one night at Miyajima - on island or not?

I was looking at my options at Miyajima and I'm not sure which is a better idea...

pro island: the shrine is right there (and you can look at it in the evening from the hotel if it's close enough)

pro mainland: from what I read on the site that indicates the JR ferry schedule (and I may have been reading it wrong, so correct me if this is not the case), the ferry goes close to the torii for direct worship on some trips (even if that isn't the case, I'll be using a JR pass so I can go back and forth as many times as I like)

also food options are more varied on the mainland, so I'm really not sure....

help!!

thank you :)

Its totally convenient enough for a day trip from Hiroshima, you'll get to see everything.

If budget allows, Miyajima is a great place to splurge at a ryokan with two meals included. It gives you the opportunity to take walks in the evening and early mornings when the island is still calm and free of the tourist hordes. Some ryokan provide guests with traditional geta sandals, so that you can make the walk in yukata and geta which can be an attraction in itself. But as you noted, there is not much entertainment outside your ryokan.

If you are the nightlife type of person, you better overnight in downtown Hiroshima.