Miyajima Half-day Trip Historical Walking Tour
Description
Join a tour by MagicalTrip, proud winner of the Tripadvisor Best of the Best Award. Each experience is led by a MagicalTrip Certified Guide, professionally trained and carefully selected to ensure quality and authenticity. Visit the scenic island of Miyajima and explore its rich cultural heritage with a friendly local guide. Begin at the iconic Itsukushima Shrine, famous for its floating torii gate, and learn about its history and deep cultural significance to Japan. Continue to Daishoin Temple and stroll through Momijidani Park while discovering important landmarks such as the five-story pagoda and Senjokaku Hall. Along the way, your guide explains the role of Buddhism and the spiritual importance of Miyajima. End the tour by tasting local specialties, including fresh oysters and fried momiji dumplings, along with other sweet and savory treats. This small-group tour is operated by Magical Trip, a trusted local company with TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Start Miyajima Walking Tour After gathering, we will board a ferry to Miyajima. Enjoy breathtaking views of the Seto Inland Sea and the iconic Otorii, Miyajima's symbol, during the boat ride. Upon reaching Miyajima, friendly deer will welcome you. We'll stroll along the coast to the Otorii Gate and then proceed to Itsukushima Shrine.
We'll stroll along the coast to the Otorii Gate and then proceed to Itsukushima Shrine.
Let's take a picture with the shrine as a backdrop! Constructed during the Heian period (794-1192), the shrine's distinctive architecture, resilient to the tides' ebb and flow, adds to its allure.
Your local guide will explain on Buddhism and the statues. Daisho-in Temple is the main temple of the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism, located in Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture. The name of the temple is Takiyama, and it is also known as Takiyama Daisho-in Suisei-ji Temple. It is the oldest temple on Miyajima, and as the annex temple of Itsukushima Shrine, it has presided over rituals and supervised the priests of the shrine. The temple's principal deity is Miki-Daigongen.
Take photos here
Explanation of the visit Senjamikaku is the common name for the main hall of Itsukushima Shrine's Terminal Shrine, Toyokuni Shrine, a shrine building located on Itsukushima in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is the common name for the main building of Toyokuni Shrine, the last shrine of Itsukushima Shrine. It is called Sentamikaku because it is the size of 857 tatami mats.
Get local street food in Miyajima Omotesando Shopping Street A bustling shopping street. Lined with souvenir stores and food stalls offering grilled oysters and other delicacies.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The itinerary for this tour includes some locations that are not accessible by a wheelchair or stroller.
- Please note that we are unable to guarantee allergy-free or cater to dietary restrictions as the food is prepared in kitchens that do not belong to MagicalTrip. Additionally, there may be instances where substitutions are not possible at certain stops; however, we will make every effort to compensate at different stops throughout the tour.
- Summer in Japan is very hot and humid, so we recommend that you bring water and wear a hat to prevent heat stroke.
- Vegetarian and vegan lunch options are available but limited. Unfortunately, gluten-free lunch is not available. All ages are welcome on this tour. Please inform us at least one day before the tour if you have any dietary requests or allergies to mention. Requests made on the day of the tour cannot be accommodated.
- Please note that we are unable to guarantee allergy-free or cater to dietary restrictions as the food is prepared in kitchens that do not belong to MagicalTrip.
- Japan's climate has become more extreme, with summer highs of 40°C (110°F) and winter lows of -5°C (20°F). Please prepare accordingly for the tour.
Reviews(354)
Great tour, great guide, worth visiting
Thank you for your kind review! We’re delighted you enjoyed the tour and our guide. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again!
Etsko was an amazing guide and a very lovely person! She taught me so much about Miyajima island and all the history. It's a long tour but worth it. It was a great experience and I definitely recommend!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you had such a great experience with Etsuko. We'll be sure to share your kind words with her—she'll be happy to know you enjoyed learning about Miyajima and its history. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you on another MagicalTrip tour soon!
We were so lucky to have been guided around Miyajima by the wonderful Rio! She took great care of us, and her friendliness and knowledge really added to the special experience. She was incredibly helpful with my goshuin collection, showing me where to receive them and communicating with the staff on my behalf. And she knows exactly where to get the best photos! The tour included a delicious lunch and ice cream (very welcome in the sweltering heat!) Although it's not possible to see everything the island has to offer in the space of 6 hours, the itinerary was interesting and varied - definitely better than anything I could have planned myself. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you had such a great time exploring Miyajima with Rio. She'll be so happy to know that her friendliness, knowledge, and helpfulness made your experience even more special, especially with your goshuin collection and finding the best photo spots. We're also glad you enjoyed the delicious lunch, ice cream, and the itinerary. Thank you for your kind recommendation—we truly appreciate it! We hope to welcome you on another MagicalTrip tour in the future.
What an incredible guide Rio is! She is knowledgeable, kind, and truly passionate about sharing the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of Miyajima. We visited beautiful shrines and temples, wandered through hidden passages, listened to the chorus of cicadas in the forest, and enjoyed a peaceful lunch at a quiet local spot with delicious food. Every moment felt thoughtfully planned and unhurried. Rio made the day unforgettable with her warmth and enthusiasm. Thank you for an amazing experience—I couldn’t have asked for a better guide!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that you had such a memorable experience exploring Miyajima with Rio. Your kind words about her knowledge, warmth, and passion for sharing Miyajima's history, culture, and spiritual traditions truly mean a lot. We're so pleased that you enjoyed visiting the shrines and temples, discovering hidden paths, listening to the sounds of the forest, and relaxing over a delicious local lunch. It's wonderful to know that the pace of the tour allowed you to fully appreciate the beauty and atmosphere of the island. We'll be sure to share your thoughtful feedback with Rio—it will make her day! Thank you again for choosing to tour with us, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure in Japan.
Rio is a very good guide. She has wide knowledge of all things and she can explain things well. We had a wonderful time with her. I can recomend for families or group of friends.
A great experience. Got to learn about the history and try the local specialty like conger eel and the maple leaf cake. It was worth the cost since I was the only one on the tour so it became a personal tour. The tour started from 9:30 till about 3 pm and it covered everything. The only out of pocket expense was the ferry to and from the island
Thank you so much for your kind review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed learning about the island's history and trying local specialties like conger eel and maple leaf cake. We're especially glad your private experience made the tour even more enjoyable. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure in Japan!
Such a great experience. Seeing the Tori gates, different shrines and learning about the history of the island. Additionally trying the local food like conger eel and maple shaped Castilla cake. This was my third tour with this company and it was really fun all three times. Happened to be the only one on this particular tour so made it personal and enjoyable
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the shrines, learning about the island's history, and trying the local specialties. It means so much that this was your third tour with us, and we're thrilled you've had a great experience every time. We look forward to welcoming you back on another adventure in Japan!
We had a fantastic experience on the Miyajima Half‑Day Walking Tour, thanks to our wonderful guide, Yoshie. She is caring, dedicated, and incredibly knowledgeable—constantly sharing insights about both Hiroshima and Miyajima that added so much depth to the day. Lunch at the inn was very good, and the scenery throughout Miyajima was absolutely spectacular. The Itsukushima Shrine was breathtaking, and Yoshie enriched the visit with cultural background and thoughtful explanations. One of the highlights was visiting Daisho‑in Temple, where Yoshie helped us understand the customs and traditions in a way that felt meaningful and accessible. Don’t miss the maze inside the temple—you’ll come out feeling “reborn.” Yoshie was exceptionally accommodating and attentive to our needs. For example, she made sure we boarded the correct train back to Hiroshima and even waited until it departed before saying goodbye. That level of care truly stood out. A memorable, worthwhile tour—and if you can, ask for Yoshie. She made the experience outstanding.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that you had such a memorable experience with Yoshie. We'll be sure to share your kind words with her. It's great to know that her knowledge, care, and attention to detail helped make your visit to Miyajima so special. Thank you for joining us, and we truly appreciate your recommendation. We hope to welcome you again on your next visit to Japan!
Etsko is the best! knowledgeable and engaging! ask for her!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that Etsko made such a great impression with her knowledge and engaging personality. We'll be sure to pass along your kind words to her. Thank you for joining us!
This was a really fun tour! Our guide, Etsko, was very knowledgeable and allowed us to ask many questions. It was the perfect length tour around the island, and wasn’t too long. Lots of wonderful temples and shrines all along the route of the tour.
Thank you for your kind review! We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed the tour and appreciated Etsko’s knowledge and support. It’s great that the timing felt just right and that you were able to explore the temples and shrines along the route. We truly appreciate your feedback.
