National Treasures of Japan, Itsukushima Shrine Corridors

One of the delights of visiting the Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima is to stroll inside the amazingly beautiful passageways connecting the shrines' buildings. These corridors were designed as Specially Preserved Buildings since 1899, and they became National Treasures of Japan in 1952.

An interesting fact is that since the weather can be quite rough here, during the typhoon season inside the corridors are stored the large stone lanterns from the nearby beach. Due to the flexibility of the structure, with floorboards assembled without nails, the added weight protects the structure against the rising waves...