5 things you may not know about Miyajima

By the Japan Travel Costs team · 25 October 2026. Every figure links to its source with the date we last checked it, and figures we cannot verify are left out. About us.

Miyajima is the small island off Hiroshima with the red gate in the sea. It is one of the three classic "most scenic spots" of Japan, alongside Matsushima and Amanohashidate, according to the Miyajima Tourist Association. Most people give it half a day on the way through Hiroshima. Here are five things we wish we had known before our first visit, each checked against the island's official sources.

1. The Great Torii is not fixed to the seabed

The gate looks planted in the sea, but it is not dug in. The Miyajima Tourist Association says the O-torii stands about 16.8 metres high, its main pillars are about 13.4 metres tall and 9.9 metres around, and it "is supported by its own weight". It sits about 212.7 metres out from the shrine's main worship hall.

It is also not the original. The same page says the current gate is the ninth, put up in 1875, and that the four-pillar design dates from a rebuild in 1547. The wood is coated in vermilion lacquer and the roof is thatched with Japanese cypress bark.

2. At low tide you can walk right up to it

The floating look only happens at high water. When the tide goes out, the bay in front of the shrine turns to sand flats and you can walk to the foot of the gate. The official tide page lets you pick a date and shows two windows: when you can walk to the torii, and when the shrine appears to float. The times change every day, so we would check it before fixing the hour you catch the ferry.

Our tip: if you can, stay long enough to see both. On the day we checked, 25 October 2026, the page showed the shrine floating from 6:30 to 11:15 a.m. and a walking window from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., so one long visit covered both. Wear shoes you do not mind getting sandy.

3. The JR ferry is covered by the JR Pass, and one route sails past the gate

Two companies run ferries from Miyajimaguchi, about every 15 minutes, and the crossing takes about 10 minutes, according to Hatsukaichi City's access page. The JR one is run by JR West, so it is covered by the Japan Rail Pass and the JR-WEST Rail Pass, per JR West Miyajima Ferry. The other operator, Miyajima Matsudai Kisen, is not a JR company, so the pass does not apply there.

The JR ferry also runs what it calls Great Torii ferry services, which steer close to the gate for a front view from the water. Its home page says these run from Miyajimaguchi between 9:10 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. Without a pass, the standard fare is ¥200 one way for an adult and ¥100 for a child, per the JR ferry's Japanese fare page and the city's access page. The English fare page still shows an older image with a lower price, so we went with the Japanese page. IC cards are accepted, which our guide to Suica, PASMO and ICOCA cards covers.

4. Everyone pays a small visitor tax on the way over

Hatsukaichi City charges a Miyajima Visitor Tax of ¥100 per person per visit, collected by the ferry companies with your fare. The official visitor tax page says it is included in tickets bought at the machine or window and taken automatically at the IC card gates. Preschool children are exempt. There is also an annual option of ¥500 per person, which you apply for at a city office or through the city's LINE account, so it only makes sense if you plan several visits in a year.

The JR ferry's fare page is clear that the tax is charged separately, so a JR Pass covers the ferry but not the tax. Here is what a simple day trip costs on the JR ferry without a pass:

Sources: JR West Miyajima Ferry fares (standard fare ¥200 adult, ¥100 child, one way), Miyajima Visitor Tax (¥100 per person per visit, charged once on entering the island). The train from Hiroshima to Miyajimaguchi is not included. Converted at ¥156.8 per US$1 (ECB reference rate, 2026-10-23). Last checked 2026-10-25.

5. The deer are wild, and the city asks you not to feed them

About 500 deer live on the island, according to the Miyajima Tourist Association and notes that some have recently made their dens in the town. Hatsukaichi City (page in Japanese) explains that feeding drew deer into town in large numbers, caused problems for residents and visitors, and left the deer with foreign objects building up in their stomachs. The city now manages them as wild animals and wants people and deer to keep some distance.

The practical bit: the island's official English brochure warns that the deer may eat paper and cloth, "especially tickets and souvenirs". Keep your return ferry ticket in a pocket, not your hand, and keep snacks and bags zipped.

Getting there and fitting it into your budget

• From Tokyo. The regular reserved Nozomi fare to Hiroshima is ¥19,760 (about US$126) one way, per the jr-group.jp Nozomi fare guide. Our Tokyo to Hiroshima fare guide has the cheaper Smart EX and Hayatoku 21 prices.
• From Hiroshima. The city says JR from Hiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi takes about 25 minutes, or about 60 minutes by Hiroden tram, per its access page. We have not listed those fares here.
• With a JR Pass. The ferry is a small saving on its own. Whether the pass pays off depends on the long legs, which our JR Pass vs single tickets calculator works out, and our guide on whether the JR Pass is worth it explains.
• Where it fits. Our 12 day itinerary includes Hiroshima and Miyajima, and the itineraries hub has shorter and longer routes. Coming from Osaka first? See our Tokyo to Osaka Shinkansen fares.

Then put the whole trip together in our trip budget calculator. Fares and the tax can change, so check the operator's price on the day you travel.