Where to stay in Hiroshima
Hiroshima is crossed by tram and seen in a day. The real question is not the district. It is which side of the strait you sleep on, the city or the island of Miyajima.
Last checked September 3, 2026
Hondori to eat out and walk home. That is the living center of the city. The station if you take an early shinkansen the next day. Miyajima to see the island once the groups have gone.
The districts, and what they change
The city is compact: everything happens within a few tram stops.
| District | Who it suits | What to expect | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hondori and Kamiyacho | Late dinner, everything on foot | The covered arcade and the streets around it. This is where the restaurants and the okonomiyaki are, and the memorial is walkable. | Tram from the station, about five minutes |
| Around the station | Early shinkansen, one-night stop | Practical and characterless, east of the city. Plenty of chain hotels, and the tram down to the center in a few minutes. | Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka, about 1 h 20 |
| Near the Peace Memorial Park | Being there before the morning groups | A few hotels line the river beside the Dome. The district empties in the evening, and the tables are over towards Hondori. | Tram 2 or 6 to Genbaku-Dome-mae, 15 min |
| Miyajima | The island early, without the crowd | Sleeping there changes the visit: the groups leave in the late afternoon. Few addresses, mostly ryokan, and they go early. | JR to Miyajimaguchi, 25 min, then a 10 min boat |
Journey times are the operators' own, with no connection or waiting time, so check the day's timetable before you set off: night trains and airport buses run to a different grid.
What there is in Hiroshima, and on the island
Two very different stocks, ten minutes of water apart.
Business hotel
The bulk of itAround the station and the center, always near a tram stop. This is what you find most easily, and latest.
See hotels in Hiroshima on Booking →Ryokan
Rare in town, common on the islandAlmost none in Hiroshima itself. The ryokan with a bath and half board are on Miyajima, across the strait.
See ryokan in Hiroshima on Trip.com →Guesthouse and hostel
A few downtownPlain rooms and dorms, often run by people used to foreign travelers. Useful for a night between two trains.
See guesthouses in Hiroshima on Booking →Where to book
No single site shows all of Japan. We explain who gives access to what, and which one fits your case.
Which site to choose for your case →On Miyajima the bed is almost always a ryokan on half board, billed per person. For two the bill doubles instead of being shared, where a Hiroshima hotel is paid per room, so the arithmetic of the whole stay changes completely with the side of the strait you choose.
Accommodation tax: up to ¥200 (about $1) per person per night, depending on the room rate. Since April 2026 the whole prefecture applies the same flat rate: ¥200 (about $1) per person per night, only if the room is over ¥6,000 (about $38) per person. No bands above that, unlike Kyoto or Osaka. Last checked August 31, 2026 against the official source.
Miyajima is reached by a ten-minute crossing from Miyajimaguchi. If you sleep in town and plan to eat on the island, it is the last boat that sets the end of the evening, and not the restaurant you happen to be sitting in. Check it that morning.
When ryokan and train bookings open
Hiroshima often slots in between Kansai and Kyushu, for a single night. The station hotels go first, and the memorial draws Japanese school trips a good part of the year.
| Stay | Ryokan | Trains |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | Feb 27 · open | Aug 1 · open |
| Oct 2026 | Mar 29 · open | Sep 1 · open |
| Nov 2026 | Apr 29 · open | Oct 1 · closed |
| Dec 2026 | May 29 · open | Nov 1 · closed |
| Jan 2027 | Jun 29 · open | Dec 1 · closed |
| Feb 2027 | Jul 30 · open | Jan 1 · closed |
| Mar 2027 | Aug 27 · open | Feb 1 · closed |
| Apr 2027 | Sep 27 · closed | Mar 1 · closed |
Last checked August 6, 2026. No guarantees: a single property can open a little earlier or later.
How the opening calendar works, and why an empty calendar is not a full one: inns here open their rooms about 6 months ahead, train seats go on sale exactly 1 month ahead, and nothing at all exists before those two dates. Search earlier and the page comes back blank.
Miyajima, ten minutes of water away
Sleeping on the island changes the visit, and changes how the bill is worked out. Per person there, per room here.
Miyajima ryokan →Bookings for your dates open on a fixed date. We write that day.
Say you're after the cherry blossoms in April 2027: ryokan inns open around October. On the day, you get an email, you book, and it's done.
Tanuki Trip never books and never takes payment on your behalf, and the links to booking platforms on
this page are plain search links rather than partner links, so nothing here changes what you end up
paying or what we write about it.
You book it yourself, wherever you want.