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Where to stayBy MotoUpdated

Where to Stay: Hiroshima or Miyajima? Last Boat 22:14 (2026)

Stay downtown or by Hiroshima Station for most trips; stay on Miyajima for the evening and the 6:30 shrine opening. Last regular JR ferry back: 22:14.

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Wide lawn and paved path in Peace Memorial Park, with the arched cenotaph and the Atomic Bomb Dome in the distance under a blue sky
Jakub Hałun · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

For most trips that cover Hiroshima and Miyajima (宮島), stay in Hiroshima city: by Hiroshima Station for one night between trains, or downtown near the Peace Park for two nights or more. Stay on Miyajima itself if you want the island after the day visitors leave: the shrine and the Otorii are lit until 23:00, and Itsukushima Shrine (嚴島神社) opens at 6:30.[14][13] Miyajimaguchi (宮島口), the mainland ferry town, suits a reader who wants the island first thing but a mainland room. What flips the choice: an early Shinkansen or flight favours the station; an evening on the island makes the last ferry the deciding fact.

Key facts

  • The pick for most trips: downtown or the Peace Park area for two nights or more; the station area for a single night.
  • To Miyajima from Hiroshima Station: JR to Miyajimaguchi in about 28 minutes, then a 10-minute ferry.[1][7]
  • Last ferry back (regular days): JR 22:14, Matsudai 20:15.[3][5]
  • Last streetcar back to Hiroshima Station from Miyajimaguchi: 21:55.[8]
  • When a night on Miyajima is not worth it: when you have no plans for the evening illumination or the 6:30 shrine opening.[14][13]
  • Taxes: ¥200 per person per night where the room-only rate is ¥6,000 or more, plus ¥100 each time you enter Miyajima.[16][15]

Which base fits my trip?

Decide by two things: how you arrive and leave (Shinkansen or airport bus), and whether you want Miyajima in the evening or early morning. Room prices change by date and are left out; the timetables decide the base.

Hiroshima Station areaDowntown (Kamiya-cho, Hondori, Hatchobori)Peace Park areaMiyajimaguchiOn Miyajima
To the Peace ParkStreetcar about 25 minutes, plus a walk of about 10[10]Walk; the museum is about 10 minutes from the Bus Center[10]WalkStreetcar or JR back into the cityFerry, then JR or streetcar
To MiyajimaJR about 28 minutes, then the ferry[1]Streetcar line 2 through Kamiya-cho, then the ferry[8]Direct boat from Motoyasu Pier, 45 minutes on the October 21, 2026 timetable[12][12]Ferry, 10 minutes[7]You are there
Arrival and departureAirport bus from the Shinkansen Entrance[11]Airport bus to the Bus Center about 70 minutes[10]Streetcar to the station[10]JR about 28 minutes to Hiroshima Station[1]Ferry first; first JR sailing off the island 5:45[3]
EveningsStation area; downtown by streetcarMost choice in the cityDowntown within walking distanceFerry town, away from the cityIllumination until 23:00[14]
Best forOne night between trainsTwo nights or moreThe museum and the direct boatAn early start on the islandThe island at night and at dawn
Five bases for Hiroshima and Miyajima

Most readers want both the city and the island without packing up in between, which points to a city base. Choose the station side if your Shinkansen or airport bus leaves early. Choose downtown or the Peace Park if you have two or more nights and want to walk to the museum and to dinner.

Hiroshima Station area: best for a short stay?

Yes, for one night between trains or before a flight. You step off the Shinkansen into your hotel area, and the airport limousine bus leaves from the station’s Shinkansen Entrance for ¥1,500 one way.[11] JR Miyajimaguchi is about 28 minutes away on the San-yo Main Line, which makes the station the fastest city base for the island.[1]

The catch is the walk to the sights. The Peace Park is about 25 minutes by streetcar, then about 10 minutes on foot from Genbaku Dome-mae (原爆ドーム前).[10] Streetcars charge a flat ¥240 for adults, so the trip is cheap but adds up over several days.[9]

Families with large bags benefit most here. JR West lists coin lockers in the station, so you can arrive, leave the suitcases and go straight out.[17],[18]

Downtown and the Peace Park: best for two nights or more?

Yes. Downtown, around Kamiya-cho (紙屋町), Hondori (本通) and Hatchobori (八丁堀), puts the Peace Park and the evening streets within walking distance. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is about 10 minutes on foot from Hiroshima Bus Center (広島バスセンター).[10] The Peace Memorial Museum guide covers tickets, opening hours and how long to plan.

From downtown, Miyajima is one streetcar ride: line 2 passes through Kamiya-cho on its way to Hiroden-miyajima-guchi, every 10 minutes.[8] The fare is a flat ¥240.[9] The full line takes 66 minutes from Hiroshima Station, so it is slower than JR from the station but needs no transfer from downtown.[8]

A base near the Peace Park adds one more option: the direct boat to Miyajima from Motoyasu Pier (元安桟橋), 150 m south of the Atomic Bomb Dome.[12] On the October 21, 2026 timetable each sailing took 45 minutes, and the last boat back from Miyajima left at 17:30, so it suits a daytime visit.[12][12]

Flying in, the airport limousine bus to the Bus Center takes about 70 minutes, which drops you downtown rather than at the station.[10]

Miyajimaguchi: worth staying by the ferry pier?

Only if Miyajima is the main reason for your trip. From Miyajimaguchi the island is a 10-minute ferry ride, and the first regular JR sailing leaves at 6:25.[7][3] That puts you at the shrine soon after its 6:30 opening without a night on the island.[13]

Getting there with luggage is simple. The Hiroden station is connected to the passenger terminal, and the Matsudai Kisen pier is about 1 minute away with no steps.[6] The JR station has coin lockers if you check out before crossing.[17],[18] Hiroshima Station is about 28 minutes back by JR.[1]

What you give up is the city: every visit to the Peace Park or downtown means a train or streetcar ride back into Hiroshima.

A night on Miyajima: what do you gain?

The evening and the early morning. The Otorii, the shrine buildings, the Five-storied Pagoda and the Tahoto are lit every day from 30 minutes after sunset until 23:00, except on occasional days of shrine events.[14] You cannot enter the shrine during the illumination, but you see it from the shore without watching the ferry timetable.[14] In the morning, the shrine opens at 6:30 on every day except January 1.[13] The Miyajima guide covers what to see, the tide times for the torii and how long to plan on the island.

The great torii of Itsukushima Shrine lit in orange at night, standing in dark water with its reflection below
The Otorii of Itsukushima Shrine lit at night, Miyajima Arcimboldo (Eckhard Pecher) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

You pay the ¥100 Miyajima Visitor Tax each time you enter the island, collected with your ferry fare, so one stay means one tax payment if you do not leave and come back.[15] JR Pass holders still pay it on the JR ferry.[2]

Arrival time matters. On regular days the last JR sailing to the island leaves Miyajimaguchi at 22:42, so a late Shinkansen still connects.[3] If you choose a traditional inn on the island, the ryokan guide explains check-in times, meals and baths.

How late can I get back from Miyajima?

Later by JR than by the other routes. On the regular timetables, the last sailing from Miyajima is 22:14 on the JR ferry and 20:15 on the Matsudai ferry.[3][5] Both operators use other timetables on busy days and on special days such as the New Year, so check the day you travel.[3][5]

On the mainland, the last line 2 streetcar from Hiroden-miyajima-guchi to Hiroshima Station leaves at 21:55.[8] If you are staying downtown and want the island illumination, plan your return around that streetcar, or check JR West’s timetable from Miyajimaguchi before you rely on a train. The direct boat to the Peace Park stops much earlier: on October 21, 2026 its last departure from Miyajima was 17:30.[12] The Hiroshima to Miyajima route guide compares every route with fares.

For that kind of stop, the Hiroshima day trip from Kyoto or Osaka has the trains and a one-day plan.

Questions visitors ask

Frequently asked questions

Is there an accommodation tax in Hiroshima?

Yes. Since April 1, 2026, Hiroshima Prefecture has charged ¥200 per person per night when the room-only rate is ¥6,000 or more per person; below that, nothing is charged.[16] It applies to hotels, ryokan, simple lodgings and registered private lodgings, the rate excludes meals and consumption tax, and the lodging collects it from you.[16]

Do I pay the Miyajima Visitor Tax again if I stay two nights on the island?

Hatsukaichi City charges the ¥100 tax each time you enter the island, and the ferry adds it to your fare.[15] Staying on the island does not trigger a second entry; crossing back to the mainland and returning does.

Which base is easiest with children and luggage?

The Hiroshima Station area: the Shinkansen, the airport bus and JR to Miyajimaguchi all start there, and the station has coin lockers.[11][17],[18] At Miyajimaguchi, the route from the Hiroden station to the Matsudai pier has no steps.[6]

Which ferry should I take from a Miyajimaguchi or Miyajima stay?

With a JR Pass, the JR ferry, which the pass covers apart from the ¥100 tax.[2] Without one, the Matsudai ferry costs ¥200 one way for adults plus the tax.[4] Its first regular sailing from Miyajimaguchi is at 7:15, later than the JR ferry.[5]

Sources

  1. Access & Ferry Boarding Area (West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry) (checked )
  2. Fare (West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry) (checked )
  3. Time Schedule (West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry) (checked )
  4. 運賃 (Miyajima Matsudai Kisen, fares) (checked )
  5. 運航ダイヤ (Miyajima Matsudai Kisen, timetable) (checked )
  6. 乗り場案内 (Miyajima Matsudai Kisen, boarding guide) (checked )
  7. アクセス (Miyajima Tourist Association, access) (checked )
  8. Schedules (Hiroshima Electric Railway) (checked )
  9. Streetcar Fares (Hiroshima Electric Railway) (checked )
  10. アクセス (Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, access) (checked )
  11. アクセス時刻表：広島駅新幹線口 ⇔ 広島空港 (Hiroshima Airport) (checked )
  12. World Heritage Sea Route (Aqua Net Hiroshima) (checked )
  13. 拝観施設及び料金 (Itsukushima Shrine, admission facilities and fees) (checked )
  14. ライトアップ (Miyajima Tourist Association, illumination) (checked )
  15. 宮島訪問税の概要 (Hatsukaichi City, Miyajima Visitor Tax) (checked )
  16. 宿泊税制度の概要 (Hiroshima Prefecture, accommodation tax) (checked )
  17. 広島駅 | 駅情報 (JR Odekake Net) (checked )
  18. 宮島口駅 | 駅情報 (JR Odekake Net) (checked )