Hiroshima and Miyajima autumn leaves: when and where should you go?

Short answer: go in October-November and give Miyajima a full day

The Hiroshima guide names late March-April (cherry blossoms) and October-November (autumn leaves) as the best times to visit. Spend one day on the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome in the city and one day on Miyajima, famous for its red torii in the sea, and you cover the core of the guide's plan in autumn.

The exact timing of the colours changes every year, so check the official autumn-leaf forecast before you fix your dates. The guide suggests 3 to 4 days in total.

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When do the colours come? October-November, per the guide

The guide gives October-November as Hiroshima's autumn-leaf season. When the colours are at their best within that window changes every year, so check the official autumn-leaf forecast before booking flights and a room.

September, just before the leaf season, needs some care: the guide notes that typhoons in August-September can stop ferries and flights. Miyajima is an island reached by ferry, so keep this in mind.

Hiroshima is also famous for oysters, which the guide says are in season in winter (roughly November-February). A November trip lets you combine the leaf season with oyster season.

• October-November: autumn-leaf season, per the guide
• Exact timing: changes every year, check the official autumn-leaf forecast
• August-September: typhoons can stop ferries and flights
• Oyster season: winter (roughly November-February)

Where to see them: Miyajima and walks in the city

The guide does not list specific autumn-leaf spots, but it does describe several sights you explore on foot outdoors. Check the official autumn-leaf forecast and local official information to see how far the colours have come at each place.

On Miyajima, pair Itsukushima Shrine with Mount Misen. Mount Misen is the island's highest peak; you can combine the ropeway with walking, and the summit looks out over the Seto Inland Sea islands. Itsukushima Shrine's torii stands in the sea at high tide and can be approached on foot at low tide, so check official tide times.

In the city, walk Shukkeien Garden, a Japanese strolling garden around a pond; the moated Hiroshima Castle with its park; and the area around the Peace Memorial Park, good for morning walks. Nearby Onomichi is a seaside town of hillside lanes, temples and cat alleys. Miyajima's classic treat, momiji manju, is shaped like a maple leaf, which makes it a fitting autumn souvenir.

• Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima): check official tide times
• Mount Misen: ropeway plus walking, Seto Inland Sea views
• Shukkeien Garden: Japanese strolling garden around a pond
• Hiroshima Castle: moat and park stroll
• Around the Peace Memorial Park: morning walks
• Onomichi (day trip): hillside lanes, temples, cat alleys

September-December weather and what to wear

According to 1991–2020 normals from the Japan Meteorological Agency's Hiroshima station, September averages a high of 29°C and a low of 21°C, October 24°C and 15°C, November 18°C and 9°C, and December 12°C and 4°C. Moving from October to November within the leaf season, both days and nights get clearly cooler.

Rainfall goes down month by month: 163 mm in September, 109 mm in October, 69 mm in November and 54 mm in December.

Pack for the temperatures. In October, with highs of 24°C, light clothes and a thin jacket are enough; in November, lows of 9°C call for a warm layer for mornings and evenings. In December, with lows of 4°C, bring a heavy coat.

• September: high 29°C, low 21°C, rainfall 163 mm
• October: high 24°C, low 15°C, rainfall 109 mm
• November: high 18°C, low 9°C, rainfall 69 mm
• December: high 12°C, low 4°C, rainfall 54 mm

A 3-4 day autumn route

The guide's itinerary works as it is for an autumn trip. If you mainly want walks, build around Day 2 on Miyajima and Day 3 at Hiroshima Castle and Shukkeien.

At Hiroshima Castle, the 1958 reconstructed keep closed on March 22, 2026 due to aging, so it can now only be viewed from outside. Check official information for the grounds and the restored Ninomaru buildings.

Daily budgets per person: about 8,000 JPY on a business hotel, okonomiyaki and the streetcar; about 15,000-20,000 JPY with a city hotel, restaurants and a Miyajima round trip; about 35,000 JPY+ with a Miyajima ryokan and set-course dinners.

• Day 1: limousine to Hiroshima Station, check in, Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome, then okonomiyaki in Hatchobori
• Day 2: early JR and ferry to Miyajima, Itsukushima Shrine (check tides), Mount Misen, back to the city in the evening
• Day 3: Peace Memorial Museum in the morning, Hiroshima Castle and Shukkeien, then a trip to Kure or Onomichi
• Day 4: around the station, souvenirs (momiji manju), then the airport limousine with time to spare

Getting there and around: airport limousine, streetcar, JR, Miyajima ferry

Hiroshima Airport (HIJ) sits on hills well east of the city. The limousine bus to Hiroshima Station is the easiest option, taking about 45-55 minutes for about 1,400-1,500 JPY. You can also take the airport bus to Shiraichi (about 15 minutes) and JR from there (about 45 minutes), roughly 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes with the transfer. A taxi takes about 45-60 minutes but is expensive because of the distance.

In the city, the streetcar linking Hiroshima Station, the Atomic Bomb Dome, Hatchobori and Miyajimaguchi is the backbone. One IC transit card covers streetcars, buses and JR. Rail pass conditions change, so check official information.

For Miyajima, take JR from Hiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi (about 30 minutes), then the ferry to the island (about 10 minutes). A visitor tax applies on entry, so check the amount and how to pay on official information. The Kure Maritime Museum is about 40-50 minutes by JR from Hiroshima.

• Limousine bus: about 45-55 min to Hiroshima Station, about 1,400-1,500 JPY
• Bus + JR: via Shiraichi, about 1 hour to 1 hour 20 min
• Streetcar: IC transit cards work
• JR + ferry: about 30 min to Miyajimaguchi + about 10 min to the island, check the visitor tax officially

Avoiding crowds and what to check before you go

The guide's plan has you take JR and the ferry to Miyajima early in the morning. It also describes evenings and early mornings on the island, after the day-trippers leave, as special, so staying a night on the island is an option if you have time. There are few places to stay on the island, so book early; Miyajimaguchi, the mainland ferry port, has more reasonable prices.

The Peace Memorial Museum gets crowded, so go early, and check official information for hours. The Peace Park and museum are places of remembrance: visit quietly and avoid playful photos at the memorials.

Do not feed the island's deer, and keep bags closed, as they may go after paper, maps and food. The airport is far from the city, so on departure day check the limousine schedule and leave with plenty of time. Entry procedures and online arrival forms can change, so check Japanese government or embassy information before you travel.

• Miyajima: set off early, book island stays early
• Peace Memorial Museum: go early
• Deer: no feeding, keep bags closed
• Departure day: check the limousine schedule in advance
• Entry procedures: check official information

• Full Hiroshima travel guide →
• Incheon → Hiroshima flights →

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