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Add to SafariWhen comparing Miyajima Island vs Ise, the Slant community recommends Miyajima Island for most people. In the question“What are the best cities to visit in Japan besides Tokyo and Kyoto?” Miyajima Island is ranked 4th while Ise is ranked 6th. The most important reason people chose Miyajima Island is:
MIyajima is famous for freshly made maple leaf-shaped cake.
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Maple leaf cakes
MIyajima is famous for freshly made maple leaf-shaped cake.
Pro Wild deer
There are several locations in Japan populated by wild deer. Although Nara is most famous for them, Miyajima is a lesser-known deer city.
Pro Only floating shrine in all of Japan
Seeing the waves splash against the shrine is considered one of the Three Views of Japan. The location is also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Pro Home of the highest ranking Shinto shrine
The Ise Grand Shrine is unique in Japan as being the top of the hierarchy of Shinto shrines connecting to Japan's imperial house. It is taken down and completely rebuilt every 20 years.
Pro Ise lobster
Despite being a small town, Ise is home to the Ise lobster, which is well-known throughout Japan for its culinary applications. There are entire traditional course meals using the Ise lobster at Ise's traditional inns.
Cons
Con Crowded during the daytime
Miyajima is a popular day-trip location from tourists in Hiroshima, so there's quite a few people walking around town during the day. However, the last boat back to Hiroshima leaves prior to sunset, so watching the famous tori gate during the sunset will be far less crowded.
Con Requires a boat ride to get to
Since Miyajima is an island, you have to take a boat from Hiroshima to get to it.
Con Not a lot to do after a few days
Ise is a small town, so there's a fairly finite number of attractions in Ise. Ise is best for 2-day-1-night trips.
Con No direct bullet train to Ise
If traveling from Tokyo, travelers must transfer from Nagoya onto the local rail system to get to Ise.
