Miyajima ferry runs aground in front of great shrine gate

The spring tourist season is well underway and with a cruise ship calling at Ujina today, Hiroshima was filled with visitors from overseas. They may be disappointed that the early cherry blossoms that were forecast have not materialized, but any who were on Miyajima this afternoon were treated to a very unusual sight…

A ferry run aground on the sand near the great shrine gate of Itsukushima Shrine at low tide.

The 268-ton JR West Nanaura Maru, was reported to have run aground in shallow water about 280 meters north of Itsukushima Shrine at around 1pm. The ferry wasn’t taking its usual route as it was on a test run after a safety inspection was conducted after an onboard alarm had sounded before its scheduled 12:10 departure from the Miyajima pier. Passengers had been asked to disembark, hence none were stranded onboard when it ran aground.

Yamatoya Miyajima shared some great shots of the some bemused deer taking in the unusual sight on their IG.

Source: The Japan News