Plan for a day in Hiroshima

We'll be spending a day in Hiroshima and have the following as a rough itinerary:

Morning/Early afternoon:
General wander round town.
Peace Park, Atom Bomb Dome

Early/Mid-afternoon:
Catch ferry from Peace Park to Miyajima island for a few hours there.

Early evening:
Hiroshima Castle (if there's time).

To those of you who know the city, does this sound do-able?

The two main things that I'm targeting are the Peace Park and Miyajima Island.

It is doable, except the castle in the evening. Some people do the same program in a 1-day side trip from Kyoto.

As Uji said, it is do-able. However, I wouldn't find it enjoyable. Miyajima is great and really deserves a full day. If you don't like nature, then maybe a few hours is okay, but Miyajima allows you to see the beauty of an untouched forest in Japan. Well... relatively untouched.

Visiting the castle in the evening is okay, but you should see it before sunset. You should visit the wall around the mout first as it's very nice. The castle's insides are not special. Just a quick look around, to be honest.

The peace park could take anywhere from 1 hour, to 5 if you want to. I found it only took an hour.

In the end, ask yourself how much do you want to enjoy it. You may regret a rush job and not taking the time to do it right. At least, for me, that's true.

Skip the castle. It is a new one and if you want to see a spectacular one Himeji is it and it is the real thing. Even Osaka castle, also a "new" one is more spectacular than Hiroshima's.
I visited Peace Park in 2 hrs then went to Miyajima with JR train and ferry (the ferries from Peace Park aren't that frequent). I stayed on the island for about 6 hrs. I wasn't keen on going, fearing a tourist trap, but I really enjoyed it. wandering away from the most touristy paths around the main shrine was peaceful and beautiful.

Thanks guys.

From my point of view, the two things I *really* want to see are the Peace Park and Miyajima island, so could happily miss-out on the castle (we may have a wander round the mote before hopping on the shinkansen back to Tokyo the next day or something).

Does anyone know where to get the ferry timetable from the Peace Park to Miyajima?

TJ:

The Ferry Service Company's website address is www.aqua-net-h.co.jp except that it's in Japanese. I do not read Japanese but our Japanese reading friends may be able to assist you. We were in Hiroshima in May of last year and caught this Ferry to Miyajima Island and returned to Hiroshima via JR Ferry (10 min.) and JR Sanyo Line (22 min.) I think the Ferry fare was 1,900Y for adults and 950Y for children one-way.

The Ferry Terminal is on the same side as the A-Bomb Dome. Walk down river a few minutes and its immediately past Motoyasubashi Bridge. The Ferry ride to Miyajima Island is about one hour. The departure schedule as of May, 2007 was:

8:50AM; 9:55AM; 10:50AM; 11:45AM; 1:25PM; 2:20PM; 3:25PM; 4:10PM & 6:00PM.

CAUTION: The Ferry departs at the above times subject to LOW TIDE. During low tide, the river water depth is too shallow for the Ferry. So, you need to know when low tide is. You can phone them at 082-240-5955 or 090-7974-3316 for their sailing time.

Miyajima Island is a very peaceful place to visit and deserves the extra time you can dedicate to your stay there. We stayed overnight at the Iwaso Ryokan last year near the entrance to Momijidani Park. That was our third overnight stay and we always enjoy drinking hot tea on the lanai at sun rise with the cool morning air. Make sure you walk uphill past Iwaso Ryokan towards Momijidani Park. There is a red bridge of old Japan over a stream. Take the time out to enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of the area with the fragrance of the forest and the sound of the running stream.

As for visiting Hiroshima Castle, Peace Memorial Park and Miyajima Island, you can visit all in one day. You should be at Hiroshima Castle when it opens at 9:00AM, walk to the A-Bomb Dome, visit the Ferry Terminal Dock for information and continue on to tour Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum. If time permits, catch the Ferry to Miyajima and have late lunch on Miyajima Island, returning to Hiroshima early evening.

I know you will enjoy your trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima.

A few things to be aware of if you're going to Miyajima (which i highly recommend)
1) The JR Ferry is free if you have a JR Pass.
2) Check the tides at Miyajima before you go as the Floating Torii is no where as spectacular at low tide.
3) Be careful of the deer they can be aggresively friendly-it could be frightening for small children, we found the best tactic was -don't feed them otherwise you'll never get rid of them.