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Local rule · Hiroshima & Miyajima (Hiroshima)

Miyajima (Hiroshima): Don't Feed the Deer, and How to Time the Tide at the Great Torii

A deer walking along the shore with the red torii gate standing in the sea behind it, Miyajima (Hiroshima)
A deer on the shore of Miyajima (Hiroshima), with the Great Torii at high water.Photo: Panzer VI-II, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Two things surprise many first-time visitors to Miyajima (Hiroshima). First, the deer wander right up to you, but unlike in Nara (Nara), you are asked not to feed them at all. Second, the famous Great Torii of Itsukushima Shrine looks completely different depending on the tide: at high water it seems to float, and at low water you can walk out to it on the seabed. This guide explains the deer policy of Hatsukaichi City (Hiroshima), which the island belongs to, and how to read the official tide information (checked October 2026).

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  • Why Miyajima (Hiroshima) asks you not to feed the deer
  • How to keep your snacks, maps and bags safe
  • Floating torii or walk-out torii: reading the tide table
  • Shrine hours and fees

The deer: wild animals, not pets

Hatsukaichi City (Hiroshima) explains on its deer management page that the island's deer have long been cared for by residents. But feeding and other human involvement led the deer to settle in town in high numbers. That caused damage to residents' daily lives and harm to tourists, and the deer themselves suffered: foreign objects they swallowed built up in their stomachs and caused health problems such as poor nutrition.

The city now manages the deer as wild animals, aiming for people and deer to live side by side "at a certain distance." Hiroshima Prefecture describes the two pillars of the city's plan as no feeding and strict management of garbage, so that the deer return to the forest.

Deer on Miyajima (Hiroshima) vs deer in Nara (Nara) Feeding rules for deer: Miyajima (Hiroshima) and Nara (Nara) Comparison. Miyajima (Hiroshima): treated as wild animals; please don't feed them at all; keep food, paper and plastic out of reach; take your trash with you. Nara (Nara): protected as a natural monument; only the official deer crackers may be given; nothing else. MIYAJIMA No feeding at allManaged as wildanimalsKeep food, paperand plastic awayTake your trashwith you NARA Deer crackers onlyNatural monumentOfficial crackersare sold in the parkNothing else to eat
Based on Hatsukaichi City (Hiroshima), Hiroshima Prefecture and Nara Prefecture pages (checked October 2026). The two places have different rules.

In practice:

Visiting Nara (Nara) too? The rules there are different: see how to feed and meet the deer of Nara (Nara) safely.

The Great Torii and the tide

Hatsukaichi City (Hiroshima)'s official website for Miyajima (Hiroshima) gives two simple numbers: the shrine looks as if it is floating when the tide level is above 250 cm, and you can walk to the foot of the Great Torii when it is below 100 cm.

Reading the tide level Tide levels at the Great Torii of Miyajima (Hiroshima) A vertical tide gauge from 0 to 350 cm. Above 250 cm: the shrine appears to float. Below 100 cm: you can walk to the foot of the Great Torii. Between the two, neither. The tide table is for the port of Hiroshima (Hiroshima); at the island it may come slightly earlier. 3502501000 Above 250 cmThe shrine seems to float 100 to 250 cmNeither: water, but low Below 100 cmWalk out to the torii Tide level in cm (port of Hiroshima table)
Thresholds from the official island website of Hatsukaichi City (Hiroshima); the tide table is published by the Miyajima (Hiroshima) Tourist Association (checked October 2026).

The tide page of the Miyajima (Hiroshima) Tourist Association does the reading for you: pick a date and it shows the hours when you can walk to the torii and the hours when the shrine looks like it is floating. Some days have no walking window at all; on October 4, 2026, for example, the lowest tide was 101 cm. The association notes that its monthly tables are for the port of Hiroshima (Hiroshima), and that the tide at the island may come slightly earlier. The walking window is limited, so check the time before you head out and come back before the water rises.

Itsukushima Shrine: hours and fees

Quick checklist

  1. Check the tide page for your date: floating, walk-out, or both.
  2. Pack snacks, maps and bags away before you meet the deer, and feed them nothing.
  3. Carry your trash, and keep a little distance from the animals.

Spending the morning in the city first? See visiting Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima (Hiroshima).

Last reviewed: October 4, 2026. The deer policy is set by Hatsukaichi City (Hiroshima) under its deer management plan, and shrine hours change by season. Please confirm on the official pages below.

References

More in Hiroshima & Miyajima (Hiroshima)

Photo credits

  1. A deer walking along the shore with the red torii gate standing in the sea behind it, Miyajima (Hiroshima). Photo: Panzer VI-II, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. The red torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine standing in the sea at dusk. Photo: lumoplank, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  3. Strings of colorful folded paper cranes hanging in a booth at the Children's Peace Monument, Hiroshima (Hiroshima). Photo: Alymcavoy17, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped, title text added)

Card images combine these photos with the page title. Photos are used under their licenses (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); adapted images are shared under the same license as the original.