The floating torii
At high tide.
Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bruno Diaz — CC BY 3.0 · Maarten Heerlien from Voorschoten, The Netherlands — CC BY 2.0 · Winniepix — CC BY 2.0 · lienyuan lee — CC BY 3.0 · そらみみ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Immanuelle — CC BY 4.0 · Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert — CC BY 4.0
A Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima, popularly known as Miyajima, near Hiroshima, famous for the huge orange torii that stands in the sea before it and seems to float at high tide. The shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and several of its buildings are National Treasures. The present shrine is attributed to Taira no Kiyomori, a noble of the imperial court, who contributed heavily to its building as provincial governor in 1168. A torii has stood on the site since then; the current one dates from 1875. Its red halls and corridors stand on piles over the water, so they too seem to float at high tide. At low tide the sea draws back and visitors can walk across the sand to the torii; at high tide it is seen from the shore or from small boats, so check the tide times. Deer roam the island's streets freely, and a street of shops and restaurants runs near the shrine. Entry to the shrine is about 300 yen, and every visitor to the island pays a 100-yen visitor tax with the ferry ticket, per visitor guides. Ferries from Miyajimaguchi Station take about 10 minutes.
At high tide.
At low tide.
Over the water.
Miyajima island, Hatsukaichi, near Hiroshima
At high tide, when the water covers its base; at low tide you can walk across the sand to it, so check the tide times before you go.
