During the planning phase of this trip, we debated staying in Hiroshima for two nights vs. staying there for one night and on Miyajima for one night.  The downside would be two one-night stays in a row; the upside would be enjoying Miyajima after the tourists leave one day and before they arrive the next day.

We, of course, chose Option B!  And I am SO GLAD we did!

Miyajima is known for wandering deer, a ropeway to Mount Misen, the two-story Tahōtō Pagoda, and Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Oh!  And the Itsukushima Shrine’s Ōtorii gate!  Also known as the “floating gate!”

Here are several photos of the Ōtorii at various tide heights, angles, and lighting conditions

Itsukushima Shrine

Deer of Miyajima

Tahōtō Pagoda

Mount Misen forest