Hiroshima Bay · EtajimaNo.589★★Open in map →

Etajima Island

— Home of the former Imperial Naval Academy

historyOff the trail — and worth it

An island in Hiroshima Bay reached by fast boat from the city. The grounds of the former Imperial Japanese Naval Academy are still a working school for the Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the school itself walks visitors through them on a fixed timetable.

FromHiroshima Port (Ujina)
~50 minFast boat, ~20 sailings a day
Get off atKoyo Port (Setonaikai Sea Line)
From there
Etajima Island

Directions ↗

The sweet spot

Most people who reach Hiroshima cross to Miyajima instead. The visits run as timed slots rather than opening hours, which caps the numbers by design. And because this is a working military school, the route and the pace are the school's to set, not yours.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

The naval history hallja:User:Sanjo / CC BY-SA 3.0

Koyo Portthe island's main landing, worked by the Hiroshima fast boats and the Kure ferries
The main gatewhere reception for each guided visit opens half an hour beforehand
The red brick buildingthe brick block of the former academy, one of the three things the visit covers
The naval history hallthe school's reference hall, the last stop on the guided route

How to actually get there

Hiroshima Port (Ujina) → Koyo Port (Setonaikai Sea Line fast boat, about 26 min, 1,080 yen).
Koyo Port → main gate of the First Service School (about 25 min on foot, or by island bus).
Report at the main gate; reception opens 30 minutes before each visit.
Afterwards, pick up a rental bicycle from the tourism association or take the coast road toward Mount Furutaka.

Fast boat from Hiroshima Port: Hiroshima Port (Ujina) → Koyo Port on the Setonaikai Sea Line fast boat, about 26 minutes for 1,080 yen, with around 20 sailings a day from early morning until late in the evening. From Koyo Port it is roughly 25 minutes on foot west along the shore to the school's main gate, and buses also leave from the port.
Returning from Koyo Port: The same fast boat runs back to Hiroshima Port through the evening. If you are carrying on to Kure instead, the Koyo car ferry takes about 20 minutes for 450 yen and the fast boat about 10 minutes for 650 yen.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Etajima lies across the water from Hiroshima, close enough that the fast boat is a commuter service rather than an excursion. The academy that trained officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy stood here; the site later passed to the Maritime Self-Defense Force, which uses it as the First Service School and the Officer Candidate School. The school runs guided visits as part of its public-relations work. Away from the gate the island is farmland and coast — olives, citrus and oysters are its produce — and the city promotes it for cycling, hiking and canoeing.

How to enjoy it

Visits start at set times — 11:15, 13:30 and 15:15 on weekdays, with an extra 9:30 slot at weekends and on public holidays — and reception opens at the main gate half an hour before each one. Take an early boat, do the visit first, and give the afternoon to the island: a rental bicycle from the tourism association, the climb up Mount Furutaka, or the coast road round the bays. Groups of fifty or more are asked to telephone in advance.

Background & history

The Imperial Japanese Naval Academy stood on this shore and trained the officers of the Japanese navy until the end of the Pacific War. The site did not fall out of use afterwards: the Maritime Self-Defense Force took it over, and it now houses the First Service School and the Officer Candidate School. The red brick, the parade ground and the reference hall are working buildings rather than preserved ruins. That is why the way in is an escorted visit on the school's clock, and why the school asks visitors to dress for it.

Before you go

Cash: The city's notice for the guided visit gives the times but states no admission charge, so ask at the gate. Bring cash for the boat and for lunch; the shops on the island are small ones.
Good to know: This is an operating school, so a visit can be called off at short notice for training or ceremonies. Tank tops, shorts and sandals are refused. You cannot enter the grounds before reception opens, and you cannot wait inside once you are through.
Another way: From Kure, the Setonaikai Sea Line runs both a car ferry and a fast boat across to Koyo, which suits a day that begins at the Yamato Museum.
After you get off: From Koyo Port, walk west along the water for about 25 minutes to reach the school's main gate. Local buses also run from in front of the port.