Miyajima Ferry Questions
 

Does the ferry from Miyajima back to Miyajimaguchi run as frequently on Sundays as on other days of the year? And is the schedule the same in winter as the rest of the year?

Thanks. I found one English-language link to the ferry schedule, but it's from 2000. I was wondering if anyone had more current information?

Slinky, here is some info I posted in my trip report last March. This info came from the handout I got at the Travel Info Center at the Peace Park in Hiroshima, and it proved to be the same info that was avaialable at Miyajima-guchi. Nothing to indicate that it was different on weekends:

Author: emd
Date: 04/02/2005, 11:52 am
cwn: ok ,here's that ferry schedule I got at the TIC at Hiroshima Peace Park.

The last ferry for Miyajima appears to leave Miyajima-guchi station at 22:40. There are ferries leaving every 15 min. after 8:10 in the morning (there are some before that at more random times but those starting at 8:10 are every 15 min), 8:25, 8:40, 8:55, and so on until 18:10. After 18:10, the next ones is at 18:30, and then every 15 min. after that til 19:45; then it is 20:30, 21:10, 22:00, and 22:40 is the last one.

Here is some further info on timing of getting from there to Hirshima JR station, in case you need that too.

Author: emd
Date: 04/02/2005, 01:14 pm
It takes exactly 26 min. for the JR train (which you get just a block straight out of the Miyajima-guchi port) to get to HIroshima station. I know it is exactly 26 min. because the TIC man told me so, the fella at the JR station at Miyajima-guchi told me so, and I timed it, and they were exactly right, it was exactly 26 min. It was like being in Switzerland on the trains there, it was so exact.
So we left Miyajima on the 5:10 (17:10) ferry, ferry took 10 min, but really closer to 13 min., got the next train to hiroshima station, w/boarding and disembarking, got to Hiroshima station at 6:15.

i am posting here again because my 1st response is not showing up on the number os posts in the header on the left side of the screen...

Thanks so much, emd. I don't know how I missed this incredibly valuable information while searching the forum!

I appreciate you taking the time to post it again here!

You already got the answer you needed from emd. The following is just to reconfirm her info + a detailed timetable.

Go to the following page by JR (Japan Raiways) for the timetable. It's in Japanese but easy to figure out. The left side is Dep. Miyajima-Guchi for Miyajima. The right is the other way.
Žž�@is hour and •ª�@is minute. (I'm going to see Japanese-Chinese characters show up cortrectly here. In think somebody did recently and it worked which surprised me).
This timetable is dated 16 March 2001 but since JR leaves this page today, I assume there is no change until now and it corresponds with the info emd got last year. (I was there last March too but did not pay much attention as she did.): Every 15 minute from 8 am and the last one is 22.40. Also I think emd is correct in saying there is no difference on weekends. This web page gives only this timetable. No indication of weekdays or weekends though it would be clearer if JR indicated something like " valid for both weekdays and weekends".

http://www.jr-odekake.net/navi/miyajima/time/index.html

I know why you missed it - because the search function on here is not very good. I've never been able to figure out how it works, what is searches to give you recults, but it doesn't always search all of the text in the postings for what you are searching for.

Actually, there seems that recently a change has been made to the message you get when you go to "post a new message". The paragraph above the area to type the post sayd that the topics you pick and insert in the topic box will be the topics that this posting will come up for in the search engine! So I for one will start putting in topics, although you can't really index all the topics in a trip report so I am not sure how the ferry times could have come up in a search. I guess if I had put in the topic "Miyajima" and you had searched for Miyajima it would have come up...

> Žž�@is hour and •ª�@is minute

Ok, I put 2 Chinese charachers there meaning Hour and Minute. It got a interesting result.

I just found a schedule for the ferry in English:
http://www.hiroshima-cdas.or.jp/miya...price_1.html#9

Way to go Moxie

((Y)) =D>

That is the exact same schedule I got at the Tourist Info Counter by the Peace Dome last March (I still have it, although it got a bit tattered), so it hasn't chenged.

moxie, that's from year 2000 as written on the top of the page (Apr.1st 2000)so could be the same timetable that Slinky mentioned on his/her first post. Mine in Japanese is from 2001 but as I said I'm pretty confident there has been little or no change since then.

I guess that is the "if it aint broke don't fix it" philosophy, which I wholeheartedly subsribe to...

I'm with you, emd!

Thanks, kappa, emd and moxie. The English timetable is the one I was referring to earlier, but it's nice to have it confirmed that it hasn't changed since 2000. (And I also agree with your philosophy, emd!)

Just back from my trip, and the ferry ran exactly as emd said it would (and also as the english-language schedule link that Moxie posted showed as well).

No problems with it, and it is timed to the trains coming in to Miyajimaguchi. I also used the JR West pass for the ferry and saved a little change there, too.

Loved Miyajima, and I'm so glad I got to see it on a weekday. (I actually saw it twice, once on a weekday and once on a Saturday afternoon/Sunday morning.) It is so lovely on a weekday when there are no people around, but even on Sunday morning at 10 am, it was mobbed. I'm also glad I stayed overnight, because it is quite magical walking around at that time.

I hiked up Mt. Misen using the path behind the aquarium, and then took the cable car down. Most people apparently do the opposite, and for good reason: That is one of the steepest climbs I have ever done. Plus most of it is on cement/asphalt stairs carved into the trail, so you aren't just hiking, you're having to stair-climb as well.

I did a lot of research before I left but I don't ever remember anyone saying just how steep it is. (So many of the parts were nearly vertical.) I'm a recreational hiker in average shape, so perhaps those in better shape who hike more often would not find this is daunting as I did.

Having said that, it was well worth the climb just to get to the top. Lots of deer up there, and just very pretty all the way around.

Thanks for the report, slinky. I didn't get to climb Mt. Misen because it was snowing, raining, very cold and extrememly foggy the day I was there last March.

Where else did you go in Japan?

emd, it was a hazy day when I went, so I couldn't see out much when I got to the top. But the weather itself was great for climbing (chilly/cold), and although I saw patches of snow at the top, it thankfully didn't snow while I was there!

This was a very quick trip, so I only saw Kyoto and Hiroshima in addition to Miyajima. I devoted most of my time in Kyoto to the Higashiyama area. Going on a weekday, again, was wonderful; there were so few people around. I loved the little streets and shops (I got some great rice crackers there!), and I saw two geishas being pulled in a rickshaw. The Choin-in temple was lovely, too, with the Buddhist monks chanting.

Hiroshima was everything I thought it would be: upsetting yet meaningful. I am very, very grateful that I had the opportunity to see it.

On Miyajima, I spent my last night at the Iwaso ryokan. (My first ryokan experience!) And I made plenty of newbie mistakes, too, but it was all dealt with extremely gracefully on their part!

All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and I got very lucky with the weather. (There were apparently three separate six-inch snows in Hiroshima in December!)

I can't wait to go back and see more. I'll just have to keep saving, and keep researching here.

Thanks again for all your help, and for taking the time to reply to my questions. It helped so much!

SlinkyDog, I'm enjoying reading your posts about your trip. I would love to hear more about Iwaso. Frommer's lists 6 ryokan as the best in Japan and Iwaso is on the list.

kappa, I forgot to say thanks earlier for also posting the detailed information confirming the ferry schedule.

mrwunrfl, I enjoyed my experience at Iwaso very much. I don't have anything to compare it to, though, since I haven't stayed at a ryokan before, so I don't know if my experience was typical or not.

My room had three separate parts to it: The first part was a little entryway to leave your shoes (their slippers and geitas were also left here, so you could put those on if you wanted when you left). In this area were also the Western-style toilet (with toilet slippers inside!) and a separate soaking tub/shower area.

From that area, sliding the screens back led you to the main room, which included a TV and safe. I also had a gorgeous view of the O-torii gate from this room!

From that room, sliding the screens back led you to an enclosed 'deck', for lack of a better word. It was a narrow area with two chairs and a table, a sink for washing up, brushing teeth, etc. (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and other toiletry items were included), and a mini-bar that had some drinks in it.

When I arrived, I was served tea and a maple 'cookie' with red bean paste in it shaped like a maple leaf. (I think that is Miyajima's trademark, as I saw maple-leaf delicacies all over town!)

For dinner, I was actually taken into the next room to eat, which was a room exactly like mine. (I had expected to eat in my room, for some reason, so I don't know if this is standard or if they just do this when they are not very full?) The kaiseki was fabulous, with 7 or 8 course of the most incredible food. (To be honest, I wasn't sure what I was eating for some of it, but it didn't matter, because it all tasted great!) Japan seems to have so many unique vegetables that are all so good! The raw oysters were huge, too, and oysters were also served as part of the cooked part of the meal.

While I was eating dinner, they came and made up my bed. When I looked in the closet where the other futons were kept, I think there were 5 or 6 others in there, so the room could definitely handle that many people if they were sleeping end to end.

Breakfast was served in the restaurant downstairs, which was quite big and pretty. I opted for the Japanese breakfast, just to try it. I ended up not eating too much of it (rice and miso soup, plus some oranges and other vegetables), but it was quite a large breakfast and the presentation was very nice.

There is also a gift shop by this restaurant, and the large public baths for men and women area also near here.

Everyone was very helpful, even though not much English was spoken and I only know a handful of words in Japanese. (The person who checked me in knew English, though, and I was able to set my dinner and breakfast times with him, as well as what I wanted to drink with dinner. As an aside, the drinks are not included in the overall ryokan rate. My choices were sake, wine or mineral water.)

When I arrived at Miyajima, I called Iwaso from the pay phone by the retail shop to the very left when you exiting the ferry and coming into the terminal. The woman who works there could not have been nicer in helping me figure that out. (It cost 20 yen for the pay phone.) I waited about 5 minutes out front and was picked up in the Iwaso van! (I was expecting something small, and this 16- to 20-seat van showed up!)

When I checked out, I left my luggage with them, and then came back to get it. When I came back, they loaded my luggage in and drove me back to the ferry terminal. (I wasn't expecting that, and they hadn't said they were going to do that; it just happened when I showed back up!)

Overall, it was a great experience. I have to say that my back did not do too well sleeping without a mattress! The only other thing I guess I would mention is that I also had read favorable reviews of Iwaso, but some (maybe Frommers?) suggested staying in one of the private cottages on the ground and not the 'soulless' newer area, or something like that. I think I was probably in the newer area. It certainly surprised me that they had five floors and an elevator, and that the floors were much like they are in a Western hotel, with a straight corridor and rooms off to the sides.

If there is anything else you would like to know that I didn't address, please let me know and I will try to answer it.

Hope this helps somewhat!

The editing function is apparently not working, as I had edited my post above, but the changes did not show up. What I wanted to change/add were as follows:

It should be getas, not geitas.

The 'deck' area had sliding windows as well.

It was a great experience, even though my back didn't do too well!

SlinkyDog

Slinky, sorry to hear about your back. Isn't Iwaso the best Ryokan in Miyajima? I belive I read somewhere that some Japanese emperor's family memebers stayed there more than a few times. Also most expensive? I checked their site and "hanare" rooms (must be private cottages you mentioned) cost twice the rooms in the new wing. Actually I visited the hotel last March when I stayed on Miyajima one night (room only online special for 4500yen !at a big hotel Kinsuikaku-Bekkan in front of the landing stage). I was walking down the Momiji-Dani Valley, passing by Momiji-so ryokan and found myself at the back side of the hotel after crossoing a small bridge. There was a garden with a pond with lots of beautiful carps in it. I entered the reception area and spoke a bit with a lady in kimono there. Good to hear you liked your first ryokan experience!

Thanks for that SlinkyDog. That does sound like the typical experience. Sounds like your room had all of the basics: entryway, main room, futon in closet, bath room with soaking tub, balcony/deck where you have your tea on arrival. Your room also had a small display of pottery or a doll or something craft for you to admire (this is called a takenomo, IIRC). Yes, Miyajima is famous for maple trees, momiji. Momiji-Dani is maple valley (or maple tree valley) and would be especially beautiful when the leaves turn colors in autumn. Hiroshima is famous for oysters, so that is probably where they came from, from the Seto Nai Kai, the Inland Sea in which the famous torii stands.

Sorry about your back!

And yes, it is typical to have dinner in an adjacent room. And for breakfast in a common area.

Oyster cultivation is all over the sea in the area. On the ferry between Miyajima-guchi and Miyajima, I saw a lots of it last March.

> Your room also had a small display of pottery or a doll or something craft for you to admire (this is called a takenomo, IIRC).

What is IIRC? I think you mean "toko-no-ma" where they hang "kake-mono" (scrolls) and put those crafts and especially ike-banas. Funny name. Toko (futon/bed) and Ma (room) = Bed room.

IIRC. Oh I got it. "If I Recall Correctly".

Hai, tokonoma. So desu. I obviously did not recall correctly.

Ahh, so desu ka ;-)

kappa, Iwaso certainly was expensive, and though I would have loved to experience their hanare rooms, I couldn't justify the cost of it! But their grounds are lovely, as you mentioned, and very serene and peaceful.

mrwunrfl, yes my room did have the tokonoma. Also, I did see a picture of Iwaso in the fall, and it looked breathtaking with all the changing colors of the leaves.

I thought the oysters were local -- they were so incredibly fresh, and large, and not like anything I have eaten at my local seafood restaurant!

A couple of other random thoughts:

My room also had two robes and a 'jacket', along with the socks you wear when you wear the getas. At night, people were fully decked out in them, walking around the town.

I did not feel awkward at all, nor was I made to feel awkward, eating my kaiseki alone in the room. (I bring this up only because when I was doing research before my trip, a single female traveler specifically asked if they would feel awkward in this situation at Iwaso.)

Also, the reason I brought up that it was 20 yen to make the call to Iwaso from the ferry building was that that phone said it took from 10 yen to 100 yen (and I couldn't read the rest!). So I put 10 yen in a few times, before the nice woman running the retail area helped me out by telling me it was 20 yen. So it's just a tip in case someone finds themselves in a similar situation!

I guess in thinking about it, I'm wondering if most ryokans are as big as Iwaso, and if they typically have elevators, or if that's too general a question to ask? (I had thought that ryokans would be smaller and more intimate than hotels, but maybe that was just a misconception on my part?)

Thanks.

No, that wasn't a misconception. The traditional ryokan is more intimate, but the ryokan style is popular so there are modern ones. See the link "Ryokan Styles" at japaneseguesthouses.com

Happy to hear that you were comfortable there.

The "jackets" were blue and burgundy/red. Which color did you choose?

mrwunrfl, I wore the burgundy/red jacket (but I thought that was the only one available??)

I did look at the Japanese Guest Houses link before I went, but so much of what I learned went out the window as my jet lag hung around far longer than I had anticipated! Well, I will be better prepared for next time. . .!

Red for female, blue for male, I think.

Thanks -- that's good to know for my next trip there!