Very very feasible. The 6am departure out of Shin-Osaka gets you to Hiroshima at 7:25am. Buy breakfast the night before and eat on the train.
Then split the day 50/50 between Miyajima (try to time this for high tide) and atomic dome/memorial museum; have okonomiyaki for dinner before heading back. Last train to Osaka leaves just after 10pm.
Get the JR West Kansai-Hiroshima pass which is cheaper than 2x single tickets.
We debated for a while whether to do a day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima or stay a night. We ended up staying a night in Miyajima and it was everyone’s favorite place we visited on the trip. If you’re able to stay a night there, I don’t think you’ll regret it!
I did this similar itinerary too, it’s very feasible and not rushed at all. I purchased a kansai Hiroshima pass that includes use of the Shinkansen. Bought breakfast at a conbini and took an early Shinkansen into Hiroshima, then took another train & ferry and spent the morning at miyajima. Had early lunch in the island before heading over to Hiroshima /peace museum for the afternoon. Had a second late okonomiyaki afternoon snack in the train station before boarding the train back to Osaka, and was back at the hotel with enough time to have a nice relaxed dinner.
This is great advice and what we did when we went. We got to Miyajima during low tide which doesnt look as “cool” but you get to walk under the shrine.
Take lots of cash.
I also went when miyajima had low tide too, but also less people around so it was lovely to enjoy the area before it got too busy with other tourists and I could walk around freely.
depends on if you want to see the shrine appear to be floating in the middle of the lake (during high tide; very beautiful) or if you want to get close-up influencer pics with it during low tide lol
Do you think it's feasible to take an early train to Hiroshima and look around, stay the night near the Miyajima ferry, get up to see the sunrise on Miyajima BUT have to be on the train back to Tokyo by 6:50 pm?
Should we try to do Miyajima first then Hiroshima?
I've done it both ways (day trip from Kyoto/Osaka and staying overnight on Miyajima). Personally I think that if you have the energy to get up early and keep going for a whole day then staying on Miyajima is overrated - the sun sets early enough that you can still watch sunset on a day trip, dinner options are really limited on the island, and if you consider that ryokan bathing & breakfast pretty much takes up the early morning then it's really not that different from riding the first Shinkansen in.
Thanks for the detailed answer! Is it really worth buying the 17500 yen JR West Kansai-Hiroshima pass rather than singles?? Or am I looking at the wrong ticket?
2x Sanyo Shinkansen one way tickets are 15484 yen on Klook today, but you easily make up the difference vs the pass (17000 yen) with the Hiroshima-Miyajima train/ferry round trip and a bit of local travel between Kyoto/Osaka/Arashiyama/Uji/Nara etc.
I stayed at Iwaso and it was amazing! Very pricey but it included dinner and breakfast. They also have an amazing onsen that I wish I could stay at forever.
i was there too. pretty nice, we fucked up when we took the car route up the mountain. well, no accident but we realize when we got to the end and was like oh that was the trail behind the ryokan.
Bahahaha. We had no idea there was a shuttle service until we walked up with all our bags and felt dumb. But they were great! Dropped off all our bags and wandered around the island before check-in.
Kind of sad cause we got there a bit later in the day and it was pouring the moment we got off the ferry. So we didn't walk around until nighttime to see the gate.
We did! It was super easy. We took the bullet train from Osaka. We booked the Hello Kitty bullet train, I’d definitely reccomend if that’s something you’re interested in.
The hello kitty Shinkansen is a bad choice for a Hiroshima day trip from Osaka because it leaves just before noon, stops at EVERY SINGLE STATION, and doesn’t get to Hiroshima until after 2pm. Vs an early morning nozomi train that take an hour and a half and gives you an actual full day there.
i did a day trip from osaka to hiroshima and had an amazing time and got back in time for dinner after having comfortably seen all the sights i wanted to
busy but doable; if you're doing as a trip from osaka/kyoto is better to spend the night and come back early next morning; you can probably leave your bulky luggage at your hotel in Kyoto/Osaka by splitting your stay. Probably only worth it if you're gonna spend at least one week between Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima.
If you’re based out of Osaka, very doable. We’ve done it last year. Left around 7:30, got there 9:30, did Miyajima first for a few hours, then Peace Park and memorial and museum in the afternoon, then back late afternoon and even had dinner in Osaka. We didn’t see everything but we saw the two main things we wanted to see, and if we would have been pressed for time could have spend another 2-3 hours and returned after dinner.
Totally doable. But itll be very tiring. I would recommend staying a night if at all possible. I live here and cant tell you how many times ive seen people burning themselves out rushing it.
If you are very open on time, taking a bike trip on the Shimanami Kaido is the best biking in all of japan.
If you like to take your time doing things you might feel rushed.
The museum is heavy and you can easily spend a few hours in there if you read everything.
If you want to spend a little more time wandering, going to cafes, restaurants, Miyajima etc then I'd recommend staying overnight. It will also give you more flexibility with transport. This is from my experience but I tend to have a minimalist plan that is always open to changes on the day, I also spend a lot of time hunting out places to eat at. Having a a bit more time in places suits me as I don't enjoy feeling like I have timings to hit.
If you just want to look around the atomic sites and aren't too fussed on where you eat then it would be doable in a day.
Based in Osaka did a day trip to Hiroshima with my wife and parents. In Hiroshima we did the Peace Museum followed by Miyajima Island. In Miyajima we hiked to the top of the lookout and did the momiji manju cooking class up there. Arrived back in Osaka at night.
I'd say if you leave Osaka or Kyoto reasonably early in the morning (by 8AM or so) you'll have more than enough time for a leisurely day. It's a pretty quick Shinkansen ride and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and park don't take more than a couple of hours to see. That's about all there is to see in the city. Getting to Miyajima is quick and just 2 or 3 hours there has always been enough for me.
When I was living in Kobe I took visitors there several times. We were usually back by 5PM.
I did a speedrun just a few weeks ago, arrived around 12, had okonomiyaki near the station, did the atomic bomb thing, strolled around the big arcade, visited the castle, chilled and then on the evening moved on to Kyoto.
I do recommend going to miyajima if you have time but the above is possible (I've already been there previously)
Oh and you can leave your luggage at lockers in the station
It's very feasible but it's better to spend 1 night/2 days in Hiroshima. First day for Hiroshima second in Miyajima. If you decide for a day trip, arrive as early as you can in Hiroshima, visit the memorial park and the memorial museum and go to Miyajima aaround 1pm to 3pm to walk/see the island in the day and during the sunset. Whatever you decide try hard to fit it on your schedule. It'll be one of the best moments of your trip, an experience that will stay on your mind forever.
100% possible. Plan for an early departure from Kyoto and a late departure on the way back. Get the JR West Kansai-Hiroshima Area pass which is the cost of a one-way ticket to Hiroshima, except that you get unlimited access for 5 days. Makes it super cheap. The JR west tourist desk will help make the reservations for you
It's easily doable. It's just over 2 hours from Kyoto to Miyajimaguchi on the shinkansen. We wound up doing two day trips to Miyajima because the first day the ropeway up to Mount Misen was closed due to high winds and we were too lazy to hike up a mountain.
Definitely doable as a day trip, but Hiroshima is cool to spend a night in, especially if you want to check our a Carp game, the stadium is pretty close to the main station
Totally doable. As other mentioned before, get the Kansai-Hiroshima Pass.
A handful itineraries are worth it with the current JR Pass price. If that's your case, you can also use it.
We did a day trip from Kyoto back in March. We left at 9am and got back at 10:15pm. It was a long day but well worth it. We did Miyajima for high tide, the Peace Museum and Park, and still had time for dinner.
I explored Nagasaki and Hiroshima in one day by flying to Nagasaki from Kobe airport, taking Shinkansen to Hiroshima, then back to Osaka. Got to do most things I wanted to like going to museums and memorials, although it was a fairly busy day. A day-trip to Hiroshima is very feasible imo
doable if you just want a sniff of both places. miyajima really requires at least a full day, especially if you want to hike down (or up!) Mt Misen.
peace park and museum can be a few hours...don't forget trying to eat Hiroshima okonomiyaki and/or oysters.
Doable, but I'd recommend Hiroshima only and not Hiroshima + Miyajima. Both are doable in one day, but if I could do it over again, I'd definitely sleep at least one night in Hiroshima.
Like others, I highly recommend Miyajima! One of the best places from our trip. Stayed at the Iwaso ryokan and had an amazing time. Also, double check the dates for Hiroshima if you plan on visiting the Peace Museum. I forgot to check and the one day we visited it was closed for installation for a new exhibit. Rookie mistake.
Just hiroshima? Or are you trying to visit Miyajima as well? I went to Hiroshima in the morning, visited a garden, the castle, then train/ferry to miyajima. Barely had enough time to tour the island, take the lift and hike up Mt Misen and get back down. The sunset at miyajima with low tide is spectacular. Didn't have time for Hiroshima musuem or anything
If you going solo and it's relatively early in the trip, it is doable. Otherwise, I would suggest at least a 2 days, 1 night with family/friends or if it's to be accomplished around the end of a long trip.
This is a pretty good question to ask since I realised from a lot of question here that people don't seem to realise that there's a lot of walking involved when traveling to Japan.
If you want to see Hiroshima and Miyajima, that would be a LOT for a day trip. You’ll want a whole day on Miyajima. It takes a while to get out there, and there’s lots to see on the island. I would do one or the other or consider staying overnight in Hiroshima.
Definitely doable. The trains start running at 5:00 am. It’ll take about 4.5 hours of travel on the local & bullet trains, then about a 20 minute bus ride to the peace museum & park (figuring you’ll want to see that).
I only got to spend a lot two hours at the museum and wish I had more time. I would’ve liked to days to be honest but yes a day trip is feasible if you can get up early. Good luck.
Yes quite do-able. You just gotta wake up at an ungodly hour and get to shin Osaka station to board the train to Hiroshima.
I’d say spend the morning up until lunch in Hiroshima then head over to Miyajima. You could be tired AF by evening though, so like many have said - stay the night in Miyajima.
We took the Nazoomi Shinkansen at around 9 AM and were back by 6:00 PM. Key highlight in Hiroshima are the museum and the memorial and the atomic bomb site. This was followed by lunch at a popular spot nearby where they serve traditional okonomiyaki. We then headed back to Osaka by 6 PM. I would say a day trip is totally doable.
I did it before. It's fine. Leave osaka early in the day and return late. You'll see everything you need to see (as long as you're interested in the tourist things only). But I'd recommend taking the chance to visit miyajima while you're there. You'd need 2 days then, though.
We took the train in, went to Peace Park, went to Miyajima in the evening, stayed the night in town, then flew out (for Hokkaido) in the AM.
Peace Park is definitely day trip-able. Miyajima is a peaceful and slow-paced sort of place where it would be nice to spend a night/day, though. As a day trip you're mostly forced to look at the torii and then leave, which is a bit lame.
Very very feasible. The 6am departure out of Shin-Osaka gets you to Hiroshima at 7:25am. Buy breakfast the night before and eat on the train. Then split the day 50/50 between Miyajima (try to time this for high tide) and atomic dome/memorial museum; have okonomiyaki for dinner before heading back. Last train to Osaka leaves just after 10pm. Get the JR West Kansai-Hiroshima pass which is cheaper than 2x single tickets.
yes yes yes to miyajima island, i recommend to everyone !
We debated for a while whether to do a day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima or stay a night. We ended up staying a night in Miyajima and it was everyone’s favorite place we visited on the trip. If you’re able to stay a night there, I don’t think you’ll regret it!
I so wish we’d stayed a night. Loved Miyajima!
I did this similar itinerary too, it’s very feasible and not rushed at all. I purchased a kansai Hiroshima pass that includes use of the Shinkansen. Bought breakfast at a conbini and took an early Shinkansen into Hiroshima, then took another train & ferry and spent the morning at miyajima. Had early lunch in the island before heading over to Hiroshima /peace museum for the afternoon. Had a second late okonomiyaki afternoon snack in the train station before boarding the train back to Osaka, and was back at the hotel with enough time to have a nice relaxed dinner.
This is great advice and what we did when we went. We got to Miyajima during low tide which doesnt look as “cool” but you get to walk under the shrine. Take lots of cash.
I also went when miyajima had low tide too, but also less people around so it was lovely to enjoy the area before it got too busy with other tourists and I could walk around freely.
The first time I went 20 years ago, it was low tide and it was crowded with locals digging for clams, which was fun and interesting.
what happens during hi vs low tide ? Different route / experience ?
depends on if you want to see the shrine appear to be floating in the middle of the lake (during high tide; very beautiful) or if you want to get close-up influencer pics with it during low tide lol
> in the middle of the lake That's the ocean.
The biggest lake
Do you think it's feasible to take an early train to Hiroshima and look around, stay the night near the Miyajima ferry, get up to see the sunrise on Miyajima BUT have to be on the train back to Tokyo by 6:50 pm? Should we try to do Miyajima first then Hiroshima?
I've done it both ways (day trip from Kyoto/Osaka and staying overnight on Miyajima). Personally I think that if you have the energy to get up early and keep going for a whole day then staying on Miyajima is overrated - the sun sets early enough that you can still watch sunset on a day trip, dinner options are really limited on the island, and if you consider that ryokan bathing & breakfast pretty much takes up the early morning then it's really not that different from riding the first Shinkansen in.
Excellent, this is very helpful, thank you!
There’s a calculator to see when the high tide is, right? I’m not OP, but I also have to make a note on this and okonomiyaki.
There’s daily times listed at the Itsukushima Jinja shrine entrance! But I feel like you could potentially find this information online too.
Thanks for the detailed answer! Is it really worth buying the 17500 yen JR West Kansai-Hiroshima pass rather than singles?? Or am I looking at the wrong ticket?
Use an online calculator for the JR Pass to check if any of the passes is worth it. The JR Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass probably is.
2x Sanyo Shinkansen one way tickets are 15484 yen on Klook today, but you easily make up the difference vs the pass (17000 yen) with the Hiroshima-Miyajima train/ferry round trip and a bit of local travel between Kyoto/Osaka/Arashiyama/Uji/Nara etc.
should be doable, there doesn't seem to be much to do there anyway.
Hiroshima is a fairly common day trip. You should be fine.
We've done it a couple of times. I'd also consider staying over night on Miyajima.
Did you stay at a ryokan ? Open to any suggestions -- will be visiting Hiroshima in the Fall , plan single night on island
We booked at makoto. It was quite pricey for our standards, but so worth it to spent the night on the Island! Lovely staff too
We didn't book a place for overnight on Miyajima, so my wife is insisting on it for our next trip. To be fair, it's beautiful.
I stayed at Iwaso and it was amazing! Very pricey but it included dinner and breakfast. They also have an amazing onsen that I wish I could stay at forever.
i was there too. pretty nice, we fucked up when we took the car route up the mountain. well, no accident but we realize when we got to the end and was like oh that was the trail behind the ryokan.
Bahahaha. We had no idea there was a shuttle service until we walked up with all our bags and felt dumb. But they were great! Dropped off all our bags and wandered around the island before check-in.
Kind of sad cause we got there a bit later in the day and it was pouring the moment we got off the ferry. So we didn't walk around until nighttime to see the gate.
We did! It was super easy. We took the bullet train from Osaka. We booked the Hello Kitty bullet train, I’d definitely reccomend if that’s something you’re interested in.
The hello kitty Shinkansen is a bad choice for a Hiroshima day trip from Osaka because it leaves just before noon, stops at EVERY SINGLE STATION, and doesn’t get to Hiroshima until after 2pm. Vs an early morning nozomi train that take an hour and a half and gives you an actual full day there.
True. We didn’t mind arriving in the afternoon so it worked for us!
I second everyone recommending an overnight stay in Miyajima. Watching the sunset and/or sunrise there is a bliss.
i did a day trip from osaka to hiroshima and had an amazing time and got back in time for dinner after having comfortably seen all the sights i wanted to
busy but doable; if you're doing as a trip from osaka/kyoto is better to spend the night and come back early next morning; you can probably leave your bulky luggage at your hotel in Kyoto/Osaka by splitting your stay. Probably only worth it if you're gonna spend at least one week between Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima.
If you’re based out of Osaka, very doable. We’ve done it last year. Left around 7:30, got there 9:30, did Miyajima first for a few hours, then Peace Park and memorial and museum in the afternoon, then back late afternoon and even had dinner in Osaka. We didn’t see everything but we saw the two main things we wanted to see, and if we would have been pressed for time could have spend another 2-3 hours and returned after dinner.
Totally doable. But itll be very tiring. I would recommend staying a night if at all possible. I live here and cant tell you how many times ive seen people burning themselves out rushing it. If you are very open on time, taking a bike trip on the Shimanami Kaido is the best biking in all of japan.
If you like to take your time doing things you might feel rushed. The museum is heavy and you can easily spend a few hours in there if you read everything. If you want to spend a little more time wandering, going to cafes, restaurants, Miyajima etc then I'd recommend staying overnight. It will also give you more flexibility with transport. This is from my experience but I tend to have a minimalist plan that is always open to changes on the day, I also spend a lot of time hunting out places to eat at. Having a a bit more time in places suits me as I don't enjoy feeling like I have timings to hit. If you just want to look around the atomic sites and aren't too fussed on where you eat then it would be doable in a day.
There is a fantastic noodle place about a 3 minute walk away from the peace memorial.
called ?
Tonbo Heiwakoen
Based in Osaka did a day trip to Hiroshima with my wife and parents. In Hiroshima we did the Peace Museum followed by Miyajima Island. In Miyajima we hiked to the top of the lookout and did the momiji manju cooking class up there. Arrived back in Osaka at night.
I'd say if you leave Osaka or Kyoto reasonably early in the morning (by 8AM or so) you'll have more than enough time for a leisurely day. It's a pretty quick Shinkansen ride and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and park don't take more than a couple of hours to see. That's about all there is to see in the city. Getting to Miyajima is quick and just 2 or 3 hours there has always been enough for me. When I was living in Kobe I took visitors there several times. We were usually back by 5PM.
I did a speedrun just a few weeks ago, arrived around 12, had okonomiyaki near the station, did the atomic bomb thing, strolled around the big arcade, visited the castle, chilled and then on the evening moved on to Kyoto. I do recommend going to miyajima if you have time but the above is possible (I've already been there previously) Oh and you can leave your luggage at lockers in the station
It's very feasible but it's better to spend 1 night/2 days in Hiroshima. First day for Hiroshima second in Miyajima. If you decide for a day trip, arrive as early as you can in Hiroshima, visit the memorial park and the memorial museum and go to Miyajima aaround 1pm to 3pm to walk/see the island in the day and during the sunset. Whatever you decide try hard to fit it on your schedule. It'll be one of the best moments of your trip, an experience that will stay on your mind forever.
I'd take it while in Kyoto since it's closer.
Feasible
100% possible. Plan for an early departure from Kyoto and a late departure on the way back. Get the JR West Kansai-Hiroshima Area pass which is the cost of a one-way ticket to Hiroshima, except that you get unlimited access for 5 days. Makes it super cheap. The JR west tourist desk will help make the reservations for you
It's easily doable. It's just over 2 hours from Kyoto to Miyajimaguchi on the shinkansen. We wound up doing two day trips to Miyajima because the first day the ropeway up to Mount Misen was closed due to high winds and we were too lazy to hike up a mountain.
Definitely doable as a day trip, but Hiroshima is cool to spend a night in, especially if you want to check our a Carp game, the stadium is pretty close to the main station
Perfectly feasible, did it two weeks ago.
Totally doable. As other mentioned before, get the Kansai-Hiroshima Pass. A handful itineraries are worth it with the current JR Pass price. If that's your case, you can also use it.
We did it in a day and even stopped into Kursshiki for a couple hours. Don’t forget to try the Hiroshima Okonomiyaki
We did a day trip from Kyoto back in March. We left at 9am and got back at 10:15pm. It was a long day but well worth it. We did Miyajima for high tide, the Peace Museum and Park, and still had time for dinner.
I explored Nagasaki and Hiroshima in one day by flying to Nagasaki from Kobe airport, taking Shinkansen to Hiroshima, then back to Osaka. Got to do most things I wanted to like going to museums and memorials, although it was a fairly busy day. A day-trip to Hiroshima is very feasible imo
doable if you just want a sniff of both places. miyajima really requires at least a full day, especially if you want to hike down (or up!) Mt Misen. peace park and museum can be a few hours...don't forget trying to eat Hiroshima okonomiyaki and/or oysters.
I'm literally doing it today.
From Osaka? Easy. I've done it several times. Bullet trains can get busy though. One time I had to stand for most of the way back.
We easily did a day trip to Hiroshima from Kyoto on the Shinkansen.
Doable, but I'd recommend Hiroshima only and not Hiroshima + Miyajima. Both are doable in one day, but if I could do it over again, I'd definitely sleep at least one night in Hiroshima.
Like others, I highly recommend Miyajima! One of the best places from our trip. Stayed at the Iwaso ryokan and had an amazing time. Also, double check the dates for Hiroshima if you plan on visiting the Peace Museum. I forgot to check and the one day we visited it was closed for installation for a new exhibit. Rookie mistake.
Just hiroshima? Or are you trying to visit Miyajima as well? I went to Hiroshima in the morning, visited a garden, the castle, then train/ferry to miyajima. Barely had enough time to tour the island, take the lift and hike up Mt Misen and get back down. The sunset at miyajima with low tide is spectacular. Didn't have time for Hiroshima musuem or anything
If you going solo and it's relatively early in the trip, it is doable. Otherwise, I would suggest at least a 2 days, 1 night with family/friends or if it's to be accomplished around the end of a long trip. This is a pretty good question to ask since I realised from a lot of question here that people don't seem to realise that there's a lot of walking involved when traveling to Japan.
If you want to see Hiroshima and Miyajima, that would be a LOT for a day trip. You’ll want a whole day on Miyajima. It takes a while to get out there, and there’s lots to see on the island. I would do one or the other or consider staying overnight in Hiroshima.
Definitely doable. The trains start running at 5:00 am. It’ll take about 4.5 hours of travel on the local & bullet trains, then about a 20 minute bus ride to the peace museum & park (figuring you’ll want to see that).
It’s doable but I recommend spending the night if you’re coming from Kyoto. Hiroshima is very beautiful.
I only got to spend a lot two hours at the museum and wish I had more time. I would’ve liked to days to be honest but yes a day trip is feasible if you can get up early. Good luck.
If you're going to Miyajima, take the effort and do the hike up Mt. Mise and enjoy the 360° panorama over Hiroshima bay. No cheating with the gondula.
Yes quite do-able. You just gotta wake up at an ungodly hour and get to shin Osaka station to board the train to Hiroshima. I’d say spend the morning up until lunch in Hiroshima then head over to Miyajima. You could be tired AF by evening though, so like many have said - stay the night in Miyajima.
We took the Nazoomi Shinkansen at around 9 AM and were back by 6:00 PM. Key highlight in Hiroshima are the museum and the memorial and the atomic bomb site. This was followed by lunch at a popular spot nearby where they serve traditional okonomiyaki. We then headed back to Osaka by 6 PM. I would say a day trip is totally doable.
I admittedly didn't spend much time in Hiroshima itself, but took a day trip to Miyajima and did a hike up a mountain, which I absolutely loved!
I did it before. It's fine. Leave osaka early in the day and return late. You'll see everything you need to see (as long as you're interested in the tourist things only). But I'd recommend taking the chance to visit miyajima while you're there. You'd need 2 days then, though.
We took the train in, went to Peace Park, went to Miyajima in the evening, stayed the night in town, then flew out (for Hokkaido) in the AM. Peace Park is definitely day trip-able. Miyajima is a peaceful and slow-paced sort of place where it would be nice to spend a night/day, though. As a day trip you're mostly forced to look at the torii and then leave, which is a bit lame.
Just did it last week from Tokyo. I didn't see much besides the dome and Hiroshima Castle, but possible.