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Ryokan on Miyajima

Miyajima is an island with a last boat. The question is not which district. It is whether you sleep on it or leave in the evening.

Last checked September 3, 2026

The short answer

Near the pier if you want everything on foot and an early departure. Towards Momijidani to sleep further from the day groups, at the foot of the maple valley, which is where the island stops feeling like a day trip and starts feeling like somewhere people actually live in the evening. At Miyajimaguchi, on the mainland, when the island is full.

The floating torii of Itsukushima shrine at high tide, a red outline at sunset on the Seto Inland Sea.

How a Miyajima ryokan works

Almost every bed on the island is a ryokan, and two things about that change your arithmetic and your evening.

A mid-range night, per person
Range
¥15,000–40,000
About
$95–254
Includes
dinner, breakfast
Dinner slot
usually 6 to 7 p.m.
Booking opens
about 6 months out

Our own order of magnitude, not a price feed. Dollar at this month's rate.

Per person, not per room

An island ryokan bills each traveler, dinner and breakfast included. For two the bill climbs to nearly double, where an ordinary hotel is paid per room, so a Miyajima rate and a Hiroshima rate cannot be compared side by side without doing that conversion first.

Dinner is more useful here than elsewhere

The island's restaurants close early once the groups have gone. Half board is not an upsell in that context. It is often the only dinner available.

What the island is like once the boats stop

The groups leave in the late afternoon, and what is left is an island with a few hundred residents, the deer and the torii. That is what you are paying the per-person premium for. Capacity is small, several properties count only a handful of rooms, and the ones with a private bath open their booking around six months ahead and go first.

How to choose one without a name

We never recommend an address. Three questions settle it: island or mainland; near the pier or out towards Momijidani, which is convenience against quiet; and whether the price you are reading is per person or per room, because on this island it is almost always the former.

See ryokan in Miyajima on Booking

Filtered on ryokan only. Prices are per person and normally include dinner and breakfast.

The island or the mainland, and what it changes

Area Who it suits What to expect Getting there
Near the pier One night, everything on foot The heart of the island, between the ferry and the shrine. Omotesando street and its shops close early, but the walk to the torii takes only a few minutes. Ferry from Miyajimaguchi, ten minutes
Towards Momijidani Quiet, older ryokan A few hundred meters further, at the foot of the maple valley. Less traffic once the evening boats have gone, and the Mount Misen ropeway nearby. On foot from the pier, fifteen to twenty minutes
Miyajimaguchi Tight budget, island full On the mainland, around the two stations. Shops close later than on the island, but nothing crosses after the last evening boat. JR from Hiroshima, twenty-five minutes, or Hiroden tram, a little over an hour

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 on the island, and on the mainland

Ryokan

The norm on the island

Covered in full above. Almost all on half board, dinner included, priced per person.

See ryokan in Miyajima on Booking →

Hotel

A few addresses

A little choice near the pier, without half board. Capacity stays small, and some properties count only a handful of rooms.

See hotels in Miyajima on Booking →

Business hotel

On the mainland

At Miyajimaguchi the stock looks like any Japanese station. Two lines serve the area, one of them the JR back to Hiroshima.

See hotels in Miyajima 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 →
The price is per person, not per room

An island ryokan bills each traveler, dinner and breakfast included. For two the bill climbs to nearly double, where an ordinary hotel is paid per room.

Accommodation tax: up to ¥200 (about $1) per person per night, depending on the room rate. The prefecture charges ¥200 (about $1) per person per night once the room is over ¥6,000 (about $38) per person, exactly as it does everywhere else in Hiroshima, with no bands above that. On the island a separate tax is added, paid at the ferry. It costs ¥100 (under $1) per crossing. A year pass is ¥500 (about $3). Last checked August 31, 2026 against the official source.

The last boat decides your evening

The crossing takes ten minutes from Miyajimaguchi. The last departure falls around 10 p.m., and nothing leaves again before dawn. If you are not sleeping on the island, it is that day's timetable rather than the restaurant that decides when your evening ends, so check it before you sit down.

When ryokan and train bookings open

The island has very few rooms, especially among the ryokan with a private bath: several of them open their booking around six months ahead, and the best dates go within days.

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.

The stop just before

The night in Hiroshima, before the island

The first boat leaves Miyajimaguchi, twenty-five minutes from Hiroshima station. Where you sleep in town decides what time you reach the island.

Where to stay in Hiroshima →
When your rooms go on sale

Bookings for your dates open on a fixed date. We write that day.

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