Mount Misen

Miyajima has been treated as a sacred island for well over a thousand years, and Misen at 535 metres is its summit. Kobo Daishi is said to have performed a ritual here in 806 and lit a fire that has been kept burning in the Reikado hall ever since; the same flame was used to light the peace flame at Hiroshima. Because the island was sacred, its forest was never cleared, and the slopes carry old-growth woodland that is part of the UNESCO inscription along with Itsukushima Shrine. Three trails climb from the Momijidani area in about ninety minutes each, or a ropeway covers most of the height with a twenty-minute walk from the upper station to the top. The summit has granite boulders, a viewing platform over the Inland Sea, and wild deer and macaques on the way - the macaques are not to be fed or approached.

What you actually see

• The Reikado fire - a flame said to have burned continuously since 806.
• Uncleared forest - old growth preserved because the island was sacred, UNESCO-listed.
• Granite boulders - the summit strewn with them, with an Inland Sea view.
• Three trails or a ropeway - ninety minutes on foot, or most of the way by cable.

When to go

March to November; November for maples in Momijidani. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The ropeway leaves a twenty-minute uphill walk to the summit that surprises people. Trails are steep and stepped throughout. Ferries and the ropeway queue heavily in season. Macaques are habituated and can be aggressive around food.

Nearby

Itsukushima Shrine and its torii are at the shore; Hiroshima is on the mainland.