tl;dr 1: what is the best option to go from izumo to hiroshima?
tl;dr 2: is it possible to do a one day round trip from hiroshima to izumo?
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Hey guys! I’m planning my second visit to Japan next year.
I can speak and read japanese fairly well so itinerary tips that require browsing japanese sites or contacting japanese speaking services are OK for me.
I’m going to buy the JR Pass and I plan to start from Tokyo -> Osaka (going through some prefectures along the way). My main concern is that I want to visit both Izumo and Hiroshima after Osaka. I also want to return to Tokyo after this trip so Hiroshima will be the last prefecture so I can use Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen lines.
What kind of intinerary would you recommend? Going from Osaka to Izumo and then to Hiroshima? If so, what are the best options for that travel? I can also stay in Hiroshima and do a one day round trip to Izumo but I’m not sure if that’s feasible.
5 comments
The fastest way: JR Chugoku bus (3 hours) from Izumoshi to Hiroshima. This is an express route not included in JR Pass.
JR Pass: Limited Express Yakumo (Izumoshi to Okayama) and Sakura/Kodama (Okayama to Hiroshima).
As far as viability of a day trip: it’s technically doable – thus said, it’s ill-advised even by bus (~6 hours total travel time) and certainly it gets ridiculous by train with JR Pass (~12 hours total travel time).
My actual advice would be to spend either 2-3 days in Izumo and Matsue, or skip the region altogether.
It will be hard to finish Izumo and Matsue in one day even if you arrive very early and leave late Been there, done that, can’t recommend, and I was doing a day trip from Tottori which is closer than Hiroshima.
Also there’s a sleeper train connecting Izumo to Tokyo so that’s one way to go to/from Tokyo.
Thought about doing the sunrise Izumo sleeper train back from Izumo to Tokyo? Might be a way to help fit the travel in
Regardless of JR Pass, can get the 500 yen bus : [https://www.kankou-shimane.com/en/travel_information/7948](https://www.kankou-shimane.com/en/travel_information/7948)
I would highly suggest to spend a couple of days in the region. I only stayed for two days for Izumo and Matsue, but that is the minimum time I would consider spending there. So no, for me this is really not a daytrip option.
Things you should try to see in the region include Izumo-taisha, Matsue castle and the Adachi Art Museum (that is also a garden). There is also a nice onsen, Tamatsukuri onsen and if you are a fan or Shigeru Mizuki or his manga Gegege no Kitaro, then for sure you want to go to Sakaiminato wher he grew up to see the street and museum dedicated to him.
For the return to Tokyo, you could take the Sunrise Izumo night train or just do it out of the JR Pass and fly back from either Izumo Enmusubi Airport or Yonago Airport.
Not going to lie doing a day trip seems kind of pointless and a bit risky.
Since every option I see, it takes 3:30 to 4 hours travel time to get to Hiroshima and vice versa.