There are two ferries from Hiroshima to Miyajima. The first is the JR West Miyajima Ferry, which leaves from the Miyajimaguchi Ferry Port in the city of Hatsukaichi, just outside of Hiroshima. The ferry itself is only a 10 minute ride to Miyajima but it takes about 30 minutes to get to the port from Hiroshima Station (plus however long it takes you to get to Hiroshima station). The ferry costs ¥200 each way and is covered by the Japan Rail Pass and several regional JR passes. The ferries are large, with a capacity of 800 people, and essentially offer basic commuter transportation.
Although the JR ferry is cheap and a quick ride, we opted for the second option, the World Heritage Sea Route. This high speed ferry option leaves from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, takes about 45 minutes, and costs ¥2400 one way or ¥4400 round trip. The price difference is significant but since we were staying a block from the Peace Park, we chose convenience over cost.
The World Heritage Sea Route ferry travels through the Honkawa and Motoyasu Rivers before reaching and crossing Hiroshima Bay. It offers a scenic ride, with both city and mountain views.
Because this route travels through rivers that are affected by the tides, the ferry cannot run all day long. High tides bring a water level too high to pass under some of the bridges, and during low tide there is risk of running aground in some areas. When looking at their daily schedule, you will see “No service” in the time slots where the ferry isn’t running due to the tides.
Because of the tides and the bridges they pass underneath, the ferries are very low. After boarding the ferry, you step down into the seating area, almost making you feel like you are going below the water level. There are 10 boats in the fleet and their seating arrangement and capacity varies slightly but in general they fit 50-70 people in two aisles of bench seats with fold out chairs on the end of one side for extra capacity. All boats are air conditioned and have bathrooms. The ride is narrated on a TV screen with English subtitles so you know what sites you are passing, as well as the history of the area.
Ferries leave roughly every 30 minutes from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased online up to 8 pm the night before, although I would caution about booking too far ahead because of the variability of the tides. We were out to dinner and missed the 8 pm cutoff the night before our trip so I walked over to the pier as soon as they opened the next morning and purchased our tickets in person. They can sell out depending on the day of week and time of year so I do recommend buying online beforehand or first thing in the morning on your day of travel. Onsite tickets are dispensed from a machine, but the machine is in a locked building that can only be accessed during business hours so you will need to wait until they open.
The World Heritage Sea Route ferry is a tourist experience while the JR ferry is a commuter experience. For us, the convenience of the departure point, the comfort of the ride, and the scenic views made the extra expense worthwhile. It greatly simplified our trip to Miyajima, allowing us to walk to the port and directly boarding the ship instead of taking the trolley to Hiroshima Station and then the train to Miyajimguchi Station and then the ferry to Miyajima. It was not only a more direct option but it was actually shorter total travel time. If you are staying close to the Peace Park, I highly recommend taking the World Heritage Sea Route.
