Why book this day
Everything you would otherwise have to arrange yourself
The bullet-train ticket is already in your hand
Staff meet you at the Shinkansen gate with your round-trip Shin-Osaka–Hiroshima (or Kyoto–Hiroshima) ticket, so the first thing you do on a very early morning is not queue at a JR ticket machine trying to read a fare table before 8am.
A guide walks Peace Park with you
An English-speaking guide and an earphone audio unit go with the group through the Atomic Bomb Dome and into the Peace Memorial Museum, whose entry fee is included — no separate ticket line at the museum door.
Lunch is one less decision on a long day
A Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki lunch — the layered pork, cabbage, noodle and egg version the city is known for, with a stated option for other diets — is included, so you are not hunting for a table on a schedule.
The ferry and the shrine are the same ticket
Round-trip Miyajima ferry tickets and Itsukushima Shrine access are both bundled in, which matters on an island where working out the JR and Matsudai ferry timetables yourself is one more thing to get wrong on a tight afternoon.
The signature of the day
The torii, and the tide that decides it
Itsukushima Shrine and its great torii are built like a pier over the tidal flat, so the sea — not the tour, not the season, not the time of day you'd prefer — decides what you actually see. Above 250cm of tide the torii appears to float; below 100cm you can walk out across the sand to it. Everything between is neither, and that middle state is what most visitors on a fixed day-trip schedule actually get.
Tide times shift roughly fifty minutes later every day and are published for Hiroshima Bay the night before on gethiroshima.com's tide-table page — worth a look if the exact look of the torii matters more to you than the date.
- 7:50am / 7:40amShin-Osaka / Kyoto
Two platforms, one train
The Osaka group meets at the Shinkansen central gate, third floor; the Kyoto group meets at the Shinkansen tracks, second floor. Both trains are timed to reach Hiroshima within minutes of each other.
- ~9:20amHiroshima
Off the bullet train
About ninety minutes west by shinkansen, then onto the waiting coach, which swings past Hiroshima Castle's moat on the way into the city centre without stopping.
- Mid-morningPeace Memorial Park
The Dome, then the museum
A walking visit to the Atomic Bomb Dome comes first, then the Peace Memorial Museum, with entry included and a guide narrating rather than leaving you to read every panel cold.
- MiddayFerry to Miyajima
Onto the water
After the included okonomiyaki lunch, the coach runs to the ferry terminal for the crossing to Miyajima — round-trip tickets are part of the booking, so there is no queue at a machine here either.
- Early afternoonItsukushima Shrine
The torii, whatever the tide gives
On this date the tour is on the island roughly mid-afternoon, several hours past the late-morning high and a couple of hours short of the evening low — the torii's legs are typically bare in shallow water rather than fully afloat or fully walkable. Check the current tide table the night before if you want to know exactly which state a specific date will show you.
- ~6:43pmHiroshima Station
The last train home
The return shinkansen toward Osaka and Kyoto departs Hiroshima in the early evening; the coach and the day's fixed schedule have you back at Shin-Osaka roughly twelve hours after you left it.
How the day is run
How the day is run
Two cities, one shared route once the train reaches Hiroshima — the practical shape of the day, city by city.
Starting from Osaka
Meet at JR Shin-Osaka Station, Shinkansen central gate, third floor, by 7:50am. Staff carrying the operator's signboard hand over your round-trip bullet-train ticket at the meeting point.
Starting from Kyoto
Meet at JR Kyoto Station, Shinkansen tracks, second floor (central entrance), by 7:40am — ten minutes earlier than the Osaka meeting time, since the Kyoto train reaches Hiroshima on a slightly longer run.
The shinkansen legs
Both directions run on the bullet train, roughly ninety minutes each way, which is why the day can cover Hiroshima and Miyajima and still return the same evening — most of the distance is covered at shinkansen speed, not by road.
Getting home
The return train departs Hiroshima Station in the early evening, timed to the day's fixed schedule rather than to how long anyone would like to linger at the shrine — worth knowing if you are the type who likes one more slow lap of a place before leaving.
The day, in pictures
The day, in pictures
The A-Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park, the Miyajima ferry and the shinkansen itself — real photographs of Hiroshima and the route, not photographs of this specific booking.
Ways to see Hiroshima & Miyajima
Ways to see Hiroshima & Miyajima
| Option | What it includes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Osaka/Kyoto bus tour with shinkansen (this site) | Return shinkansen, the Hiroshima coach, return Miyajima ferry, Peace Park with museum entry, Itsukushima Shrine, an okonomiyaki lunch and an English-speaking guide | 12-hour day; meets at Shin-Osaka 7:50am or Kyoto 7:40am |
| Osaka-only bullet-train day trip | The same core sites without the coach or the Kyoto meeting point | A shorter 8-hour version at a higher per-person price — useful if you want less time on the road |
| Doing it independently | You buy the shinkansen and ferry tickets yourself and set your own pace | No fixed guide, museum entry or lunch — only worth it if you already know the route and have checked the tide |
| Booking for a group | The same guided day, seated together on the coach and the train where possible | Per-person pricing; the coach and ferry run to the same shared schedule as any other date |
Ways to book the day
Find a date for your trip
Every option below is booked through GetYourGuide, with live availability and the final price in your own currency.
Planning your day
Planning your day
Be at the platform before 7:50
The shinkansen will not hold for a late arrival the way a coach might. Aim to be at the Shin-Osaka central gate or Kyoto Shinkansen tracks with ten minutes to spare, ticket confirmation in hand.
Check the tide the night before
If the look of the torii matters to you as much as the day itself, look up the current Hiroshima Bay tide table before you sleep — the times move by about fifty minutes a day, so yesterday's table is not tomorrow's.
Pack for a twelve-hour day
Comfortable shoes for the walk through Peace Park and around the shrine, a layer for the ferry crossing, and something to fill the shinkansen legs — this is a long day with very little downtime built in.
Decide what you want from ninety minutes at the museum
The Peace Memorial Museum is dense; a guide keeps the group moving, but if you know you will want longer with one exhibit than another, decide that before you arrive rather than mid-visit.
Planning a Hiroshima & Miyajima day trip
Planning a Hiroshima & Miyajima day trip
The Hiroshima and Miyajima day trip, hour by hour
A 7:50am platform, a bullet train west, the A-Bomb Dome by mid-morning, a ferry across to Miyajima, and the last train home — here is the shape of the day, in order.
Read more →The tide, explainedReading the Miyajima tide: what the torii will actually be doing
Above 250cm it floats, below 100cm you can walk to it, and most visitors land somewhere in between — how to read a Hiroshima Bay tide table before you book a date.
Read more →Peace Park, explainedPeace Memorial Park and the museum: spending your time well
The Dome, the cenotaph, the Children's Peace Monument and the museum — what is actually in the park, and how a guided visit uses the time it has.
Read more →Beyond the toriiItsukushima Shrine: what's beyond the famous gate
The torii is the photograph everyone takes. The shrine itself — built the same pier-over-water way, and standing since long before the current gate — is the rest of the visit.
Read more →The train, explainedThe shinkansen leg: seats, luggage and what the bundled ticket covers
A round-trip bullet-train ticket is handed to you at the platform gate — what that actually buys, and the practical questions it raises for a one-day round trip.
Read more →Around the tripOsaka and Kyoto beyond the Hiroshima day trip
The day out to Hiroshima and Miyajima takes one full day of a stay in either city. Here is how to plan the days around it.
Read more →FAQ
Hiroshima & Miyajima day trip questions
What is the Osaka/Kyoto Hiroshima and Miyajima bus tour with shinkansen ticket?
It is a 12-hour guided day trip that starts with a round-trip shinkansen ride from Shin-Osaka or Kyoto to Hiroshima, then a coach through Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park (the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Museum, entry included), a lunch of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and a return ferry crossing to Miyajima to visit Itsukushima Shrine and its torii gate. An English-speaking guide and an audio unit travel with the group.
Will I see the torii floating on the water?
It depends entirely on the tide on your date, not on the tour. The torii appears to float when the tide rises above about 250cm and becomes walkable on foot when it drops below about 100cm; most of the time — including, on many dates, the tour's own window on the island — the water sits somewhere between those two states. Check a current Hiroshima Bay tide table the night before if the exact look matters to you.
Is lunch and museum entry included?
Yes. A Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki lunch and entry to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum are both part of the booking, along with round-trip shinkansen, the Hiroshima coach, and the return Miyajima ferry.
Where do I meet, and what time?
From Osaka, meet at JR Shin-Osaka Station's Shinkansen central gate (third floor) by 7:50am. From Kyoto, meet at JR Kyoto Station's Shinkansen tracks (second floor, central entrance) by 7:40am. Staff carrying the operator's signboard hand over your bullet-train ticket at the meeting point.
How long is the day, and when do I get back?
About 12 hours door to door. The return shinkansen departs Hiroshima Station in the early evening, which puts most travellers back at Shin-Osaka roughly twelve hours after they left it — check your exact return time on the day, since it is set by the shinkansen timetable rather than by the tour.
Is there a shorter or cheaper alternative?
A separate Osaka-only listing covers the same core sites in about 8 hours without the coach leg or the Kyoto meeting point, at a higher per-person price. It suits travellers who want less time on the road rather than a lower price.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
The listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund, and many options let you reserve now and pay later. The exact cancellation terms for your booking are shown on GetYourGuide before you pay.