In January we are travelling from Hakone to spend 3 nights at Hiroshima & Miyagima. My dilemma is if to stay the 1st night in Hiroshima & the following 2 nights in Miyagima or the other way around. Hoping to stay at a traditional Ryokan on the island (any suggestions -leaning towards Momiji-So or nice place looking out to the sea -open for ideas).
Miyajima is more of a chill out place - it's a small island. If you like walking, the outdoors & nature then you can follow long hiking trails & see other parts of the island & the beaches too! If you are prepared to entertain yourself it's a great place. It has a village, temples, a mountain and lots of animals esp. at night in the forest ( I went on great camping trip there once & returned on other trips to stay in very swish ryokan - which were fine too but I'll never forget the nights outdoors in the forest - magical.)
So if you would like 2 days of quiet, healthy living then it's for you. Get a hiking map or just wander www.miyajima.or.jp/english/course/course.html
Momijiso looks quite simple, ie. basic level not a luxury ryokan. Make sure you read the reviews - there's a very funny one on TA someone complaining that the staff couldn't speak English! The room was spartan!! haha The place was locked at 9. Plus there were no foreign channels on tv!!! hahaha ... they did know they were in Japan, right? Beats me why some people travel at all.
I laughed so hard it had to have been posted as a joke.
Many ryokan lock the doors relatively early (but of course will let you in & out if you are going somewhere in the evening) but what were they expecting to do on Miyajima? Tanuki spotting maybe, it's not like you can go clubbing...
And note a reviewer says they only take cash - not uncommon in Japan (as we all keep telling people on T/A) Hey everyone, take cash with you!!! and keep a reserve at all times, you aint going to get mugged in Japan & ryokans &hotels have safes if you need them.
You might see some other options here:
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~miyayado/e_next-yado.html
http://www.gambo-ad.com/english/area.php?ar=1
Hiroshima is a city with the usual city stuff, it just depends on what you are looking for as part of your trip.
1 relaxing night at Miyajima vs 2 relaxing(becomes boring?) nights at Miyajima.
The island closes down after 6 pm. No more than 5 public restaurants open for dinner. Most ryokans there accept credit cards and clearly stated as such on various reservation websites.
3 nights in Hiroshima/Miyajima is entirely too long, IMO. I recommend 1 night in Miyajima if you want peace and quiet OR 1 night in Hiroshima if you want some entertainment after dark.
If it were me, I'd go down to Hakata for a couple of nights. It's a fun city:
I would also opt for two nights in Hiroshima, one in Miyajima (it's worth it just for the sunrise!). There's plenty to do in Hiroshima to keep you occupied (Shukkei-en, Hiroshima Castle, Hiroshima Museum of Art, A-Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park and Museum, etc.).
Also going to have to suggest 2 nights hiroshima 1 night miyajima. However, as Elly rather excellently pointed out, if you really enjoy a more relaxing atmosphere and don't mind entertaining yourself / hiking / et cetera, two nights on the island is fine. It really is a beautiful place and there's many trails to explore.
I would second two nights on Miyajima, just for a nice long full day of relaxing and exploring the island. It's not just the famous shrine....
For Hiroshima, I recently stayed in the Sheraton by the station and can heartily recommend it. Very nice.
I would spend 1 night in Miyajima and 2 nights in Hiroshima, we spend 1 night in each and though it was ideal. Miyajima is a tiny place with everything shut in the evenings so unless you want a place to just chill out and relax I think 1 night would be enough. Don't miss a visit to the Daisho-in temple when you're in Miyajima, we loved it.
