Miyajima Island can only be reached by ferries and fast boats. The ferry ride from Miyajimaguchi Station takes just 10 minutes.

You can also take the JR West ferry in combination with the JR train from the adjacent station using the JR Pass.

The public transport "Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass" is valid for both boat lines from Miyajimaguchi in combination with the No. 2 tram from downtown Hiroshima.

Find a hotel on Miyajima Island

Public ferry

Cheap public ferries run between Miyajimaguchi and Miyajima.

You can use 2 boat lines, both have the same prices and the same interval of 10 minutes.

• JR West Ferry (jr-miyajimaferry.co.jp)- red ticket office (at the land port on the left)
  • JR Pass, JR-West Pass valid here
  • Visitor Hiroshima Tourist Ticket valid here for 1, 2 or 3 days
• Matsudai Ferry (miyajima-matsudai.co.jp) - blue ticket office (in the harbour on the mainland on the right)
  • Not valid here JR Pass, JR-West Pass
  • Visitor Hiroshima Tourist Ticket valid here for 1, 2 or 3 days

If you don't have either the JR Pass or the Visitor Hiroshima Tourist Pass, you can only purchase the ticket with cash at a vending machine.

You can also use one of Japan's 10 transport cards (Suica, Icoca, Paspy and others) to pay your fare, see details in the Transport in Japan article.

• 200 jpy - One-way
• 400 jpy - return

If you pay cash at a machine or ticket office, the ticket price already includes the tourist tax 100 jpy when you enter the island. So you pay for the ticket directly 300 jpy, or 500 jpy.

If you pay the fare with a transport card (Icoca, Suica, etc.) or use the JR Pass or Visitor Hiroshima Tourist Pass, you must buy the 100 jpy tax at a special machine.

The ticket with the tax, although the same for all visitors, is always valid only for the boat line whose machine you pay the tax in.

On weekdays, both shipping companies run once every 15 minutes and on weekends and public holidays the frequency is 10 minutes.

• First boat to the island - 6:25
• Last boat off the island - 22:14

High speed boat

Public ferries are supplemented by private carriers with high-speed boats sailing directly to Hiroshima without the need to use the tram or train.

The cruise takes around 45 minutes and costs from 2 000 jpy.

Detailed information on fares, routes and links to specific carriers are provided below in the description of transportation between Hiroshima and Miyajima Island.

Transportation Hiroshima - Miyajima

The vast majority of tourists head to Miyajima from the nearest major city, Hiroshima, where Hiroshima HIJ International Airport is also located.

How to get to Hiroshima is described in a separate article.

From Hiroshima you can use 4 modes of transport.

	Price	Travel time	JR Pass	Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass
Train + Ferry JR West	620 jpy	50 minutes	Yes	No
Tram 2 + Any Ferry	470 jpy	80 minutes	No	Yes
High speed boat	2 200 jpy	45 minutes	no	no

Train + Ferry JR West

Local Red Line R trains running between Hiroshima and Iwakuni stop at Miyajimaguchi Station near the ferry dock.

All trains are operated by JR West, as well as one of the ferry lines that runs every 10 minutes between the train station and the island.

You can use the JR Pass or the JR-WEST Pass for the JR West train and ferry. However, you must only use the red ferry and not the blue ferry.

Fares

If you do not have a JR Pass or JR-WEST Pass, the fares are as follows:

• Train - from Hiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi for 420 jpy
• Ferry - one-way ticket for 200 jpy + 100 jpy visitor tax

In case you are buying separate tickets, you can use any ferry. Both lines have the same price and both sail once every 10 minutes.

You can only pay the train and boat fares in cash or with one of the 10 Japanese transport cards (Suica, Icoca, Paspy and others)

When you buy a ticket, you choose the amount you want to pay at the machine. You can find this out on the rail line map hanging above the machine.

Frequency and journey times

Trains run between Hiroshima and Iwakuni about once every 15-20 minutes, and you can check the exact schedule at westjr.co.jp.

The train journey from Hiroshima Central Station takes 28 minutes + 10 minutes by ferry.

Tram + Ferry JR i Matsudai

The cheapest transport is tram line 2 running from central Hiroshima to Miyajima-guchi port.

The tram and both ferry lines (red and blue) have a Visitor Hiroshima Tourist Pass for 1, 2 or 3 days. The JR Pass or JR-WEST Pass cannot be used for tram travel.

For detailed information about public transportation in Hiroshima and how to pay for a tram ticket, see the article Transportation in Hiroshima.

Book a hotel in central Hiroshima

Fares

If you do not have a Visitor Hiroshima Tourist Pass, ticket prices are as follows:

• Tram - from anywhere in Hiroshima city centre for 270 jpy
• Ferry - one-way ticket for 200 jpy + 100 jpy visitor tax

Tram and boat fares can only be paid in cash or with one of the 10 Japanese transport cards (Suica, Icoca, Paspy and others)

Frequency and journey times

Trams run between Hiroshima and Miyajimaguchi Pier about once every 8-10 minutes.

The tram ride time is very long and takes about 55 minutes + 10 minutes of boat ride.

High-speed boats

The most convenient but expensive option is the commercial high-speed boats that sail to Miyajima Island directly from downtown Hiroshima or the port there.

Acqua Net - downtown

Acqua Net operates a direct boat service to the wharf in downtown Hiroshima near the A-Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park.

Ticket prices are as follows:

• one-way 2 200 jpy + 100 jpy visitor tax
• return 4 000 jpy + 100 jpy visitor tax

The cruise lasts 45 minutes and boats depart 1-2 times per hour. However, on weekends when the weather is nice, there can be long lines on the way from downtown to Miyajima and it's not guaranteed that you'll fit on the boat.

Tickets cannot be purchased online.

For timetables and current prices, visit aqua-net-h.co.jp.

Setonakai Kisen Ferry - Hiroshima Port

A second high-speed ferry line is operated by SKK, which sails to Hiroshima's main port with a stop on Ujina Island.

The sailing time is 25-40 minutes depending on the destination. The ships sail 6-8 times a day.

The ships sail along the following route:

• Hiroshima Port -> Ujina Island -> Miyajima
• Miyajima -> Hiroshima Port -> Ujina Island

Ticket prices are as follows:

• one-way 2 100 jpy + 100 jpy visitor tax
• return 4 200 jpy + 100 jpy visitor tax

For the timetable and current prices, please visit aqua-net-h.co.jp.

Map of connections to Miyajima Island

We've created a custom map of all the high-speed boat, ferry, train and tram lines you can use to get to Itsukushima Island.

Transportation Iwakuni - Miyajima

Little-known airport Iwakuni IWK is actually the closest airport to Miyajima Island.

It lies roughly 22km from the mainland port of Miyajimaguchi, and although it only serves two scheduled routes to Okinawa and Tokyo, it's a much more convenient entry point than the more distant Hiroshima HIJ.

However, ticket prices are higher to Iwakuni Airport due to zero competition.

Compare flight prices - skyscanner.com

There is a bus from the airport to the train station for 200 jpy.

From there, you can take direct trains to Miyajimaguchi Station, where the public ferries we detail above connect.

• 330 jpy Train fare + 200 jpy ferry fare (+ 100 jpy visitor tax)
• Train frequency every 15-20 minutes
• You can use the JR Pass or JR-WEST Pass to connect (valid for the train and the red JR West ferry)