Backpackers Miyajima is located in the Hatsukaichi city are of Hiroshima, right next to the ferry which takes you to the beautiful island of Miyajima. It is easily accessible by JR train (30 minutes) or by the local Hiroshima cable car (around 60 minutes). Just get of at the station called Miyajimaguchi for both the JR and local cable car.
After you get off at Miyajimaguchi JR Station, walk toward the ferry terminal and turn right at the intersection in front of it, following the road near the water. After around 50 meters you will see the white cement building housing the hostel on the right side of the road.
Backpackers Miyajima is a very friendly and welcoming hostel, the staff speak both Japanese and English, so it's no problem at all if you can not speak any Japanese! They are very helpful and can supply visitors with all the information needed to find nice restaurants, interesting places to visit and so on. They offer free WiFi access and there is also a computer you can use in the lobby to connect to the internet. If you stay in the hostel you can choose to sleep in the tatami room or in a standard, western style bed. They also have a female dormitory for women only. You can find restrooms on every one of the three floors and they are very clean.
You can also rent bicycles if you plan to do some riding around the Miyajima island -it's cheap and easy to take a bicycle over on the ferry and it is a fun and safe island to ride around to explore. Or you can cycle to a waterfall nearby.
In the evening, people usually get together in the lobby or the common room to enjoy talking to each other. When I have been there, it feels more like a big family and not just a bunch of strangers. Also, quite often food is supplied in the evening by Yoshi, one of the staff members. And they also have barbecues quite often. The barbecues are amazing, you really don't want to miss out on them!
They also won several hostel bookers awards including one for the second best hostel in all of Asia! You can book online through their English reservation page (on their website), call to reserve a bed, or if you have your dates confirmed, you can also book online here through Japan Tourist and receive immediate confirmation: Book Backpackers Miyajima.
All in all its a great place to stay if you want to be near the beautiful island of Miyajima. It is also a good place to stay if you want a friendly place outside of the city center. From here you can still get to the city for shopping and sightseeing in around 30 minutes.
In the evening you can just relax and share experiences with other people and have fun. Many people also extend their stay just because it's so much fun to be there. See more pictures and information from the staff on the Backpackers Miyajima Facebook page.
