Miyajima Ropeway

Hello
We will be day-tripping to Hiroshima/Miyajima.
I'm reading about the Ropeway.

1--There will be three of us. If we take the ropeway to the upper station -- is there a place for one of us to hang out while the other two hike up to the top? How rugged is that hike?
2-- Can you "round-trip" on the ropeway -- that is go up and back down to the start? If not, is walking the only other way down?
3-- We have JR Pass. At end of the day, we will continue on to our accomodations in Kobe. Am I understanding that the last train leaves Hiroshima about 6pm?

Thanks so much!

You can buy a return ticket, yes, as most people do. And there is a cafe and rest areas at the top of the second ropeway where you can wait for your party to return. There are observation areas nearby and it's not at all difficult to walk around.

Using JR pass you could get the 9:20 pm Sakura 572 or even the Hikari 444 at 9:58 p.m. from Hiroshima to Kobe.

Yes, there is a station at the top where people can wait and the return trip is Y1800 (Y1000 each way). Takes about 20 minutes from the top station to the top of Misen, and 60-90 minutes if you walk down. The guys not doing the trek could go the low-lookout and then wait at the bottom somewhere.

1--There will be three of us. If we take the ropeway to the upper station -- is there a place for one of us to hang out while the other two hike up to the top?

He could walk around the upper ropeway station, then hang out in the station building. It's not the most interesting place, and basically a room with some benches and a nice exhibit of pictures on the walls.

How rugged is that hike?

Not rugged at all. Paved most of the way, with the only real trail part between the shrine and the observation deck. Takes about 30 minutes to climb to the top. More info here:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3451.html

The last ride down on the ropeway is at 5PM. If you miss it, you'll hike down innumerable stone steps. At about 10 minutes before 5, they will announce the last ride over very loud speakers. You can hear the announcement from the summit.