Itsukushima Iroha

The Miyajima location is good although much better with a sea view . The hotel is comfortable without being luxurious , beds especially and a good wet room shower/ bath set up . Rooms are quit simple but very good . Free high quality toiletries abound but towels are pretty small - we would have traded fluffy and big for less freebies The staff are very helpful with good English spoken by the maitre d especially Public areas are clean and simple The kaiseki package is necessary and has a lot of food with many choices of main dish to cater to any need . Visually it’s lovely however even allowing for some different tastes I’d say the overall standard was variable , in particular the grilled fish and seafood was a bit overcooked. Some more flexibility over breakfast would help - we B left for an early ferry day 2 and even though our schedule was for a western breakfast it was not possible to give us some croissant or anything to go This is a good comfortable property - but not luxury standard as implied

I highly recommend this ryokan for the exceptional experience including great food, staff & room. My room was a traditional ryokan room with tatami matts but with traditional mattresses. It overlooked the the pedestrian street but was very quiet at night since most tourists visit Miyajima as a daytrip. The staff was gracious enough to setup a futon for me on the tatami matt so that I could sleep traditional Japanese style. Haruka at the front desk was amazing. She speaks limited English but enough to communicate with. She wrote me a very sweet handwritten note that I will keep forever when I asked where I could buy a yukata robe. I had asked her where I could purchase a yukata (traditional Japanese robe). The presentation of the dinner was amazing and worth it. The on-site onsen was was great and was usually all to myself. It has one indoor pool along with a small one on the outdoor deck that overlooks the bay and torii gate. Upon checkout, Haruka escorted me out which I believe is typical of a ryokan. It was sad to leave because of how memorable the stay was! The ryokan was expensive but worth it for the experience. I can't imagine visiting Miyajima only as a day trip. It would be too rushed as there's plenty to do for 2 days. Must sees are the torii gate along with the shrine surrounding it, taking the ropeway up to Mt. Misen (the top of the mountain is about a 20-30 minute steep hike from the end of the ropeway but I recommend it), and finally definitely do not miss Daishoin shrine which was truly amazing. Recommend avoiding Saturday & Sundays as it's very, very crowded.

Amazing overnight experience on Miyajima island made more special by our traditional stay in a traditional Japanese hotel. Whole family slept on tatami mats and wore Japanese robes with Japanese slippers. Kaiseki traditional full course meal for parents and onsen on rooftop a treat for adults while kids enjoyed more friendly food and wrestling on tatami mats.