Affordable Camping in Miyajima

Hi there enjoying spring? It’s Mr. Wada on duty! It will soon be a good season for early-summer camp. There is a place to grant my wish to go camping and sightseeing at once. This time I will share how you can do it in Miyajima!

About Miyajima

It’s one of the three great views of Japan (Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture, Amano-Hashidate in Kyoto Prefecture, and Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture). The other two are sorta hard to access since these are far from cities. However, Miyajima won’t give you a hard time.

Access

Get to the Miyajima ferry port

Accessible by either car or train.

Train:
The nearest station is JR Miyajimaguchi Station.

Car:
There are many parking places near by. One at the port costs 1,000 yen for a day.

Take the Ferry

Ferries to Miyajima leave every 10 minutes. Get a ticket (180yen/one way) and bon voyage!

Reference : Access | Miyajima Official Website – Japan

It’s actually only a 10-minute ride to Miyajima. What you see towards Miyajima first from the ferry would be the Great Torii (gateway at the entrance of Shinto shrines) on the sea. It is a symbol of Miyajima.

Welcome to Miyajima

As landing Miyajima, deers will welcome you. No worries, they are gentle and friendly.

Say hi and pet them.

Now what to see in Miyajima? OK, check the following.

Main Street

After saying good-bye to the deers, walk towards the Great Torii/shrine that you saw from the ferry, there is a shortcut, but why not pass through the main street of Miyajima? There are many stores on this street. Take a look and and perhaps come back later for getting souvenirs.

Fresh oysters – look quite yummy.

The Great Torii

You are at the end of the shopping street. Now you see the Great Torii right there. It is a part of the Itsukushima Shrine but since it is built 200 meters away from the shrine itself, we can access it without entering the shrine. When the tide is low you can go down and walk around it. It really depends on what time you get in there.

Comparison of during high tide and low tide.

Itsukushima Shrine

I’m not explaining its history etc here. Even if you aren’t into shrine & temple stuff, simply checking out the view from the shrine is quite something.

How to Access the Camping Area

There is a camping area (kinda on the other side of the island). It’d be a good way to see the Great Torii when the tide is both high and low. Although it’s a 40-minute walk from the ferry port.

Check-in

Get to the camping area? Check-in and pay fees at the reception.

Note: I strongly recommend to reserve in advance. It would be busy especially during the holidays.

There are deers everywhere!

Facilities

This place offers a ready-to-use tent (already set up!). What you need to bring is a sleep bag/blanket.

Note: BBQ set is also available for rent (if you need). Pretty cool, isn’t it?

Fees

A rental tent costs from 2,100 yen (for 4 people). Since it’s run by the city, it’s such a good deal!

Reference: Camp Sites and Cabins | Miyajima Official Website – Japan

Lastly

Aside from these places, there are also Miyajima Aquarium and cable cars to the mountain. Please try camping in Miyajima if you get a chance and lemme know how it goes. See you around!

Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki – a must try!

Booking.com