Staying on Miyajima: Your Guide to an Unforgettable Overnight Experience

The Island of Miyajima is a sacred and peaceful island found in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan, Hiroshima Prefecture. Renowned for the UNESCO World Heritage site, Itsukushima Shrine, staying on Miyajima is becoming an increasingly popular activity among tourists. While many come to the island for a day trip, overnight stays on Miyajima offer an experience that day trippers often miss out on. So join us, as we share with you the benefits of staying on Miyajima, rather than just doing a day trip.

About our Stay

We had two recent overnight stays on Miyajima, and we got to try out two different hotels. Most hotels and ryokan on Miyajima tend to cost more than mainland Japan, and as part of a 25-day Itinerary we recently helped with, the hotel on Miyajjma was the most costly stay per night.

Our first hotel was Sakuraya, an affordable ryokan-style hotel. We had the Japanese-Style Superior Room, and we had a sea view looking out towards the Miyajima Ferry Terminal. While it wasn’t a viewed the Shrine, the ocean view was simply lovely. For Miyajima, Sakuraya was affordable, at around $150 USD for one night. For a tatami mat room with an ocean view, this was wellworth the price. This however, wasn’t inclusive of meals. Sakuraya had an on-site onsen on the bottom floor, which was lovely after arriving on the island after sunset. Found about halfway between the Miyajima Ferry Terminal, and Itsukushima Shrine, Sakuraya was a perfect hotel for a first time enjoying stay on the island.

Our second stay, was at the Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto, only a short walk from Itsukushima Shrine. The Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto is a high class hotel that embodies the definition of Japanese hospitality. The hotel has stunning outdoor onsens that look out towards the Hiroshima Bay and Itsukushima Shrine. While the Miyajima Grand Hotel is further from the ferry terminal, it is much closer to Itsukushima Shrine and some the islands other attractions. At around $500 USD per night, it is a little bit more pricey, but the stay, hospitality, and room was just fantastic.

Arriving on the island

For your overnight stay on Miyajima, we recommend that you arrive on the island around 5:00pm. This allows you enough time to can check-in at your hotel, drop off your bags and head out for dinner. There are few restaurants on Miyajima open after 6:00pm outside of the large hotels, so if you’re hotel doesn’t have a restaurant, this gives you enough time to grab a bite at one of the many local vendors.

You can still eat at some hotel restaurants depending on availability, and some require reservations in advance.

If you do get caught out late, the Lawson by the ferry terminal is open until around 9:30pm, so there may still be some food items you can grab if you are late to the island.

While ferries run until 10:42pm from Miyajimaguchi on the mainland, their frequency after 6:45 drops from every 15 minutes down to as low as once per hour.

Freedom To Explore

Day trips to Miyajima often feel rushed. Either in the hotel the morning – rushing to get one of the first ferries across to the Island – or on the Island as you rush to explore before heading to your next destination.

Staying on the island means that you can maximise your time there and explore at a leisurely pace, walk the streets only the locals do, and take in the sights without rushing around. There is so much to see and do on the Island, and a day trip is simply not enough time to take it all in.

Peace and Quiet

After the frequency of the ferrys starts to slow down, and the sun begns to set, or before around 8:00am the nex day, Miyajima is a totally different place to what it looks like during the day. Gone are the massive swams of tourists, and most of who remain are fellow guests of the hotels or the local island dwellers.

Because of this, you can see a far more authetnic, peaceful Miyajima than you might during the day. Take a relaxing stroll along the water, see Itsukushima Shrine illuminated at night, or even taken an evening boat tour out to see the Torii Gate up close.

The Highs and Lows

Itsukushima Shrine is renowned for its unique apperance at both high and low tide. During High tide, you can see the shrine as tide envolopes the structure, making it appear as if it’s floating on the water. As low tide, you can see the intricate wooden structures, and even venture out to the great torii gate and walk pass under it.

Because there is roughly six hour between tides, staying overnightt provides you with ample opportunity to see the contrast of the great Itsukushima Shrine at both and low tides. The difference is truely amazing, and it is alo fascinating to see how quickly the water receeds and comes in, given the relatively flat ocean floor.

Explore with the wildlife

The island is home to several Japanese deer, which roam the island freely. While these deer are friendly and will stick to the more touristy areas, being able to see these deer explore the streets of the Island after the tourists have left the island is magical, getting to see more of the animals natural behaviour, rather than the show to hopefully get snacks out of unsuspecting tourists.

Closing

Among all of our trips around Japan for our work, staying on Miyajima is perhaps one of the most memorable moments we’ve had so far. Everything about the stay on the island enabled us to both see the island in the everyday with tourists around, while also getting a glimpse of the everyday life on the island. It was a truely unforgettable experience for us, and one we will most certainly be lookiing forward to experiencing again.

Accessing Miyajima

On Foot by Train & Ferry

The most popular route for accessing the island Miyajima is from Hiroshima Station, after having had seen the sights of Hiroshima. From Hiroshima Station, take the San-yo Line to Miyajimaguchi Station. This will take around 25 minutes. This trip is covered by the JR Pass (420JPY one way without). After arriving at JR Miyajimaguchi Station, it’s a short walk to the Miyajima ferry terminal.

From JR Miyajimaguchi Station, it is a less than 2-minute walk from the Ferry Terminal to Miyajima. From the ferry terminal, there are 2 ferry operators, the JR West Miyajima Ferry, and the Miyajima Matsudai Kisen Ferry. The ferry costs 200JPY one way, however the JR Pass is valid on the JR West Miyajima Ferry.

You may also have to purchase an additional 100JPY ticket as part of the island’s tourist tax, introduced in 2023. This includes users of the JR Pass.

Both ferry operators service Miyajima frequently, but vary based on a day. On a normal day, the ferry typically operates every 15 minutes between Miyajima and the Mainland. During busy periods, the frequency is sometimes increased to every 10 minutes.

From Hiroshima, you can also take a the slower, but cheaper Number 2 Tram heading to Miyajimaguchi station. The tram will take you to Hiroden-Miyajimaguchi Station, and cost 270JPY one way. The JR Pass is not valid for this service.

There is also a direct boat from Hiroshima Peace Park, costing 2200JPY one way (or 4000JPY return ) – not including the 100 JPY tourist tax. The direct boat from the Hiroshima Peace Park will take 45 minutes to reach Miyajima. The JR Pass is not valid for this service.

Lastly, there is also a ferry from the Grand Price Hotel Hiroshima, costing 2100JPY one way. The JR Pass is not valid for this service.

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