On your own or guided?

Can you visit Miyajima without a tour?

Yes, easily. Take the JR train or the tram to Miyajimaguchi, walk to the pier, ride the ferry for ten minutes, and walk to the shrine.

The steps, from Hiroshima Station:

• Train: JR Sanyo line toward Iwakuni, off at Miyajimaguchi. Local trains every 10 to 20 minutes.
• Walk: a few minutes from the station to the ferry piers. JR and Matsudai Kisen sit side by side.
• Ticket: buy the ferry ticket and the 100-yen visitor tax at the machines. IC cards like ICOCA work at the gates.
• Ferry: 10 minutes. On the island, follow the signposted shore path, deer included, to the shrine.

Arrive before 9:00 and you have the shrine mostly to yourself. Our one-day itinerary plans the rest.

How do you get from Hiroshima to Miyajima by train, tram or boat?

The JR train is fastest (about 25 to 30 minutes, 420 yen). The Hiroden tram is cheapest (240 yen) but takes 70 to 75 minutes. The Aqua Net boat from the Peace Park takes 45 minutes and costs 2,400 yen.

All three options, one way per adult:

The tram is slow because it runs as a street tram through the city before joining its own track; it suits people staying near the Peace Park. Fares are on Hiroden's site. The Aqua Net boat links the two World Heritage Sites directly and cancels some sailings at the biggest spring tides, so check its timetable for your date. Add the 100-yen visitor tax on every route.

Which Miyajima ferry should you take, and does the JR Pass cover it?

Take the JR West Miyajima Ferry if you have a JR Pass: it is free with the pass. Both ferries cost 200 yen one way and take 10 minutes.

JR sailings leave Miyajimaguchi at :10, :25, :40 and :55 past the hour through the day, from 6:25 in the morning to 22:42 at night; the last boat back from the island is 22:14 (JR ferry timetable). Between 9:10 and 16:10 the JR boats take the Otorii route, closer to the torii, when weather and tide allow. Sit on the right going over.

Matsudai Kisen runs from the next pier at the same fare and is not covered by any JR pass. If the queue at one is long, take the other. Tours like JTB use the JR ferry and switch to Matsudai if JR isn't running.

How do you pay the Miyajima visitor tax?

Pay 100 yen per person with your ferry ticket. JR Pass holders, whose ferry ride is free, pay it at a ticket machine in the terminal, by coin or IC card.

Hatsukaichi City has charged the tax since 1 October 2023, the first of its kind in Japan (official details). It is 100 yen per visit (a 500-yen annual option exists but is paid in advance at the city office, not at the pier), and preschool children are exempt. The money pays for toilets, terminals and upkeep on the island. Aqua Net collects it separately on its boats. More in our visitor tax post.

On a tour, check the inclusions: JTB lists the tax as included; Japan Guide Agency asks for 100 yen in cash.

What does a guide add on Miyajima?

Context, mostly: Shinto and Buddhist history, the shrine's 12th-century design, the tide, and quieter routes when the town fills. Also lunch picks and photos.

The shrine is easy to see and hard to read. A guide explains why the halls stand on stilts over the sea, why the whole island was once treated as too sacred to live on, and how a Buddhist temple like Daisho-in sits above a Shinto shrine. Guests rate exactly this. On the 888tour private walk, one wrote that their guide "provided us with well rounded history and context of the island, along with detailed information about how tides affect visits based on time of day."

The second thing is crowd sense. From about 10:30 the coaches arrive and Omotesando street jams. A guest on a Japan Guide Agency day said their guide "took us thru alternate pass ways to avoid the crowds, great photo spots and minimize going up so many steps!" And guides know where to eat. Several reviews name the lunch as a highlight.

A small group, a certified guide, Daisho-in and Momijidani on foot, and lunch at an inn. The easy way to get the story.

★ 4.9 · 5.5 hours · from $105

Explore the Miyajima walking tour → Tour details

Group walk, private guide or coach tour: which suits you?

A small-group walk for the island alone, a private guide for your own pace, a coach tour if you also want Hiroshima with no planning.

The tours that focus on Miyajima, side by side:

Who should skip a Miyajima tour?

Confident independent travellers who mostly want photos, anyone staying the night on the island, and hikers heading up Mt Misen.

• Photographers: you want to sit out a tide or wait for sunset. A tour can't.
• Overnight guests: the early morning and the lit torii at night are the island's best hours, and no day tour covers them.
• Hikers: the trails up Mt Misen take 80 to 120 minutes each way. Few tours leave room.
• Tight budgets: 1,640 yen covers the train, ferry, tax and shrine.

Who should book one: first-timers in Japan nervous about transfers, travellers with one day for both Hiroshima and Miyajima, and anyone who wants the Peace Park explained by someone from the city. The cost comparison is in our price guide.

Is there a middle way between DIY and a full tour?

Yes: go to Miyajima alone and book a guide only for the part you want explained, or take a short island-only tour.

The Amigo Tours Miyajima-only option is $45 for 3.5 hours with the ferry and shrine ticket paid; you make your own way to Hiroden-Miyajimaguchi and stay on the island afterwards. The 888tour guide meets you at the island pier, so you avoid paying for the guide's travel time. Or flip it: do Miyajima yourself and book a guide for the Peace Park, where the stories matter most.

Frequently asked questions