JR – Japan Railway Company
JR trains run throughout Japan. Riding the JR trains is a convenient way to visit some of Hiroshima’s popular destinations.
From Hiroshima City, you can catch trains for Miyajimaguchi (to visit Itsukushima Shrine), Saijo, Onomichi, and Fukuyama to name a few. Japan rail pass holders can travel on all JR lines except selected Shinkansen and express train routes.
How to Ride
If you are not JR rail pass holder, please buy a ticket at the ticket machine or at the ticket counters before boarding the train.
Fares
- Miyajima – 410 yen from Hiroshima Station
- Saijo – 580 yen from Hiroshima Station
- Kure City – 500 yen from Hiroshima Station
- Onomichi – 1,490 yen from Hiroshima station
- Fukuyama – 1,940 yen from Hiroshima station
The Hiroden Streetcar
Hiroshima’s streetcars – known as “Hiroden” – is a convenient and cheap method of transportation in the city. They have eight routes within Hiroshima City and one route that goes to Miyajima.
The Hiroden streetcars are a part of life in Hiroshima, helping its citizens move around the city for over one hundred years. The streetcars were the first public transport to restart after the atomic bomb. Even today, two of the streetcar carriages that survived the blast are in operation today.
How to Ride
Please board from the entrance located in the middle of the carriage, and disembark at the exit near the driver or conductor.
When leaving, please pay the exact fare. There is a change machine in front of the fare box, where you can break notes and get exact change. When a conductor is in the carriage, you can ask them to change money and notes.
Fares
- 180 yen per journey on routes inside Hiroshima City. Ask for a transfer ticket if you need to take more than one streetcar on a journey.
- Miyajima – 280 yen from inside Hiroshima City. The fare for Miyajima line changes depending on the distance traveled.
Astramline
Astramline is the new electric transit system that runs from the center of Hiroshima City to the suburbs. It departs from Hondori in downtown Hiroshima and terminates at Koiki-koen-mae Station.
The Big Arch Stadium – home to Hiroshima’s Sanfrecce Football Club – is near the terminal station, making this line busy on match days.
How to Ride
Buy tickets at the ticket machines and pass through the ticket gate.
Fares
- Koiki-koen-mae for the Big Arch Stadium – 480 yen from Hondori.
Buses
There are lots of bus routes in Hiroshima City and its suburbs. The two bus companies most useful to visitors and tourists are the green Hiroden buses and the red Hiroshima buses.
Other bus companies run routes from the center of the city to the suburbs. Highway buses leave from Hiroshima station and Hiroshima Bus Center to cities across Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.
The Hiroshima Bus Center is located on the third floor of the SOGO department store.
How to Ride
Please board in the middle of the vehicle and take the numbered ticket automatically dispensed from the box at the entrance. The number on the ticket shows where you boarded the bus. For your fare, check the corresponding number on the electric fare board positioned at the front of the bus.
Pay the exact fare as you leave into the the fare box by the driver. The change machine is in front of the pay box if you need to break notes or large coins.
For highway bus tickets, you can purchase them at the ticket counters, or directly from the driver.
Fares
- Hondori – 160 yen from Hiroshima Station
- Hiroshima Prefecture Art Museum – 160 yen from Hiroshima station
- The Peace Memorial Park – 220 yen from Hiroshima Station
Taxis
Taxis are easy to catch throughout the city. There are taxi stands at stations, but most taxis will stop when you flag them down.
How to Ride
When you need taxi, look for taxis with illuminated signboards – this means they’re vacant. The left passenger door automatically opens.
Tell the driver your destination and pay the fare on the meter as you leave.
Fares
The fare of a taxi-ride depends on the size of car, journey-time and distance. The base fare for taxi in Hiroshima is roughly between 580 yen to 640 yen.
Ferries
There are several large ports in Hiroshima prefecture, and a vast network of ferry routes connecting the mainland to the islands of the Seto Inland Sea and Shikoku.
How to Ride
Buy your tickets at the ticket counter.
Fares
- Miyajima for Itsukushima Shrine – 180 yen from Miyajimaguchi port (There are two ferry companies, JR Miyajima Ferry and Miyajima Matsudai Kisen, and the fare is identical.)
- Mitarai – 1,380 yen from Takehara Port
- Etajima for the Old Japanese Imperial Naval Academy – 1,060 yen from Hiroshima Port
- OInnoshima – 620 yen from Mihara port
- Okunoshima – 310 yen from Tadanoumi Port
