Hiroshima in Half a Day: Miyajima Island — Guide Mari

What Is a Private Miyajima and Itsukushima Shrine Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from North America, one of whom had originally lived in Tokyo and had invited neighbors along for a 10-day trip to Japan. Some of the guests were visiting Japan for the first time.

There were many school-trip students that day, so the ferry over was crowded, and with some students shouting loudly, it was a slightly unsettled start. After we landed, I made a point of avoiding school groups and package tour crowds as much as possible and took a calmer route.

Itsukushima Shrine was busy, but the guests were delighted when I showed them spots where the shrine and the torii gate could be seen clearly without many people around.

One of the guests had relatives in Hiroshima and had visited Miyajima many times before, but told me they were happy to be visiting this particular place for the first time, which put me at ease.

We were able to visit Daisho-in Temple just as several tour groups were leaving, so we could explore slowly and calmly. Everyone spoke excitedly about how much fun and how interesting it was to walk the corridor through the darkness, and they were moved by the many Buddhist statues and the beautiful scenery of the Henjokutsu Cave.

The autumn leaves had not yet turned, but by taking the uncrowded Momijidani (Maple Valley) route, we were able to walk slowly through peaceful nature, and the guests said they felt very happy. We also met many deer and took photos with them.

At a scenic cafe with few tourists, we were able to relax and chat at length. Everyone was a big fan of the Dodgers, and they showed me videos of Shohei Ohtani. The conversation also turned to the Peace Park they had visited the day before, and we talked together about peace and current politics.

At the end of the tour, the guests told me they were truly glad they had chosen a private tour, as they were able to visit places they never would have reached on their own and to avoid the crowds. One of the guests said they planned to come to Hiroshima again next year and hoped we would meet again, and also said they wanted to recommend the tour to friends coming to Japan in the future, which made me very happy.

Click here for more details: Miyajima Half-Day Customized Tour with Licensed Local Guide

Tour Report by Mari

Hello. My name is Mari.
I am a certified local tour guide in Hiroshima.

I was born and grew up in Hiroshima until I entered in a university in Tokyo.
After 6 years in Tokyo, I came back to Hiroshima because I really love my hometown and wanted to spend the rest of my life here.

Hiroshima is very comfortable city to live in and rich in nature.
I am so happy that I have been able to raise my kids here.

Hiroshima is absolutely full of beautiful and historically important places and also the great food.
I am so excited to introduce the wonderful experiences here in Hiroshima and hope you will come to love this place, too.
Look forward to meeting you.