Miyajima had been high on my Japan wish list ever since I first saw a photo of the Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate.
As it turns out, Miyajima had a lot more to offer than just a pretty torii gate on the water. My husband and I added Miyajima to our Japan itinerary when we visited in 2019, and we spent a whole day exploring the gorgeous town and stunning shrines, munching on Japanese snacks, and admiring the views from a mountaintop overlooking the stunning Hiroshima Bay.
There are a few different ways to get to Miyajima depending on your starting point in Hiroshima. I’ll walk you through exactly how we travelled to Miyajima plus give you a full breakdown of all the other options (including a guided tour if you want to make things easy).
If you’re keen to meet some cheeky deer, visit sacred shrines, and get some panoramic ropeway views, here’s everything you need to know for a fun Miyajima Island day trip from Hiroshima.
Quick summary:
Planning a day trip to Miyajima from Hiroshima? In this post, you’ll find the essential details on how to get there, things to do, and how to plan out your Miyajima itinerary.
Recommended tours & tickets:
🚌 Hiroshima and Miyajima Day Tour – Explore Hiroshima’s historic sites and travel to Miyajima on a guided tour.
🛺 Private Rickshaw Tour – Ride through Miyajima’s charming streets in a traditional rickshaw with a local guide.
👘 Kimono and Tea Ceremony in Miyajima – Dress in traditional kimono and make your own matcha at a tea ceremony.
How to get to Miyajima from Hiroshima
There are a few different ways to reach Miyajima, depending on your starting point, budget, and whether you’re using a Japan Rail (JR) Pass:
Option 1: Day tour of Hiroshima & Miyajima
🚌 If you’d rather not stress about transport, a guided Hiroshima and Miyajima day tour will cover Hiroshima’s historic sites and a visit to Miyajima Island. Starting with Hiroshima’s main attractions, you’ll then hop on the ferry to Miyajima for an afternoon of exploration.
🕒 Travel time: Full-day itinerary
💰 Cost: Varies (around ¥13,000–¥18,000 depending on inclusions)
✨ Good for: First-timers, convenience
Option 2: Tram + Ferry
This was the route we took, and while it wasn’t the fastest, it was the most convenient from our hotel in Hiroshima. We caught the Hiroden tram from central Hiroshima (Line 2) all the way to Miyajimaguchi Station, which took just under an hour. From there, it’s a short walk to the ferry terminal.
The JR ferry to Miyajima runs roughly every 15 minutes and takes about 10 minutes to cross. If you have a JR Rail Pass, this ferry is fully covered, so it’s a great budget-friendly option.
🕒 Total travel time: ~75 minutes
💰 Cost: Around ¥600 one way (or free with JR Pass)
✨ Good for: Budget travellers, JR Pass holders, scenic ride
Option 3: Train + Ferry
If you want the speediest option, the JR Sanyo Line from Hiroshima Station will get you to Miyajimaguchi in just under 30 minutes. From there, follow the signs to the ferry terminal and hop on the JR ferry to the island. As with the tram option, this train and ferry combo are JR routes that are fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass.
🕒 Travel time: ~45 minutes
💰 Cost: Around ¥600 one way (or free with JR Pass)
✨ Good for: JR Pass holders, travellers in a hurry
Option 4: Boat from Hiroshima
You can catch a direct boat to Miyajima from Hiroshima Peace Park. This boat cruise is a bit more expensive than the JR options, but it’s less hassle as you don’t have to transfer between the rail and ferry lines. The departure pier is located next to Motoyasu Bridge, and it’s best to head to the booking office at least one day before your trip to secure a ticket.
🕒 Travel time: 45 minutes
💰 Cost: Around ¥2,200 one way
✨ Good for: Scenic views, convenience, avoiding transfers
Miyajima day trip itinerary:
Miyajima map guide:
F – Ferry terminal
1 – Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate
2 – Itsukushima Shrine
3 – Daishoin Temple
4 – Miyajima Ropeway
5 – Itsukushima Shrine Town
Miyajima itinerary:
Morning
Once you arrive on the island, you can start walking along the waterfront path. You’re bound to see plenty of Miyajima’s famous deer around this area! These friendly creatures may come right up to you in search of food, and beware – they are mischievous! I saw one stick its head deep inside a lady’s handbag, and another eat a paper ticket right out of a man’s hand. Word to the wise: keep your snacks (or anything that could possibly be mistaken as a snack) zipped up tight! And please don’t feed the deer unless you have purchased special deer food from a local vendor.
🛺 If you’re keen to explore in style, this Miyajima Private Rickshaw Tour would be a fun introduction to the island. Meet your guide just outside the ferry terminal and settle into a traditional rickshaw as you’re pulled through Miyajima’s charming streets and along the scenic waterfront.
Keep walking towards Miyajima’s star attraction – Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate. This gorgeous icon looks as though it floats on the water in high tide, and at low tide you can walk right up to it. The area closest to the gate is fairly busy with tourists, but if you hold off taking photos until you’ve walked around the bay to the other side, you should find it much less crowded.
Itsukushima Shrine is also really lovely. We paid the small entrance fee (I think it was 300 yen when we visited in 2019, though that may have changed) and wandered through at a slow pace, trying to avoid the huge tour groups. The shrine is unique in that it sits on top of the water, kind of like a jetty. You also get some great views of the floating torii gate from inside.
Next, walk up the hill to Daishoin Temple. This Buddhist temple is something special – it sits within a gorgeous landscaped garden, with thousands of tiny Buddha statues that for some reason are wearing equally tiny crocheted hats. The prayer plaques and metal cylinders covered in scripture are also lovely elements of this temple.
Lunch
We struggled to find vegetarian options for lunch in Miyajima… the island is famous for seafood so it seems that everything had fish, eel, or oysters. We ended up consulting the Happy Cow app and found the Japanese restaurant Tachibana in town that did a basic vegetable tempura.
For dessert, we picked up some soft serve ice cream (locally known as a ‘softcream’) and Momiji manjū (a cake snack shaped like a maple leaf). There are plenty of stores in the town selling these treats. The cake snacks have fillings that are traditionally made from red bean paste, but you can also buy ones with matcha, custard, chocolate, or other flavours.
👘 If you want to add something unique and a little magical to your day, consider a Kimono and Tea Ceremony in Miyajima where you’ll dress up in a traditional kimono and learn how to make your own matcha at an intimate Japanese tea ceremony. I wish we’d had time to do this ourselves!
Afternoon
Walk up to the Miyajima Ropeway Station. At the time we visited in 2019, tickets cost ¥1800 for a return trip up the mountain. Hopefully you’ll get a nice day to see the gorgeous views – I was worried that our view would be obscured by a thick haze that was present during the morning, but luckily it had cleared up somewhat by the afternoon.
The ropeway takes you up to the Shishi-iwa Observatory where you get a spectacular vista of the bay and surrounding islands. There are also some walking paths at the top if you want to spend more time on the mountain. We were satisfied with just taking a few photos and admiring the view from the observatory before heading back down.
Afterwards, you can spend more time in Itsukushima Shrine Town buying souvenirs and taking more photos of all the cute deer, or head back to the ferry terminal to hitch a ride back to the mainland.
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