Booking choice: The Hiroshima and Miyajima day trip, from $45 per person. Check dates Tour details
The great torii is not always in the water. Twice a day the tide comes in and the gate seems to float; twice a day it drains away and people walk out to its pillars. Which one you see depends on the hour, the day and the moon.
The Miyajima Tourist Association puts it bluntly on its tide table: high tide does not automatically mean a floating shrine, and low tide does not automatically mean you can walk out. The level in centimetres decides.
The quick answer
The torii and the shrine look like they float when the tide is above about 250 cm on the Hiroshima Port table. You can walk to the torii's base when it drops below about 100 cm. There are two highs and two lows a day, moving about 50 minutes later each day, so check the official table for your date. A day with a high above 300 cm and a low under 100 cm gives you both, about six hours apart.
When does the torii at Miyajima float?
When the tide is above about 250 cm on the Hiroshima Port tide table. That usually means two to three hours around a good high tide.
The Tourist Association's guide to reading the table gives the thresholds. At 250 cm the sea reaches under the shrine's corridors and around the torii; at 300 cm and more it looks the way the postcards do. The gate itself, the ninth on this spot, was put up in 1875 and stands about 16.8 m tall by its own weight. It isn't buried in the seabed.
| Tide level (Hiroshima Port) | What you see |
|---|---|
| Above 250 cm | Torii and shrine in the water: the floating look |
| 100 to 250 cm | Shallow water or mud round the torii: neither view at its best |
| Below 100 cm | Dry or damp sand: you can walk to the torii's base |
When can you walk to the torii at low tide?
When the tide drops below about 100 cm. Not every low tide gets there: on some days the lowest point stays above 100 cm and the walk is off.
Take 22 October 2026. The table shows low tides of 140 cm at 1:05 and 109 cm at 13:00, and the Tourist Association marks the day with no walking window at all. Two days later, on 24 October, the afternoon low falls to 78 cm at 14:24: a clear chance. The deepest lows of the autumn come in late November, with -16 cm at 3:29 on 25 November. That one is in the dark.
Wear shoes you don't mind getting wet: the sand stays damp and holds pools even below 100 cm. Go an hour either side of the low and keep an eye on the water coming back in.
How do you read the Miyajima tide table?
Find your date, then look at the levels in centimetres beside each high and low time. Over 250 means floating, under 100 means walking. Times are for Hiroshima Port; the island runs a little earlier.
The official table lists each day's two high tides (満潮) and two low tides (干潮), each with a time and a level. A daily view on the same page shades the hours when the shrine floats and when the walk is open. A few things worth knowing:
- Times shift: about 50 minutes later every day, so a morning high this week is a midday high next week.
- Spring tides: days marked 大 (big tide), around full and new moon, have the biggest range: higher highs and lower lows.
- Neap tides: days marked 小, 長 and 若 have a small range. Highs can stay under 250 cm. On 20 October 2026 the morning high only reached 223 cm.
- Location: the table is for Hiroshima Port. The Association expects the island's tide to run slightly earlier.
Real days from the October 2026 table:
| Date | High tides | Low tides | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct | 6:52 (271 cm), 19:24 (320 cm) | 1:05 (140 cm), 13:00 (109 cm) | Floats early morning and evening; no walk |
| 24 Oct | 8:16 (336 cm), 20:29 (346 cm) | 2:10 (77 cm), 14:24 (78 cm) | Floats in the morning, walk at 14:00, floats again lit up |
| 27 Oct | 10:15 (386 cm), 22:08 (348 cm) | 3:52 (6 cm), 16:18 (87 cm) | Big tide: floats late morning, walk before dusk |
Can you see the torii at high and low tide in one visit?
Yes, on a day when the high tops 250 cm and the low drops under 100 cm. They come about six hours apart, so plan on five to seven hours on the island.
A day like 24 October 2026 is ideal: arrive for the 8:16 high with the shrine opening at 6:30, walk the town and Daisho-in, eat, and come back to the torii for the 14:24 low. If you sleep on the island, the evening high is lit. Our one-day itinerary has a timed plan built around the tide.
Group tours can't promise this. They run on a fixed timetable, so the tide you get is the tide of that hour. A Mt Misen trip fills the gap between high and low nicely if you are on your own.
Five and a half hours on foot around the island: long enough for the tide to turn while you are there.
Check dates for the Miyajima walking tourWhat is the best time of day to see the floating torii?
Early morning on a day with a morning high. You get the floating gate before the coach groups arrive around 10:30, and softer light.
The shrine opens at 6:30 and the first JR ferry leaves Miyajimaguchi at 6:25 (JR ferry timetable). On a morning high you can walk the corridors over the water almost alone. By late morning the paths along the shore fill up, and the best spots on the beach in front of the torii go to whoever is willing to wait.
Coming over by day, choose a JR ferry between 9:10 and 16:10: those sailings run the Otorii route closer to the torii, weather and tide permitting. Stand on the right-hand side going out. Sunset is the other classic: the torii backlit from the beach west of the shrine, as in the photo at the top of this page.
Is the Miyajima torii lit up at night, and can you take a boat through it?
Yes. The torii and the shrine are lit from sunset until about 23:00, and Aqua Net's 25-minute night cruise sails through the gate when the tide is high enough.
The Aqua Net night cruise uses the Daisan Mikasamaru, a covered boat built for this run. It leaves Miyajima Pier No. 3, the far end of the ferry terminal, six times a night: 17:55, 18:35, 19:15, 19:55, 20:35 and 21:15. Adults pay 2,000 yen, children from 5 through elementary school pay 1,000 yen, cash only. Book at least two hours ahead; if nobody has booked by 17:00 the day before, the boat doesn't sail. Pick the departure nearest the evening high tide on the table.
Without a boat, the lit torii is a short walk from the ferry terminal. The last JR ferry back to Miyajimaguchi leaves at 22:14, which leaves time for the light-up even on a day trip.
Leave the logistics to a guide by day: ferry and shrine paid, Hiroshima Station to the island and back.
Explore the Hiroshima and Miyajima day trip Tour detailsCan you kayak to the torii?
Yes. The two-hour torii kayak tour paddles out to the gate and along the shore below the shrine, with gear, instruction and photos included. Ages 12 to 70.
The torii kayak tour starts from a beach on the island and takes up to ten paddlers. It costs $107 and is new on Viator, with one review so far. A kayak needs water, so the outfitter plans around the tide; message them after booking to confirm the slot for your date. Bring shoes or sandals that can get wet, since they aren't supplied, and expect a no for anyone with back or heart problems.
Paddle out to the great torii with a guide: two hours, kayak, life jacket and photos included.
Explore the torii kayak tour Tour detailsDo Miyajima tours time the visit to the tide?
Group tours don't: they keep a fixed schedule. Private guides can, if you ask when you book.
The Amigo Tours day always does Miyajima in the morning and Hiroshima after lunch; JTB also starts with the island. Whether the torii floats is luck. One guest on a private tour wrote that the shrine "did not have water due to low tide"; the gate still made good photos.
Private guides plan to the table if you give them a date early. A guest on the 888tour private walk said the guide gave "detailed information about how tides affect visits based on time of day." Another, on the same tour: "We had a great time visiting Miyajima during high tide, really a floating Torii gate and shrine."
A private guide who meets you at the island pier and fits four hours around your tide.
Check dates for the 4-hour Miyajima private tourFrequently asked questions
What tide level makes the Miyajima torii float?
About 250 cm or more on the Hiroshima Port table used by the Miyajima Tourist Association. At 300 cm and above the effect is strongest.
Does every high tide make the torii float?
No. On neap tide days the high can stay under 250 cm, as on the morning of 20 October 2026 (223 cm). Check the level, not just the time.
Can you touch the torii at low tide?
You can walk to its base when the tide is below about 100 cm. Please don't climb it or push coins into it.
Is the shrine worth seeing at low tide?
Yes. The corridors and halls are the same, and you can walk out to the gate, which you can't at high tide. The floating look needs high water.
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Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Hiroshima and Miyajima Day Trip with Ferry
- $45 buys the 3.5-hour Miyajima-only option; the full day is about $119
- Bilingual guide (English and Spanish)
- Ferry ticket to Miyajima
Miyajima Half-Day Historical Walking Tour
Daisho-in and Momijidani on foot, with lunch on the island
Miyajima 4-Hour Private Walking Tour
Meet at the island pier; shrine entry included
