Kinsuikan is a ryokan on the Miyajima waterfront, a few minutes’ walk from both the ferry pier and Itsukushima Shrine, and one of only three inns on the island with a natural hot spring. Its baths are fed by Miyajima Shioyu Onsen, a spring that contains seawater; six of its rooms have their own semi-open-air baths; and rates, which run from about 42,900 to 116,000 yen per person per night, include dinner and breakfast. If you want to sleep on Miyajima with the sea in front of you and the shopping street behind you, this is the inn in that position.
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We have not stayed at Kinsuikan, and this page is not a review. It brings together what the inn itself and the booking sites state about its rooms, baths, meals and location (checked October 2026), and sets it beside the island’s two other onsen inns, Iwaso and Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto, since most people choosing Kinsuikan are choosing between the three.
Kinsuikan in brief
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Address | 1133 Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima 739-0558. Tel. 0829-44-2131 (reception 9:00–18:00) |
| Location | Waterfront promenade between the pier and the shrine; back entrance on Omotesando shopping street. About 3–5 minutes’ walk to the shrine, 10 minutes from the pier on foot or 3 minutes by the inn’s shuttle |
| Rooms | Some facing the Seto Inland Sea, some facing the town. Types include the Heritage Suite “Roku”, suites with semi-open-air baths (6 rooms), “Otona no Kyujitsu” rooms and the “Mizuori” Japanese-modern rooms with sea views. All rooms non-smoking |
| Hot spring | Miyajima Shioyu Onsen: natural spring water from deep underground containing seawater. Gender-separated large baths, 15:00–1:00 and 5:00–10:00. Day-use bathing suspended |
| Meals | Dinner and breakfast included. Dinner courses: “Miyabi-zen” (creative Japanese with local seafood and vegetables), a seafood course, and a Hiroshima-beef course |
| Price | About 42,900–116,000 yen per person per night with two meals (booking-site range, October 2026). Hiroshima accommodation tax of 200 yen per person per night applies from 1 April 2026 |
| Also | Rooftop terrace; shuttle to the pier; a century-old inn (“hyakunen-yado”) in its own words |
Where it stands, and why that matters
Miyajima’s inns are all close together, but Kinsuikan’s address is the most convenient on the island. It faces the paved promenade along the water between the ferry terminal and the shrine entrance; its back door opens onto Omotesando, the shopping street. That means luggage is a ten-minute walk or a three-minute shuttle from the boat, the shrine is three to five minutes away for the 6:30 opening, and the illuminated torii after dinner is a stroll along the front rather than a walk through the dark.
The trade-off is that this is the liveliest corner of the island until the shops close around 17:00–18:00. After that it is as quiet as anywhere. Iwaso, by contrast, sits up in the Momijidani valley behind the shrine, fifteen minutes from the pier and silent all day; Arimoto is between the two, below the five-storied pagoda. Which you prefer is a question of whether you want the sea or the maples outside the window.
The hot spring
Kinsuikan’s bath is Miyajima Shioyu Onsen, “the tide bath hot spring”: natural hot-spring water pumped from deep underground that contains seawater. The inn describes it as a salt-rich chloride water that keeps the body warm long after bathing, which is the usual property of seawater springs. The gender-separated large baths are open to guests from 15:00 until 1:00 in the morning and again from 5:00 to 10:00; they are closed for cleaning from 1:00 to 4:00 and from 10:00 to 15:00. Those hours fit the island’s rhythm exactly: bath on arrival, dinner, torii, late bath, then a dawn bath before the shrine opens. How Kinsuikan’s water compares with the island’s two other hot springs, and where to bathe if you are not staying, is in our guide to Miyajima onsen.
Six rooms have their own semi-open-air baths, listed by the booking sites as suitable for couples, families and guests with tattoos, who may not be welcome in shared baths. The inn no longer accepts day-use bathers; it says so on its own site. The island’s other hot springs are Iwaso’s radon-bearing Wakamiya Onsen, Arimoto’s artificial Kasseiseki bath and the “Kami no Yu” spring of LiVEMAX RESORT Aki Miyajima, the one island bath that takes day visitors. The three ryokan are compared below and in where to stay in Miyajima.
Rooms
The rooms divide first by what they face. Sea-side rooms look out over the promenade to the Seto Inland Sea; town-side rooms look back over the roofs towards the hills. Within that, the inn names several grades. The Heritage Suite “Roku” is the top room. The suites with semi-open-air baths are the six rooms with hot-spring water piped to a private tub. The “Mizuori” rooms are the newest, Japanese-modern in style with a view of the sea, and the “Otona no Kyujitsu” (“grown-ups’ holiday”) rooms are a mid-range Japanese room. A rooftop terrace is open to guests. All rooms are non-smoking.
If the torii is the reason you are staying on the waterfront, ask for a sea-side room when you book; the inn does not state on its site which rooms have the gate in view, and the booking sites describe views as “sea” rather than “torii”. Check-in and check-out times are not published on the inn’s own site, so take them from your booking confirmation.
Meals
Rates include dinner and breakfast, as at most Miyajima ryokan. The inn offers three dinner courses: Miyabi-zen, a creative Japanese course built on local seafood and vegetables; a seafood course centred on the Seto Inland Sea catch, which in season means Hiroshima oysters; and a Hiroshima beef course. Choose the course when you book, since kaiseki dinners are prepared to the number of guests and cannot usually be added or changed on the day, and tell the inn about allergies or anything you do not eat. Dinner is served in the early evening; the island’s restaurants close by 18:00, so the inn’s dinner is in practice your dinner.
Kinsuikan, Iwaso or Arimoto?
The question travellers ask most often, on forums and to us, is which of the three hot-spring ryokan to choose. They are genuinely different.
| Kinsuikan | Iwaso | Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Waterfront between pier and shrine; shopping street behind | Momijidani maple valley behind the shrine, by the stream and the ropeway’s lower station | Below the five-storied pagoda, 3 minutes from the shrine |
| Hot spring | Miyajima Shioyu Onsen, natural, contains seawater | Wakamiya Onsen, natural, contains radon; from a well dug in 1885; two bathhouses with open-air baths by the stream | Kasseiseki Onsen, artificial mineral-stone bath; open-air bath and footbath |
| Private baths | 6 rooms with semi-open-air baths | None; ordinary private baths in some rooms | 7 rooms with private open-air baths (Selected Ryokan) |
| Style | Ryokan, sea or town views, rooftop terrace | Grand old ryokan founded 1854; kaiseki | Hotel-ryokan with Japanese and Western-style rooms |
| Best for | Sea view, shortest walk from the boat, natural onsen | The classic setting, maples in November, quiet | Western beds, the pagoda outside, a footbath |
| Note | Liveliest spot until the shops close | Hardest to book in mid-to-late November | Its bath is not a natural spring |
In short: Kinsuikan for the sea and the convenience, Iwaso for the valley and the tradition, Arimoto for beds and a slightly more hotel-like stay. All three are within ten minutes’ walk of each other, and all three are within reach of the illuminated torii after dinner and the shrine at 6:30.
Hot-spring ryokan on the islandCheck Kinsuikan’s dates, and the other two beside it
The hot-spring inns are the first rooms on the island to sell out for the November maples, Golden Week and Obon. Looking at all three at once shows you quickly whether your dates work and which sea- or valley-side room is left.
Availability and rates
All Miyajima and Miyajimaguchi hotels on a map
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Getting there
From Hiroshima Station, the JR Sanyo line reaches Miyajimaguchi in about 30 minutes; the JR ferry then takes 10 minutes to the island (first boat 6:25, last boat back 22:14; fare 200 yen plus the 100-yen visitor tax). From the island pier, Kinsuikan is about ten minutes on foot along the waterfront or three minutes by the inn’s shuttle; tell the inn your ferry time if you want to be met. Coming from Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo, the connections are in Osaka to Miyajima. Drivers leave the car in Miyajimaguchi; see the parking guide. Everything on the mainland side of the ferry, including the hotels there if Kinsuikan is full, is in our Miyajimaguchi guide. Kinsuikan’s sister hotel, Hotel Miyajima Villa, is beside the island pier.
Making the most of a night here
A stay at Kinsuikan is a stay on the waterfront, so build the evening around the water. Check the tide times for your date: if high water falls after dark, the shrine and torii will appear to float under the lights (on until 23:00); if low water does, you can walk out to the gate from the sand a few minutes from the door. Dinner comes first, at the time you choose on check-in; the bath is open until 1:00 for afterwards. In the morning, bathe from 5:00 and walk into Itsukushima Shrine at 6:30, three minutes away, before the first day-trippers arrive around 9:30. Then breakfast, and the ropeway up Mount Misen from 9:00.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kinsuikan have a natural onsen?
Yes. Miyajima Shioyu Onsen is natural hot-spring water containing seawater, drawn from deep underground. The shared baths are open 15:00–1:00 and 5:00–10:00; six rooms have private semi-open-air baths.
Can I use Kinsuikan’s bath without staying?
No. The inn has suspended day-use bathing, and no inn on Miyajima offers it. The nearest day-use hot spring is on the mainland at Miyahama Onsen.
How much does Kinsuikan cost?
Booking sites list about 42,900 to 116,000 yen per person per night including dinner and breakfast (October 2026), depending on room and season. Hiroshima’s accommodation tax adds 200 yen per person per night.
Is Kinsuikan or Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto better?
Kinsuikan for the sea view, the natural hot spring and the shortest walk from the boat; Arimoto for Western-style beds, a footbath and the pagoda outside. Arimoto’s bath is an artificial mineral-stone bath, not a natural spring.
Can you see the torii from Kinsuikan?
Sea-side rooms face the Seto Inland Sea along the same shore as the Great Torii; the inn does not specify which rooms have the gate itself in view. Ask when booking.
Is Kinsuikan tattoo-friendly?
Its six rooms with private semi-open-air baths are listed as suitable for guests with tattoos. For the shared baths, ask the inn before you book.
How far is Kinsuikan from the ferry?
About ten minutes on foot along the waterfront, or three minutes by the inn’s shuttle. Itsukushima Shrine is three to five minutes’ walk the other way.
Sources: Kinsuikan (own website: address, telephone, room types, onsen type and hours, dinner courses, day-use suspension, accommodation tax notice); Selected Ryokan and other booking sites (price range, private-bath rooms, non-smoking, walking times); Miyajima Tourist Association (which inns have onsen); JR West Miyajima Ferry; Miyajima Ropeway. Checked October 2026. This page is a factual summary, not a review of a stay.
