Traveling to Mihara, Hiroshima.
The main destination on the first day of the trip was Sagishima.
There are several remote islands in Mihara, and Sagishima is one of them.
It can be reached in as little as 20 minutes from Mihara Station, depending on the time of the high-speed boat.
Sagishima is a nice island with beautiful beaches.
If you can take a boat ride and experience a remote island experience with a view of the sea ā¦ā¦ even in a small amount of time, you can’t afford not to visit on this trip around Mihara City.
It is a really nice place and I liked it very much, Sagishima.
There are many things I would like to introduce, so I will write more about our island tour in the next issue.
In this article, I will summarize how to get to Sagishima, boat times, and other important information.
I was also thinking of renting a bicycle and touring around Sagishima, but I had to give up the idea of touring the island by bicycle because the only place that can accommodate bicycles is on the ferry, which is not in operation at the time.
The view from the boat is beautiful and worth seeing, but if you plan to visit the islands, it would be better to do some advance research to make sure everything goes smoothly.
A casual experience on a remote island! Departure from Mihara Port to Sagishima
To visit Mihara’s outlying islands, such as Sagishima, you must depart from Mihara Port.
Mihara Port is a 5-minute walk south from the south exit of Mihara Station, so access is easy.
I wrote about the port in my previous article, which you can read from above.
The building marked “Mihara Port” is the landmark.
In front of this building is the dock for ferries and high-speed boats.
The boat ticket office and waiting area are located on the first floor of the building at “Mihara Umi-no-Eki” (Mihara Sea Station).
This is the departure point for Sagishima.
Ferry and high-speed boat times connecting Sagishima to Mihara Port and Mihara Port to Sagishima
If you want to go to a remote island, the first thing you need to worry about is the time of the boat.
It is common that the number of boats to remote islands is limited. Without knowing the time, it is difficult to set a schedule for the trip.
So, if you are planning to visit a remote island, it is better to get a timetable from the nearest tourist information center.
There are two types of boats that run between Mihara Port and Sagishima: high-speed boats and ferries.
On the day I visited, there were 12 daily runs of the high-speed boat and 7 daily runs of the ferry, both outbound and inbound. However, this timetable was also revised on June 1, which is a day closer to the current date, so it would be better to get the latest one at the site to be sure.
There is an automatic ticket vending machine at “Mihara Umi no Eki” where you can purchase tickets.
A one-way trip to Sagishima costs 510 yen. The price is the same whether you take the high-speed boat or the ferry.
The difference between the high-speed boat and the ferry is the number of services and the time it takes to reach the island.
The trip between Mihara Port and Sagishima takes less than half the time of the ferry, just over 10 minutes, compared to 25 minutes for the ferry.
With the high-speed boat, you can get to Sagishima in about 20 minutes, which is a 5-minute walk from Mihara Station to the port plus a little over 10 minutes on the boat. A remote island experience near the station.
Another difference between the high-speed boat and the ferry is that bicycles cannot be carried on the high-speed boat, so if you plan to tour the island by bicycle, you will have to use the ferry. This will be discussed later.
If you have any questions, I recommend that you ask at the counter next to the ticket vending machine.
In my case, there was a lot I didn’t understand, so I asked questions at the counter and decided on a plan, and they were very polite and helpful.
Points to keep in mind when taking your bicycle to Sagishima
When I decided to visit Sagishima, I was planning to rent a bicycle to go to the island.
How fun to ride a bicycle around a remote island! How fun would that be?
When I mentioned this at the tourist information center, I was told that there was a bike rental service at Mihara Port, so I planned to rent a bike at the port and go to Sagishima.
In fact, when I went to the waiting area at “Mihara Sea Station” I found a line of bicycles for rent.
However, when I told the port counter that I wanted to rent a bicycle to go to the island, I was told to my surprise that bicycles could not be carried on the high-speed boat.
I was told that the bicycles could not be put on the high-speed boat, but that they had to be foldable. I thought that was soā¦but I wanted to know this information as soon as possible.
If you really want to take your bicycle on the ferry, you can use the ferry, but the problem here is that the number of ferry services is limited.
On this day, I was scheduled to take the 13:05 ferry and arrive at Sagishima at 13:30.
However, if I took only the ferry, the departure time of the return ferry (from Sagishima to Mihara Port) was 14:05, followed by 17:10.
With a 14:05 departure, we would have to go to the island and return to the port immediately, and with a 17:10 departure time, our stay on the island would be about 3.5 hours, which was indeed too long considering our plans afterwards.
Unfortunately, there are no rental bicycles on Sagishima, so we were not able to ride around the island on this trip! Unfortunately, it was not possible to go around the island by bicycle.
Still, the person at the port counter was very courteous and told us that there was a special ticket that included a bicycle at the ferry counter.
I think it was something like a 4-discount, so I think it would be a good idea to ask at the counter if you are planning to use it.
Take the ferry from Mihara Port to Sagishima! Use the high-speed boat for the return trip
It was a pity that we could not take our bicycles with us, but we got back on the ferry and headed for Sagishima.
As I will write more about in my next article, there are few stores on Sagishima, so I recommend that you buy drinks and snacks at a convenience store near the port.
Perhaps because it was a weekday, I was the only other person on the boat who seemed to be a tourist.
Everyone else seemed to be islanders or residents of Mihara City.
The ferry moving through Mihara Bay (Seto Inland Sea).
It is a short boat ride with a view of the scenery of countless islands, known as “the beauty of many islands.
On the way, there is a small island that seems to float in the sea.
This island is Sukunejima, a small uninhabited island with a circumference of about 400 meters. It is known as the setting for the movie “Naked Island”.
It takes about 25 minutes to reach Sagishima.
Even if it is only a short boat ride, just the event of taking the boat makes you feel like you are on a trip.
The view of Sagishima as the boat arrives is nothing short of beautiful. More about the island in the next issue.
Now, on the way back from the island, we decided to take the high-speed boat.
There is a waiting room and ticket booth near the boat dock, where you can purchase a ticket for the trip from Sagishima to Mihara Port. As with the trip to the island, the price is 510 yen.
The high-speed boat has indoor and outdoor seating.
Since you can sit outside and enjoy the view of the ocean, you will feel more like you are on a boat than on a ferry.
The ride to Mihara Port takes just over 10 minutes, less than half the time of the ferry. It takes less than half the time of the ferry.
After riding the ferry, you will feel that the speed is much faster. As an activity, the high-speed boat may be more fun.
Summary
A short boat ride between Mihara Port and Sagishima.
The scenery is just beautiful, so just getting on the boat was an enjoyable experience.
Sagishima can be reached in as little as 20 minutes from the station.
However, as I wrote this time, you need to keep in mind that there is a difference in the operating time between the high-speed boat and the ferry, and you need to be careful if you want to bring your bicycle to the island.
I was disappointed that I did not get to ride my bicycle around the island, but Sagishima was a beautiful and lovely place. I loved it.
I hope to share my fascination with Sagishima in my next article!
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