progol

Thinking about the possibility of taking the ferry from Matsuyama to the ferry port and then going directly to Miyajima from there to stay a night or 2. It’s not clear to me if the ferries are close by or not. Is this an easy transition?

I don’t mind going from ferry to ferry if they’re nearby but I wouldn’t want to travel a lot to get to another ferry port.

Miyajima sounds like the kind of place that’s really enjoyable after the day trippers are gone and that sounds appealing to me.

mrwunrfl

Hiroshima to Miyajima: How to get to and around Miyajima - Access, Transport and Orientation (japan-guide.com)

Shows that the Matsuyama and Itsukushima boats use the same port, Ujina. By "boats" I mean either high-speed passenger boat like a hydrofoil or a car ferry.

I think they use different piers. If so, it would be an easy flat walk and, guessing, not far. Would just be a matter of how their timetables line up. Go and find the timetables for each and see if they identify the piers that they use.

Hiroshima Port - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) (tripadvisor.com)

Good to know that you are considering a Miyajima visit.

HappyTrvlr

progol, we enjoyed Miajima so much. It was not crowded at all when we visited a few years ago. The Torii is magnificent!

progol

Thanks, mrwunrfl and HappyTrvlr, the more I look at staying in Miyajima overnight to experience it after the day trippers leave, the more it seems worthwhile. It’s easier to avoid the worst of the crowds when you’re traveling and exploring at different times. So I’m leaning toward staying there at night.

As far as the ferries, those to Miyajima are pretty frequent I think, so we should be okay coming from Matsuyama. I did find a printed layout of the port so it looks pretty simple to transition from one ferry to the next, so it should be doable. Fingers crossed!

curiousgeo

We also enjoyed our stay in Miyajima and it really empties out once the day visitors leave. But many places in town close as well, no problem if your accommodations includes dinner. It’s really nice walking around in the morning or early evening and allows seeing Itsukushima at both low and high tide, really magnificent.

progol

Thank you! I’m more and more inclined to do this, too.