Sample itinerary of day trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima from Osaka/Kyoto

1 to 3 days
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is one of Must-See in Hiroshima. ©Yasufumi Nishi/©JNTO
One of well known places in Japan, World Heritage Site, Miyajima Itsukushima shrine.  ©Hiroshima Prefecture / ©JNTO
One of well known places in Japan, World Heritage Site, Miyajima Itsukushima shrine. ©Hiroshima Prefecture / ©JNTO

Hiroshima and Miyajima are very popular and obviously these are “Big Name”s in Japan. Some of you want to visit these place but you may be hesitating to visit there because of tight schedule.

If you stay in Osaka or Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima can be visited as day trip. If you can stay there for even one night, that is much better. But you may prefer to have “Baggage Free” day trip.

In this post, I show you sample itinerary to visit Hiroshima and Miyajima as day trip.

From Osaka / Kyoto to Hiroshima

Kyushu Shinkansen Sakura and Mizuho give you direct trainsfer to Shin-Osaka from Kyusyu.
N700 series Shinkansen fleet is used for Mizuho and Sakura.

If you stay in Osaka, get Shin-Osaka station to catch the Shinkansen. If you stay in Kyoto, you can catch the Shinkansen at Kyoto station.

If you use JR Pass, as probably you know, you cannot take Nozomi and Mizuho. Only Hikari, Sakura and Kodama are covered by JR Pass. But there are a few Hikari that take you to Hiroshima from Kyoto directly. Please check the Shinkansen timetable in JR Central official site:

JR Central official site – The Tokaido and the Sanyo Shinkansen timetable

As of September 2019, only these following Shinkansen trains which are covered by JR Pass go directly to Hiroshima from Kyoto.
Hikari 481
Kyoto 07:20 – Shin-Osaka 07:35 – Hiroshima 09:06
Hikari 493
Kyoto 08:00 – Shin-Osaka 08:14 – Hiroshima 09:56
Hikari 495
Kyoto 08:23 – Shin-Osaka 08:39 – Hiroshima 10:35

If you miss these trains, you have to transfer trains at Shin-Osaka in most cases.

If you do not use JR Pass, Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass is recommended.

This pass is sold at 13,000 yen. This is cheaper than round trip fare to Hiroshima from Shin-Osaka. But this pass does not cover the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to the east. You cannot take the Shinkansen from Kyoto. If you stay in Kyoto and intend to use this pass, you have to take other trains on the conventional lines to get Shin-Osaka from Kyoto. Special Rapid train runs every 15 minutes and connects Kyoto and Shin-Osaka in less than 30 minutes.

Trip to Miyajima

You have to visit at low tide if you want to walk around Torii.  	©Hiroshima Prefecture / ©JNTO
You have to visit at low tide if you want to walk around Torii. (C) Hiroshima Prefecture / ©JNTO

If you go to Miyajima first, you need to transfer to a local train at Hiroshima station. If you have 10 minutes, you can transfer. Local trains run every 10 to 15 minutes to Miyajimaguchi that is the nearest station to the ferry to Miyajima. And it takes about 30 minutes to get Miyajimaguchi. I have visited Miyajima and wrote about access there from Hiroshima before. Please find more information at the link below:

Most of you spend half day in Miyajima and half day in city of Hiroshima. You can visit either Miyajima or Hiroshima at first. But if you want to walk down floating Torii gate at Itsukushima shrine in Miyajima, you visit there at low tide. You can find updated tide table of Miyajima at this fishing site.

You will spend 45 minutes for each way from Hiroshima to Miyajima. I suggest you to have 4 hours, 2 hours transfer and 2 hours sightseeing, for Miyajima.

Sightseeing in Hiroshima

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is one of Must-See in Hiroshima. ©Yasufumi Nishi/©JNTO
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is one of Must-See in Hiroshima. ©Yasufumi Nishi/©JNTO

Most of sites are very accessible from Hiroshima station by street car. And also JR tourist bus “Meipuru-pu” takes you to most places in Hiroshima.

JR tourist loop bus Meipuru-pu

Hisoshima Sightseeing Loop Bus, “Meipuru-pu”

This bus is covered by JR Pass, Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass, Sanyo Sanin Area Pass, Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass.

Street car is most popular transportation in city of Hiroshima. ©Hiroshima Convention & Visitors Bureau

If you want to see more places that is not covered by this loop bus, you can take Hiroshima Railway’s street car, a.k.a. “Hiro-den”. One day pass is 600 yen.

Hiroshima Electric Railway economical ticket

If you spend 4 hours for Miyajima, you still have 7 hours for Hiroshima until the last Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka. You may add some more time for Miyajima. It depends on how many places you want to see in Hiroshima.

From Hiroshima to Kyoto / Shin-Osaka

There is no direct Shinkansen trains from Hiroshima to Kyoto. If you take the last Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka, there is no Shinkansen trains to Kyoto. Even if you have JR Pass, you have to take local train to Kyoto. Please see Shinkansen timetable below:

JR Central official site – The Tokaido and the Sanyo Shinkansen timetable

As of September 2019, these Shinkansen trains will be your last departure to Shin-Osaka.

Hikari 444
Hiroshima 21:58 – Shin-Osaka 23:32

Mizuho 612 (Sanyo San’in Area Pass, Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass user only)
Hiroshima 22:12 – Shin-Osaka 23:37

If you have to take the subway to get Namba or other subway stations, it is no problem. The last subway departs from Shin-Osaka is 0:02. Usually you can transfer from Shinkansen to subway in 10 minutes.

If you have to go back to Kyoto, the last train is Special Rapid 00:30 departure to Kyoto. But if you take this train, you can get Kyoto but you cannot get any other places in Kyoto by the public transportation. If you do not stay around Kyoto station, take earlier Shinkansen train.

Sample itinerary

My suggested itinerary is as follows:

From Shin-Osaka

08:04 Shin-Osaka
Sakura 547
09:34 Hiroshima

10:00 Hiroshima
Local train
10:27 Miyajimaguchi

10:40 Miyajimaguchi
Ferry
10:50 Miyajima

From Kyoto

08:00 Kyoto
Hikari 493
09:56 Hiroshima

10:15 Hiroshima
Local train
10:41 Miyajimaguchi

10:50 Miyajimaguchi
Ferry
11:00 Miyajima

Sightseeing and easy lunch at Miyajima.
Same itinerary for Osaka and Kyoto departure after visiting Miyajima.

13:30 Miyajima
Ferry
13:40 Miyajimaguchi
13:58 Miyajimaguchi
Local train
14:25 Hiroshima

Sightseeing and dinner at Hiroshima. Enjoy Hiroshima Okonomiyaki (savory pancake Hiroshima style) for your dinner!

Hiroshima has one of the best Okonomiyaki in Japan! ©Hiroshima Convention & Visitors Bureau

20:52 Hiroshima
Sakura 570
22:21 Shin-Osaka

If you take Sakura 570, you can get back to any places in Osaka and Kyoto by public transportation.

At last, I recommend you to take Sakura (or Mizuho) than Hikari (or Nozomi) if you take a seat in the reserved car. Because the reserved seat accommodation is much better. Sakura and Mizuho has 2+2 layout. Hikari and Nozomi have 2+3 layout. Sakura and Mizuho’s reserved seat is much wider. You find many photo of seat and interior at the link below:

If you have extra day in Osaka or Kyoto, you may consider to add Hiroshima and Miyajima day trip.

Comments

  1. Anne says:

    Hi Takeshi

    Thank you for your post! Would you mind helping us out? It will be our first time in Japan so your advice is greatly appreciated. We are very confused about the train/subway ticket in Japan. Basically, this is what we want to do in April 2016 from the 2nd April to 10th April.
    Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima, Osaka (fly back to Australia from Osaka Kaisen airport). What is the best train ticket option for us? As we depart soon, your speedy reply would be greatly appreciated!

    Many thanks for your time and generous help!

    Warm regards,
    Anne

  2. Sam says:

    Hi,

    Thanks for the information that you have provided! Just a little bit confuse with your sample itinerary though.

    I am based in Kyoto and will be purchasing a JR Kansai Hiroshima Pass. Does this pass cover the Hikari 493? Or do I need to change trains in Shin-Osaka?

    Thanks!

    • Hi Sam,

      Shinkansen between Kyoto and Shin-Osaka is in coverage area but this segment is not covered by this pass. Because this segment is operated by JR Central. Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass is issued by JR West.

      So you can take Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima only. You cannot take Hikari 493 from Kyoto. You have to take other trains on conventional lines, like Special Rapid train between Kyoto and Shin-Osaka.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • Sam says:

        Hi Takeshi

        Thank you for clarifying. It makes more sense trying to understand the JR West pass inclusions.

        Can you please advise what are “JR West Conventional lines”? For example, are these stations in the ‘blue line’ in https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/routemap/pdf/map_osaka.pdf included?

        Another example is JR Noda included in the JR West Kansai Hiroshima pass?

        Many thanks again!

        • Hi Sam,

          This blue line in the map is one of JR conventional lines. Technically JR conventional line is all JR lines other than Shinkansen (bullet train) lines.
          JR Noda is on JR Osaka loop line that is one of the conventional lines. It’s covered by Ksnaai Hiroshima pass.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JPRail.com

  3. Hasi says:

    Hello Takeshi,
    You’re doing a wonderful job helping first timers like ourselves!!I would really appreciate if you would help me and my mom who’ll be visiting japan in early April2016.

    We want to visit Hiroshima so we’re getting the Kansai Hiroshima pass.Also we want to visit kiyomizudera and fushimi inari as a half day trip from Osaka (We’ll be staying near shin osaka station)So would you please suggest to us how best to use this pass and other transportation(rail/bus) to visit the above sites of Kyoto.Any other suggestions for passes.

    And can we use the Kansai Hiroshima Pass to travel from shin osaka to Kansai airport?

    Much Thanks in advance.
    Hasi

  4. Buddzy says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    We are planning a day trip to Hiroshima from osaka.We want to see Miyajima island,go to the top of mount misen,visit some shrines there and then tour peace museum and atomic bomb dome.

    Could you please suggest an itinerary for the day and the best passes to get as well as which would be better lop bus or tram? Thanks a lot.

    • Hi Buddzy,

      All you need to do is just extending a few hours at Miyajima in the sample itinerary above.
      Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass is the best choice. I explained about the pass and the route in the post above.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  5. Lauren Heier says:

    Wow, what a great website!! Hoping you can help me with which pass to purchase, and let me know if any of these plans are impossible

    -Toyko to Hakone or Fuji Five lakes area
    -Fuji five lakes/Hakone to Matsumoto
    -Hike Alpine route from Matsumoto
    -Train from Toyama after Alpine Route to Kanazawa same day
    -Kanazawa to Takayama
    -Takayama to Kyoto
    -Day trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island as you’ve detailed for another person (thank you!!)
    -Maybe Kyoto to Kagoshima, then ferry to Yakushima
    -Back to Toyko

    Plan on staying mostly one night in each place (except Tokyo, Kyoto

  6. Sujen says:

    Hi Takeshi, Please advise me how to get the JR train from Hiroshima to Tokyo (Shinjuku station). If you could provide time table of JR train that would be most appreciated. Thank you.

  7. Terri Polmear says:

    I will be staying at Kobe Sannomiya Terminal hotel. Is it possible to follow your one day itinerary from Kobe?

    • Hi Terri,

      You can do but you need to take subway to get Shin-Kobe. If you use JR deals, such as JR pass, Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass, subway is not covered.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • Terri Polmear says:

        I have read that the Suica card can now be used on some other lines out of Tokyo does it work here?

        • Hi Terri,

          You may use it in Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and many other areas. But you cannot use it for Kobe to Hiroshima. You have to use it in the cities only. Inter-city transfer is not covered.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JPRail.com

  8. Ben says:

    Hi,
    I will be staying in Tokyo and planning an overnight trip in Kyoto, then a day trip in Hiroshima. Is it possible to get a train back that night from Hiroshima to Tokyo? Or is there another combination that lets me see Kyoto and Hiroshima that you suggest?
    Thank you

  9. arthur zaltz says:

    tokyo to hakone to kyoto to osaka to hiroshima and depart tokyo
    best JR pass, prefer green (1st class)

    does this cover inner city bus and subway on pass?
    thanks

  10. Lani Lam says:

    Hi,

    I am leaving mid Jan from Toyko and have 7 days to go to Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Hiroshima.

    Which order and how many days would you recommend for these 4 cities ?

    We love japanese food, shopping and night life.

    Many Thanks in advance.

    L

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