated gate at night. Make sure you spend a night on the island to see this!

Miyajiima is considered to be one of the "three most beautiful spots" in all of Japan and this Itsukushima Shrine is certainly playing its part. Before visiting the shrine myself, I didn't expect to find something so different from anything else I've seen so far in Japan. However, as the shrine is built over water, it literally seems to float, which can create a very beautiful, magical atmosphere.

More info

Find out more about Itsukushima Shrine.

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By Nicole Bauer

Community writer

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Sueis Kristusp 9 years ago

You could pay more attention to verticals in your photographs :)

Nicole Bauer Photographer 9 years ago

Thanks for the tip, much appreciated!

Radica Sooknarine 10 years ago

Fantastic photos. When I visited there earlier this year, it was teeming with people. It was also low tide so I missed seeing it like this.

Nicole Bauer Photographer 10 years ago

Thank you Michelle. It is a magic place indeed, even better if you stay over night!

Michelle Montano 10 years ago

These pictures are mesmerizing. And I agree with jjwalsh: I've been to Miyajima over 10 times in less than a year and it was still beautiful and worth it each time.