The floating torii gate — Japan's most photographed shrine, rising from the sea
Miyajima (Itsukushima Island) is home to the Itsukushima Shrine, whose vermillion O-torii gate appears to float on the water at high tide — one of the three officially designated 'Views of Japan' and one of the most photographed images in the entire country. The island was considered sacred for so long that births and deaths were prohibited here; it remains a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sacred deer wander freely through the shrine precinct and the shopping street, stealing maps and food with practised ease.
Itsukushima Shrine was founded in 593 CE, according to tradition, but the present structure was built in 1168 CE by the powerful Taira no Kiyomori, who chose the island as the spiritual headquarters of his clan. The construction over the tidal flats — so the shrine appears to float, preventing pollution of the sacred island — is an engineering feat that has survived 850 years of tides. The island was so sacred that no one was permitted to be born or die here: pregnant women and the terminally ill were ferried to the mainland. UNESCO inscribed both the shrine and the forested Mount Misen in 19…