The town of Miyajima from Mount Misen, with the torii of Itsukushima Shrine at the bottom
Miyajima (宮島町; -cho) is a town located on Itsukushima Island (sometimes referred to as Miyajima Island) in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan.
As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 2,018 and a density of 66.40 persons per kmē. The total area is 30.39 kmē.
In the Shinto religion, Itsukushima Island is considered to be sacred, and there are no maternity wards or cemeteries, as no-one is permitted to give birth or die on the island. Felling trees is also forbidden, leaving the island covered in virgin forest, and providing a habitat for dozens of bird species and the tame deer which are allowed to roam freely.
Torii of Itsukushima Shrine
The town of Miyajima is connected to the mainland by regular ferries to Miyajima-guchi, and less frequent ferries to the city of Hiroshima.
There are several tourist attractions around the town of Miyajima, notably Itsukushima Shrine, Senjo-kaku (the Pavilion of 1,000 mats), Daigan-ji shrine, and Daisho-in shrine. There is also a cable car from near the town, which runs almost to the top of Mount Misen, the highest point of Itsukushima island.
A Miyajima free pass at ¥2000 includes unlimited travel on the ropeway, the ferry, and the Hiroshima street car for two days, so it is cheaper even if you only plan on taking the ferry and the ropeway.
Miyajima's main sight, the shrine is a large, red-lacquered complex of halls and pathways on stilts, originally so built that commoners could visit without defiling the island with their footprints.
Accommodation on Miyajima is uniformly expensive and many people on a budget choose to daytrip from Hiroshima instead.
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