If you travel to Japan, one of the places you must see is the city of Hiroshima. It’s very beautiful, with many fun things to do and delicious local cuisine, but the historical significance is what makes Hiroshima worth visiting.
There are many things to do in Hiroshima, but we only had one day to explore. We visited the World War II memorials and then took a ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima Island.
It is located near “ground zero” of the atomic bomb explosion. You can easily do a self-guided walking tour of the first four sites, which are clustered together in a beautiful park straddled by two rivers.
The Museum is full of artifacts and stories of Hiroshima prior to, during, and after the atomic bomb. The museum offers a self-paced audio tour.
This particular Shinto Shrine has the only Torii gate in the middle of the sea. (A “Torii” is a gate that marks the entrance to a Japanese Shinto shrine).
The first thing you may notice about the island is that there are deer everywhere. They are bold and friendly, and they may come up and try to nibble on your backpack or whatever you have in your hand.
A short walk from the ferry terminal, you will see the famous orange Itsukushima Shrine Torii gate about 200 meters offshore. At high tide, the gate appears to be floating in the sea.
After visiting the shrine, you may pass by the 5-Story Pagoda, another impressive site on Miyajima. From there, you can hike or take the ropeway (gondola) to the top of Mt. Misen, the highest peak on Miyajima.