Best of Hiroshima
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Port
Hiroshima, Japan
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Activity Level
Strenuous
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$219.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
8 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
Miyajima is a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site island in the Inland Sea, with a 1,400-year history as a holy site of Shinto.
A motorcoach brings you to Miyajimaguchi, where you’ll board the ferry to Miyajima Island. On the island, it’s a short walk to the stunning Itsukushima Shrine. The shrine is built like a pier over the water in a small inlet and is dedicated to the Shinto deities of seas, storms and sun. Dating back to AD 593, the pavilion was expanded in the 12th century by warlord Taira no Kiyomori. Its architectural style is known as shinden-zukuri, developed for palatial or aristocratic mansions during the Heian period of the 8th and 12th centuries. The vermilion-painted main building is surrounded by an array of covered corridors and bridges. In front of the shrine is the striking red torii (traditional Japanese gate) rising 52 feet from the water; its columns are made of camphor and measure 32 feet in diameter with support pillars buried deep in the seabed.
Travel back to Miyajimaguchi by ferry and transfer to the lunch venue.
Back in Hiroshima, you will visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, with brightly-colored paper cranes everywhere. It is estimated that approximately 10 million cranes are brought to the Children’s Peace Monument each year.
Tour the Peace Memorial Museum. See exhibits, videos and items that survived the bomb. Learn about the scope of destruction and extent of the bombing zone. See haunting images of shadows etched into buildings and sidewalks.
You’ll also view the Atomic Bomb Dome. The old Industry Promotion Hall was one of the few buildings near Ground Zero to survive the blast, although its dome was vaporized. Today, its gutted walls and skeletal dome structure stand as symbols of nuclear weapons’ destructive force.
Relax and reflect on a full day of events on your ride back to the ship.
Notes:
Wear comfortable walking shoes. This tour includes sensitive material, including graphic pictures and exhibits on the atrocities of war. Not advisable for guests using a wheelchair or for those with mobility limitations.