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Days 13-14<br />
Miyajima, for stunning spaces<br />
Make your final stop the vermilion<br />
‘floating’ O-torii (Grand Gate) at<br />
Itsukushima Jinja a UNESCOdesignated<br />
shrine on stilts in the Seto<br />
Inland Sea, off the island of Miyajima.<br />
Just 40 minutes from Hiroshima by<br />
train, you can ‘do’ Miyajima on a long<br />
day from Hiroshima, but it’s better<br />
without the day-trippers. Check in<br />
at cheerful Mikuniya guesthouse by<br />
the shrine, and visit at 6.30am, when<br />
Ikutsushima opens, and you’ll have its<br />
floating halls and walkways to yourself;<br />
alternatively, go late afternoon, when<br />
the trails on Mount Misen — the<br />
535-metre hiking peak at the island’s<br />
centre — are deserted again. Check<br />
tide times (visit-miyajima-japan.com) if<br />
you want to snap the O-torii ‘floating’,<br />
or take a sea-kayak tour (paddlepark.<br />
com). Miyajima is renowned for its<br />
wildlife, such as the tame deer in<br />
Omoto Park and naughty monkeys<br />
at the summit of Mount Misen, but<br />
Mikuniya warns guests to look out for<br />
tanuki (Japanese racoon dogs), which<br />
run off with people’s shoes.<br />
32 worldtravellermagazine.com
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