Miyajima

The island of Miyajima lies just off the coast of Hiroshima. Its main claim to fame and primary tourist attraction is the Itsukushima Shrine which, at high tide, appears to be floating on the waves. At low tide the more prosaic, but equally interesting reality is revealed of a building supported on piles, rather like a seaside pier. There are regular ferries from the JR station on the mainland and only a short walk from there to the shrine along a promenade which would be idyllic, but for the hordes of tourists and the sucker shops; also famous for grilled oysters (what a waste), tame deer wandering into restaurants and the world's biggest and most utterly pointless wooden spoon.. It is probably worth staying the night in any of the wide range of (expensive) hotels, ryokans or hostels, both to avoid the throngs and to get a view of the shrine at night when lit up, as well as to guarantee you will be there at low tide if you want to walk out to the torii for a close-up view; it is amazing how it has been patched up over the years, although appearing so smooth from a distance.