Hiroshima to Miyajima: Tram, JR Train, Ferry and Itsukushima Shrine

Somewhere between the Atomic Bomb Dome and a plate of okonomiyaki, the same question comes up for almost everyone in Hiroshima: how do we reach the island with the red gate standing in the water? The answer is a short chain of rail or tram and a ferry. You ride to the mainland landing at Miyajimaguchi and cross to the island, or you sail from the harbor in the city.

How do you get from Hiroshima to Miyajima?

You get from Hiroshima to Miyajima by reaching the landing at Miyajimaguchi, in the city of Hatsukaichi, by streetcar or by JR train, and then taking a ferry across to the island, a trip of about ten minutes. A second way skips the mainland landing altogether, since an hourly express passenger ferry links the island with Hiroshima harbor.

The island appears on maps as Itsukushima, and Miyajima is the nickname that means Shrine Island. Both names refer to the same place, and the ferry signs, station boards and guidebooks use them interchangeably. It sits off the coast of Hiroshima, in the Seto Inland Sea, so every route ends with a crossing of water.

The chain by rail and ferry

Miyajimaguchi Station is run by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and served by the Sanyo Main Line. Two operators run the boats from that pier: JR Miyajima Ferry and Miyajima Matsudai Kisen.

The station has a Midori no Madoguchi, a staffed JR ticket office, which is the kind of counter where rail questions get answered in person. Before boarding the boat, the station also sells anago-meshi, a box lunch of rice topped with grilled, sweet-soy-glazed conger eel, which is the local ekiben (station bento). It is a fitting snack for a crossing to an island known for its seafood.

The chain by streetcar

The Hiroden Miyajima Line is a streetcar route that runs between Hiroden-nishi-hiroshima Station and Hiroden-miyajima-guchi Station. Its stop at the far end connects to JR Miyajimaguchi Station and to both ferry operators, so one ride ends where the boats begin. The line is one route of about ten miles, and it leaves the streets of the city behind for the shoreline stretch toward the island.

Hiroden is a company with a character of its own. Its fleet mixes streetcars built across Japan and Europe, which earned it the nickname The Moving Streetcar Museum, and some of its cars survived the atomic bombing of 1945. Riding it is a small piece of Hiroshima’s story as well as a way to reach the ferry.

The direct sailing from the harbor

Hiroshima Port Station, on the streetcar network, connects with ferries and hydrofoils for Matsuyama, Imabari, Kure, Miyajima, Etajima and other islands of the Seto Inland Sea. For Miyajima, an express passenger ferry runs hourly between the island and Hiroshima harbor. This is the route that spends its time on the water and not on rails.

Choosing it means the approach to the island happens at sea level, with the shoreline of the inland sea around you, and the shrine’s gate comes into view from the water. The rail and tram routes, by contrast, end with only the short crossing.

Which options are there?

There are three: the Hiroden streetcar to Hiroden-miyajima-guchi, the JR Sanyo Main Line to Miyajimaguchi Station, and the express ferry from Hiroshima harbor, with the last two ferry legs run by the companies already named.

The streetcar

The streetcar suits travelers who like to watch a city change outside the window. Hiroden runs the longest tram network in Japan, and its inner-city lines cover Hiroshima itself, so the same system that carries you past the Peace Memorial Park can continue on the Miyajima Line. Since spring 2025, Hiroden has used the QR code ticketing system MOBIRY DAYS in place of the older PASPY smart card, which had been accepted since January 2008.

At the end of the line, the connection to both the JR station and the ferries means you do not have to look for the pier. The two operators sit side by side, and you pick the boat that is ready first.

The JR train

JR West’s Sanyo Main Line serves Miyajimaguchi Station, which has one side platform and one island platform at ground level. The station opened in 1897 as Miyajima Station and was renamed in 1942. In fiscal 2019 it handled an average of 4309 passengers a day, a reminder that it is a working station for the town as well as a gateway for visitors.

Travelers who arrive in Hiroshima by shinkansen have already ridden part of the Sanyo Shinkansen, the high-speed line that links Shin-Osaka with Hakata. Hiroshima is about ninety minutes from Osaka by that line and about four hours from Tokyo. From the city you then change to the local JR line for the last stretch.

The ferry from the harbor

The harbor sailing is the one to picture if you want the island to appear gradually. It is hourly, and it leaves from the port that Hiroshima’s streetcar network reaches. Travelers who pick it should still know the other two options, because they are the ones that run to the pier at Miyajimaguchi, where the frequent short crossings take place.

What should you know before you travel from Hiroshima to Miyajima?

Know that the trip is a day of its own: the crossing is only the start, and the shrine’s opening hours change with the months, so the season shapes how long you have on the island.

What waits on the island

The Itsukushima Shrine is the reason people come, with its red torii gate standing in the sea. The island’s deer wander among the visitors, and the shopping street near the pier sells the maple-leaf-shaped cakes called momiji manju and grilled oysters, both tied to Miyajima in the minds of Japanese travelers. Hiroshima’s own specialty, okonomiyaki, fits in the same day as a meal back in the city.

Hiroshima Prefecture itself is known for the Seto Inland Sea, wooded mountains and clear waters. Together with the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome, both UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites, the island makes a pairing that many itineraries are built around, one half solemn and the other scenic.

Reading signs and moving around

Japanese trains have a reputation for running on time, which lets travelers plan to the minute. Local trains stop at every station, while rapid trains skip the smaller ones and do not require a supplement. Traffic in Japan keeps to the left, and for people who do not read Japanese, road signs can be hard to follow, one more reason the train, streetcar and ferry connections are the natural frame for this outing.

At the stations, look for the names Miyajimaguchi and Hiroden-miyajima-guchi, which both point toward the same landing. The ferry names to watch for are JR Miyajima Ferry, run by JR West, and Miyajima Matsudai Kisen. Either one reaches the island.

Good to know before you go

Miyajima belongs to the city of Hatsukaichi, which is why the mainland landing carries that city’s name and not Hiroshima’s. The shrine closes earlier in winter than in summer, so the shorter days of December leave less time inside its gates than the long afternoons of the warmer months. Carry yen for the small purchases of a day trip, such as a box lunch at the station or a snack on the island, and keep a little room in the day for the deer, which tend to find visitors on their own.