ITSUKUSHIMA  SANCTUARY AND THE TORII

Itsukushima Shrine was built in 1168 by Taira no Kiyomori, the most powerful lord of Japan at that time, as a shrine for his clan and his family. You should know that the whole island is considered sacred. For this reason, in order to maintain its purity, access was  forbidden over the centuries. However, to encourage the arrival of pilgrims, it was decided to build a sacred complex that was suspended over water  by pillars and walkways , and therefore not directly on the mainland of the island. Also the gateway to the sanctuary, or torii, it was built on water for the same reason. The torii, 16 meters high, is now the symbol of the island of Miyajima. I recommend arriving in the morning at low tide so you can stroll and get under the torii to admire its majesty. In the late afternoon, however, at high tide you can watch the torii floating over the water at sunset and take beautiful pictures.

MOUNT MISEN

Mount Misen is the highest mountain on the island and reaches a peak of 500 meters above sea level. I recommend you to reach the top with the Miyajima cable car Ropeway which however will not bring you to the top but at about 400 mt. height and 1 km path from the summit. From the top of Mount Misen you can enjoy a spectacular view of the sea and, in the clear days, on the city of Hiroshima and its group of islands. The Misen mountain, as well as the whole island, has been over the centuries place for religious meditation for many monks, in fact along the route between the arrival of the cable car and the summit there are various Buddhist religious buildings.

SENJOKAKU O HOKOKU SHRINE

This building, dedicated to reading of the sutras, was built in 1587 by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but the works were interrupted at the death of the latter in 1598, leaving the façade unfinished. It is the largest building on the island, with an area of ​​857 tatami (literally Senjokaku means "pavilion of the thousand tatami "). Next to it is the 5-story pagoda.