It only rained one day (out of the fourteen) while we were in Japan. That rainy day was the day we had planned to go to Miyajima, an island right by Hiroshima. The rain was coming down pretty hard but we decided to go anyway, and I’m so glad we did! We purchased ponchos at the train station (500 yen each)… well worth the price this day. We first hopped on the ferry (free with the JR pass) to get to the island. The kids LOVED this short boat ride.
Miyajima/Itsukushima is famous for:
1) The Torii
3) Momijimanjyu (delicious pastries in the shape of a momiji-leaf)
4) Wooden Rice Scoopers (there is a rice scooper there that is GINORMOUS– as big as a truck!)
5) Deer everywhere! ( I guess there are monkeys too, but we didn’t see any)
6) Anago-meshi
7) Oysters
Despite the rain, the deer really were everywhere.
We escaped the rain for a few minutes to enjoy some age-momijimanjyu. So good!
Because of the rain, the island had a mysterious fog covering it, which looked pretty cool. Here is the famous Torii gate of the Itsukushima Shrine. During low tide, you can walk up to it! It looks pretty awesome in person.
The Itsukushima Shrine was packed with tourists trying to escape the rain. It is very beautiful. There was even a traditional wedding going on inside.
There’s probably a lot more things to do in Miyajima, but we only stayed for a little while. If you are going to be in Hiroshima, it is well worth a little day trip! I thought it was great forΒ my kids too. They enjoyed the deer, the funky souvenir shops, momijimanjyu and anago-meshi, seeing the huge Torii gate, and riding the ferry. A special thanks to our dear friends who braved the rain with us!
Have you been to Miyajima? Maybe when it was sunny? π
Check back soon for more adventures in Hiroshima, plus ideas for your next birthday party (Anpanman-themed and Sumo-themed parties!).
Hiragana Mama 
I went there and walked out to the tori gate when the tide was down.
Ooh–looks like a fun trip!
I’ve been there once to visit my friend when I was in college. I wish to take the kids there one day!
It rained on the day we went to Miyajima, too!
I was only there for 2.5 hours (I visited a school in the morning), but my boyfriend spent 6 hours on the island. He went to the aquarium, and hiked to the top of one of the mountains… in the rain and fog.
Loved it.