- visitor tax per person and per visit, paid with your ferry ticket ($0.60)
- ¥100
- on the JR ferry from Miyajimaguchi, ¥180 and covered by the Japan Rail Pass
- 10 minutes
- for a day from Hiroshima Station with the shrine and the ropeway, about $23
- About ¥3,600
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Miyajima island, officially Itsukushima, sits in the bay of Hiroshima, 10 minutes by ferry from Miyajimaguchi. Its great torii stands in the sea in front of Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996: it seems to float at high tide, and you can walk out to it at low tide. Behind the shrine rise the old streets, the temples and Mount Misen, 535 m. Every visitor pays a ¥100 visitor tax with the ferry ticket. Prices, hours and tide times below were checked on the official sites on 14 November 2026.
Miyajima and Hiroshima tours
Most tours leave from Hiroshima and pair the island with the Peace Memorial Park, a few stay on Miyajima.
Hiroshima: Miyajima Island Half-Day Tour with Guide
Four hours on the island with a guide and a pickup in Hiroshima, for Itsukushima Shrine and the great torii without planning the ferries.
4.9(172 reviews)
- 4 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
From $68per person
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Miyajima: Cultural Experience in a Zen Temple
A short session in a Zen temple on Miyajima, a quiet hour away from the crowds on the shrine front.
5.0(275 reviews)
- 1 to 2 hours
- Free cancellation
From $88per person
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Hiroshima & Miyajima: 2 UNESCO Sites 1-Day Small Group Tour
A 6.5-hour small-group day: the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Park in Hiroshima, then Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima.
4.8(314 reviews)
- 6.5 hours
- Free cancellation
From $84per person
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From Osaka: Hiroshima & Miyajima Day Trip by Bullet Train
A long day from Osaka by Shinkansen to the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima and the floating torii of Miyajima.
4.8(419 reviews)
- 8 to 11.5 hours
- Free cancellation
From $95per person
See prices & availability
See more activities in Hiroshima
Miyajima visitor tax: ¥100 per visit in 2026
Since 1 October 2023, the city of Hatsukaichi, which Miyajima belongs to, charges a visitor tax to anyone who lands on the island by boat. In November 2026 it is still ¥100 per person and per visit (about $0.60), and no increase has been announced on the city's pages. The money goes to toilets, signs, the trails and the observatory on Mount Misen, and the upkeep of the heritage buildings.
- Paid with your ticket. At the JR and Matsudai ticket machines and counters, the tax is added to the fare to the island. Tapping in with Suica, ICOCA or another IC card takes it automatically.
- Japan Rail Pass holders pay it separately, ¥100 at the ferry terminal, since the pass covers the boat but not the tax.
- Tour tickets bought in advance: show the ticket at the counter and pay the tax there if it is not included. The direct boat from the Peace Park already includes it.
- Frequent visitors can pay ¥500 for a whole year, at the Miyajima or Ono branch of Hatsukaichi city hall or through the city's LINE account.
- Exempt: children below school age, people who live, work or study on the island, school trips and their teachers, and holders of a Japanese disability certificate.
It is a small sum, but it explains why a ferry ticket to the island costs ¥100 more than the ticket back: the tax is charged once, on the way over.
Itsukushima torii: tide times for walking out or seeing it float
The great torii is a camphor-wood gate from 1875 that is not buried in the seabed: it stands under its own weight, about 200 m out from the shore. It spent three and a half years under scaffolding from June 2019 and came back into view, freshly painted, in December 2022. The same gate gives two very different visits depending on the sea, and the tide in the bay can vary by more than 2.5 m in a few hours.
The Miyajima tourist association publishes a tide table on its website (miyajima.or.jp, page "Tide table"). Pick your date and it shows the hourly sea level in centimetres, the times of high and low water, and two ranges worth noting: the hours when you can walk to the torii and the hours when the shrine "floats". Here is what it gave for 14 November 2026:
| 14 November 2026 | Time | Sea level |
|---|---|---|
| Low tide | 5:44 | 49 cm |
| High tide | 12:31 | 321 cm |
| Low tide | 18:27 | 154 cm |
| High tide | 23:53 | 276 cm |
| Walk to the torii | 4:00 to 7:15 | around the morning low |
| Shrine and torii in the water | 10:15 to 15:00 | around the midday high |
Two lessons from that day. Not every low tide is low enough: the evening low of 154 cm left the sand under water, and only the morning low of 49 cm opened the walk. And the floating view lasts several hours around high water, so it is easier to catch than the walk. If you can only come once, aim for the high-tide window for the classic photo, and plan a second look a few hours later. Wear shoes you do not mind getting wet, and leave the torii before the water comes back.
After dark, the torii and the shrine are lit up from sunset, which is the best reason to stay late or sleep on the island. Small boats run short evening trips out to the gate from the pier, with times posted at the terminal.
Itsukushima Shrine opening hours and entrance fee
Itsukushima Shrine is a set of halls joined by long vermilion corridors, built on pillars over the tide flats. Its present layout dates from the 12th century, when the warlord Taira no Kiyomori rebuilt it. Entry costs ¥300 for adults ($2), ¥200 for high school students and ¥100 for younger children. The Treasure Hall costs another ¥300, or ¥500 for a combined ticket sold only at the shrine entrance.
| Period | Shrine opening hours |
|---|---|
| 1 March to 14 October | 6:30 to 18:00 |
| 15 October to 30 November | 6:30 to 17:30 |
| December | 6:30 to 17:00 |
| 4 January to end of February | 6:30 to 17:30 |
| 1 January | 0:00 to 18:30 |
| 2 and 3 January | 6:30 to 18:30 |
The visit is one-way and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Go in at opening, before the first tour groups land around 9:30, and the corridors are almost empty. Just above the shrine, the Senjokaku, a huge unfinished hall that Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered in 1587, costs ¥100 and opens from 8:30 to 16:30, next to a five-storey pagoda.
Mount Misen: ropeway prices, hiking trails and the Reikado fire
Mount Misen, 535 m, is the sacred peak of the island and has the best view of the Seto Inland Sea. The Miyajima Ropeway takes you most of the way: a 10-minute ride in small cabins from Momijidani station, then a change to a larger gondola for 4 minutes to Shishiiwa. From there it is about 30 minutes on foot, with steps, to the summit observatory.
| Miyajima Ropeway | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| One way | ¥1,100 ($7) | ¥550 |
| Return | ¥2,000 ($13) | ¥1,000 |
| Matsudai ferry return + ropeway return (2 days) | ¥2,100 | ¥1,100 |
The ropeway runs up from 9:00 to 16:00, with the last ride down at 16:30, and stops in strong wind or storms. In November 2026 a reservation is required on busy days (1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29 November), and the ropeway closes for maintenance twice a year, usually around February and July. The combined Matsudai ticket, with the tax included, is sold at the Matsudai counter in Miyajimaguchi from 8:30 to 15:00. The lower station is about 20 minutes on foot from the shrine through Momijidani Park, and a free shuttle bus covers the last uphill stretch from the park.
You can also walk up from the town on one of three trails: the Momijidani, Daisho-in and Omoto routes. All are steep stone steps through the forest. Most walkers take 1.5 to 2 hours up, and the Daisho-in trail is the most popular. A good plan is the ropeway up and the Daisho-in trail down.
Daisho-in temple and Momijidani Park
Daisho-in, at the foot of Misen 10 minutes' walk from the shrine, is the oldest temple on the island and the head temple of the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism. There is no entry fee. Spin the metal prayer wheels set in the handrail of the main stairs, look for the hundreds of small Jizo statues in knitted caps, and go down into the Henjokutsu cave, lined with icons of the 88 temples of the Shikoku pilgrimage. Monks walk over burning embers at the Hiwatari fire-walking rite on 15 November and 15 April, and visitors may follow once the fire is down.
Momijidani Park, on the way to the ropeway, is a valley of maples along a stream. The leaves usually turn red from early to late November, and it is the busiest part of the island at that time.
Omotesando street, momiji manju, grilled oysters and the deer
Omotesando, the covered shopping street between the ferry pier and the shrine, is where to eat. Three things to try: grilled oysters from the bay, opened on the grill in front of you, anago-meshi, grilled conger eel on rice, and momiji manju, small maple-leaf cakes filled with red bean paste that were first made on Miyajima in the early 20th century. Several shops bake them in front of you and sell them warm, one by one. Most of the street closes in the early evening, so eat before the last ferries if you are going back.
The deer of Miyajima wander the whole town and are wild animals. Do not feed them: feeding is banned on the island, unlike in Nara, and there are no deer crackers on sale. They will still go for food, paper maps and tickets, so keep bags closed and hold your ferry ticket tight.
How to get to Miyajima from Hiroshima: JR, tram and ferries
There are two ways across. The cheap one is the train to Miyajimaguchi, on the mainland, and a short ferry. The scenic one is the direct boat from the Peace Memorial Park, which saves a change if you start the day there.
| Route | Time | Adult fare |
|---|---|---|
| JR Sanyo Line, Hiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi | about 27 min | ¥420 |
| Hiroden tram line 2, Hiroshima to Hiroden-Miyajimaguchi | about 70 min | ¥240 |
| JR ferry, Miyajimaguchi to Miyajima | 10 min | ¥180 + ¥100 tax |
| Matsudai ferry, Miyajimaguchi to Miyajima | 10 min | ¥200 + ¥100 tax |
| Aqua Net fast boat, Miyajimaguchi to Miyajima | about 5 min | ¥400 + ¥100 tax |
| Aqua Net direct boat, Peace Memorial Park to Miyajima | 45 min | ¥2,500, tax included |
The JR ferry is covered by the Japan Rail Pass and the JR West regional passes, as is the train from Hiroshima, so a pass holder only pays the ¥100 tax. Take the JR ferry if you can: some of its sailings run close to the great torii for a view from the water. The Matsudai ferry is a few yen dearer but sells the ropeway combo ticket. Both take IC cards such as a Suica or ICOCA card, and the terminal is a 3-minute walk from JR Miyajimaguchi Station. The tram is slower and not covered by the pass, but it is the cheapest choice and stops near the Peace Park.
The direct boat from the Peace Park runs 17 times a day in November 2026, the first at 8:30 and the last back from Miyajima at 17:30. It costs ¥4,500 for a return, and you can book online until 20:30 the day before, after which tickets are sold at the pier. It is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass, and sailings can change with the tide since the boat uses the river.
From further away, take the Sanyo Shinkansen to Hiroshima: about 1 h 25 min from Shin-Osaka and 1 h 40 min from Kyoto on a Nozomi, and about 4 hours from Tokyo. Fares and the rules for pass holders on the Nozomi are in our guide to the Shinkansen bullet train.
How long to spend on Miyajima: day trip or a night on the island
A day trip from Hiroshima is how most people see Miyajima. Take a train around 8:00 and you are at the shrine as it fills. Walk the torii beach and the shrine, eat on Omotesando, ride the ropeway up Misen around midday, come down by the Daisho-in trail and see the torii again at a different tide before the last ferries. Count about ¥1,300 from Hiroshima Station for the return train, the return JR ferry and the tax, ¥300 for the shrine and ¥2,000 for the ropeway, about ¥3,600 ($23) in all.
A night on the island changes the visit. Day visitors leave in the late afternoon, the deer settle in the streets and the torii is lit up over a dark bay. Miyajima has a handful of ryokan, some with views of the torii, where dinner and breakfast are part of the stay. Iwaso, in Momijidani, has been open since 1854. Our guide to staying in a ryokan explains how they work, from the dinner times to the bath.
Hiroshima and Miyajima fit in one long day: the Peace Memorial Park and Museum in the morning, the direct boat to the island at lunchtime, the train back in the evening. Our Japan itinerary shows how to add that day to a first trip as a run from Osaka, and the Himeji Castle stop on the same line makes it a two-day loop from Kyoto or Osaka.
Best time to visit Miyajima: autumn leaves, festivals and crowds
Autumn and spring are the best seasons, with mild weather for Misen. Mid to late November brings the maples of Momijidani and the biggest crowds of the year, and the cherry trees around the shrine flower in early April. Summer is hot and humid for the climb. Winter is quiet and cold, and it is oyster season, celebrated by an oyster festival on the second weekend of February.
The Kangensai, the main festival of the shrine, takes place on the 17th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, so the date moves each summer: it was 30 July in 2026, with music boats crossing the bay from 15:00 until the evening. Other dates to know are the fire-walking at Daisho-in on 15 April and 15 November, and the Chinkasai fire festival on 31 December. On any day, avoid weekends and Japanese holidays if you can, and go early: the boats before 8:00 are quiet, the ones between 9:30 and 11:00 are packed.