Miyajima ferry and visitor tax

Getting to Miyajimaguchi

From Hiroshima Station the JR Sanyo Line reaches Miyajimaguchi in about 25 minutes, and the JR Pass covers it. Tram line 2 from the city centre also ends at Miyajimaguchi; it is slower and not covered by the pass. On the island, the ferry terminal is about ten minutes on foot from the Itsukushima Shrine.

The direct boat from the Peace Memorial Park

The World Heritage Sea Route leaves from the Motoyasu pier at the foot of the Motoyasu bridge, about 150 metres south of the Atomic Bomb Dome, and lands at pier 3 on Miyajima after about 45 minutes. It saves the change from tram to ferry and costs a multiple of the short crossing. Bookings close the day before; on the day itself, tickets are sold at the ticket office. IC cards are not accepted, and sailings can be cancelled or rerouted because of the tide.

How the visitor tax works

Since 1 October 2023 every visitor to Miyajima pays a visitor tax of 100 yen per person and visit. You rarely notice it, because it is collected on the way over:

• With a ferry ticket from the machine at Miyajimaguchi, the tax is added to the ticket.
• With an IC card, the gates at Miyajimaguchi charge it together with the fare.
• With a JR Pass or JR-WEST Rail Pass, the ferry is covered but the tax is not. Buy a separate tax ticket at the machine at the pier before you board.
• On the direct boats from Hiroshima the tax is not part of the fare and is paid separately.

Pre-school children, residents of Miyajima and people who work on the island do not pay. Regular visitors can buy an annual pass instead, from Hatsukaichi City Hall, its offices on Miyajima and in Ono, or through the city's official LINE account. The city plans to use the tax for tourist information desks and toilets, the Mount Misen trails and observatory, and the care of the island's historic buildings.

Day tours with the ferry included

These tours state on their product pages that the ferry crossing is part of the price. Whether the visitor tax is covered as well, the listings do not say, so keep a 100-yen coin ready.

Photo	Tour	Ferry to Miyajima	Starts from	Peace Museum entry	Format	Reviews ↕	Price ↕	Book
	Hiroshima and Miyajima UNESCO Sites Day Tour Japan Panoramic Tours	Included	Hiroshima Station	Included	Coach tour from Hiroshima	★ 4.9 (4,070)	$120 per person	Book on GetYourGuide
	Hiroshima and Miyajima Bus Tour from Osaka, Kyoto or Hiroshima, Shinkansen Optional H.I.S.	Included	Shin-Osaka, Kyoto or Hiroshima Station	Included	Bus tour, train package option	★ 4.7 (1,268)	$114 per person From-price = start in Hiroshima. The Shinkansen package price shows after you pick the Osaka or Kyoto option.	Book on GetYourGuide
	Miyajima and the Peace Memorial, Symbols of Peace and Beauty Pinpoint Traveler	Included	Peace Memorial Park (7-Eleven Motoyasubashi)	Included	Small group or private	★ 4.9 (375)	$169 per person	Book on GetYourGuide
	Private Guided Tour of Hiroshima and Miyajima Island Voyagers	Included	Your hotel in Hiroshima, the Shinkansen exit or a cruise terminal	Included	Private guide, public transport	★ 4.8 (335)	$104 per person	Book on GetYourGuide

The booking platforms show the cheapest option of each tour as its from-price, and on the day trips that is usually the start in Hiroshima. Prices load from the platforms and include taxes and fees.

Ferry, tax and the JR Pass in one sentence

With a JR Pass, the train to Miyajimaguchi and the JR ferry cost nothing extra, the tram and the direct boats are not covered, and the 100 yen tax is always paid separately. Whether the pass is worth buying for a Hiroshima day trip is a different question, answered on the JR Pass page.