If you'll be on the island for more than 1 day, head to the little-visited east coast and relax on the largest local beach.

Tsutsumigaura Beach is about 300 metres long and covered in fine, light sand.

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While parts of the beach may be closed off and set aside for oyster hunters, there's always plenty of space. In fact, very few tourists stray into these parts of the island.

The entrance to the water is very gentle and the sea is beautifully calm.

There are free toilets on the beach and a small bistro in the summer season.

How to get there

A minibus runs to the beach from the main harbour and aquarium 7 times a day.

You can pay for your ticket at 300 jpy and it is cash only. For a tentative timetable, visit miyajima.or.jp/timetable.

The beach can also be reached on foot through dense forests over the mountains. The marked Tsutsumigaura Nature Trail runs through hilly terrain and is about 4 km long, see map.