Hiroshima's public transportation includes buses, trams, one subway line and trains.

The city centre can be conveniently explored on foot and if you prefer the most flexible transport, taxis are available literally on every corner.

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Fares and tickets

There are several ticket options for getting around Hiroshima.

Day and multi-day tickets

The most convenient option is to purchase a tourist ticket for 1, 2 or 3 days. To make it affordable, you need to travel at least 4 times a day or use the tram + ferry to Miyajima Island.

The ticket is called Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass:

• 1 day - 1 000 jpy
• 2 days - 1 500 jpy
• 3 days - 2 000 jpy

Although the official website mobiry.jp/en/ticket states that the ticket is valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours, in reality only the dates are marked on the ticket and therefore the ticket is only valid on the calendar days until midnight.

In addition, upon presentation of the ticket, you get small discounts to most sights (usually a discount of 60 jpy to 150 jpy).

Where is the Hiroshima Tourist Pass valid?

You can use the pass with the following carriers:

• All tram lines (Hiroden Streetcar)
• All city buses (Hiroden Bus, Hiroshima Bus, HirokoGroup, GeiyoBus, Chugoku JR Bus, HD Nishi-Hiroshima, Bon Bus)
• Chugoku JR tourist sightseeing buses (all lines - Orange, Lemon and Green)
• Ferries to Miyajima Island (only from Miyajima-guchi dock, reached by tram line 2 after a 60-minute ride from downtown)
  • Miayajima Matsudai Kisen Ferry
  • JR West Miyajmia Ferry

Where is the Hiroshima Tourist Pass not valid?

Day and multi-day passes cannot be used on the following carriers:

• Trains (not valid even on the JR suburban line to Miyajima-guchi Pier)
• Astram subway
• Buses to Hiroshima HIJ Airport
• Long-distance buses
• Commercial ferries to Miyajima Island from downtown Hiroshima or Hiroshima Harbor
• When travelling to Miyajima Island, the ticket does not include the tourist tax 100 jpy, which you pay in cash before boarding the ferry

Where to buy Hiroshima Tourist Pass?

You can buy a paper ticket at the tourist information office, where you can pay with cash or card:

• Hiroshima Railway Station
• Bus Center

You can also buy a digital version of the ticket via maas.mobiry.jp.

Always show the paper ticket or the screen on your mobile phone to the tram or bus driver when you get off the tram or bus, or to the attendant before boarding the ferry.

Individual fares

If you don't travel very often, buying a Hiroshima Tourist Pass is not worth it.

Single fares are only valid for 1 ride at a time, and if you transfer, you will have to buy another ticket again.

• Flat fare for trams 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 - 220 jpy
• Fare from downtown to the Miyajima-guchi boat dock on tram line 2 - 270 jpy
• Flat fare for tram 9 - 160 jpy
• Flat fare for city and tourist buses - 220 jpy
• Commuter train fares - depending on the number of stations (for example, from downtown to Miyajimaguchi, pay 420 jpy)
• Astram subway fares - by number of stations (190 jpy to 420 jpy)
• Ferry fares from Miyajmiaguchi ferry terminal - 180 jpy
• Ferry fares from downtown - 2 220 jpy

Detailed information about transportation to Miyajima Island is described in a separate article.

How to pay the fare?

On trams and buses, you can pay your ticket in cash at the driver's cash box when you get off.

On boats and trains, you pay the fare in cash at the ticket office or at a machine before boarding.

You cannot use your own contactless card to pay fares, but you can use one of Japan's 10 transport cards:

• Suica
• Pasmo
• Icoca
• Pitapa
• Toica
• Manaca
• Kitaca
• Sugoca
• Nimoca
• Hayakaken

There is no discount in Hiroshima when paying with these cards compared to paying with cash.

Where to buy a transport card?

In the Hiroshima area, you can purchase Icoca or Pitapa transport cards.

You can buy them from vending machines at Astram train or subway stations, as well as at tourist information offices at the train station and Bus Center.

These cards cost 500 jpy and then you top them up with any amount of money, which is gradually deducted as you ride.

Cards purchased in Hiroshima can be reloaded and used throughout Japan.

JR Pass

A very popular network pass in Japan, the JR Pass is also valid on some Hiroshima city lines.

Here you can use the JR Pass or the cheaper JR West Pass.

The JR Pass in Hiroshima is valid for the following modes of transport:

• Commuter and local JR trains (for example, to get from the city centre to Miyajimaguchi Pier or the Mazda Museum)
• Ferry to Miyajima Island (JR West Ferry only - red turnstiles)
• JR Chugoku sightseeing buses (all lines - Orange, Lemon and Green)

Trams and buses

You will mainly use trams and city buses to get around downtown Hiroshima and to the boat docks at Miyajima.

On all trams and city buses you can use a full day or 2 day tourist pass, see details above.

It's considerably more straightforward to use the tram service, which has only one operator , Hiroden Streetcar, and a total of 7 lines. Unlike the buses, the tram lines are also shown on most tourist maps.

The bus lines are operated by several different carriers and it is very difficult to find maps of the lines around the city. However, the stops with the line number and the nearest departures are displayed on Google.com/maps.

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Hiroden Streetcar - Trams

A mix of modern trams and older trams from the 1970s run along Hiroshima's streets.

The following tram lines are most useful for tourists:

• Lines 1 and 2 - connect the main railway station with the city centre and the Bus Center.
• Route 2 - connects Hiroshima city centre and the Miyajima Island boat dock, 60 minutes away (Miyajmiguchi stop)
• Routes 2, 3, 6, 7 - go past the A-Bomb Dome
• Routes 1 and 7 - connect downtown and Bus Center with Hiroshima Harbor
• Route 5 - connects the train station with Hiroshima Port

Detailed information can be found on the official website: hiroden.co.jp.

You can board the tram through all doors. If you use one of the 10 Japanese transport cards, you can get off at all doors, you only need to attach the card to the reader when you get off.

If you want to pay cash or use a day pass, you must get off at the door with the conductor.

• Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass - valid on all tram lines
• JR Pass - cannot be used

Public transport buses

An intricate network of bus routes is operated by many carriers, and their websites are usually only available in Japanese.

The central transfer points for many bus lines are at the train station and also at the Bus Center right in the center of Hiroshima.

Buses are only ever boarded through the back door. You must press the red button before getting off.

You only get off at the front door by the driver, where you also pay (when you get off).

You can pay individual fares for 220 jpy in exact cash (you can change a 1,000 yen note at the ticket counter) or with transport cards (see details above).

• Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass - valid on all bus lines
• JR Pass - cannot be used

Tourist sightseeing buses

The most practical option for tourists are the special sightseeing buses operated by JR Chugoku.

The fare is the same as for regular city buses and is 220 jpy. You can pay with cash or transport cards (but not your own credit card).

• Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass - valid on all tourist bus lines
• JR Pass - valid on all tourist bus lines

For overview information, please visit the official website: chugoku-jrbus.co.jp.

Tourist buses operate on three routes. All lines are circular and therefore only run in the direction indicated:

• Lemon Route - Hiroshima Railway Station (Shinkansen Entrance) -> Shukkeien Garden -> Hiroshima Castle -> Bus Center -> A-Bomb Dome -> Peace Museum -> Hiroshima Railway Station
  • Frequency - 10 to 20 minutes
  • Runs from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Green Route - Hiroshima Railway Station (Shinkansen Entrance) -> Nagarekawa -> Bus Center -> A-Bomb Dome -> Peace Museum -> Nagarekawa -> Shukkeien Garden -> Hiroshima Railway Station
  • Frequency - 60 minutes
  • Runs from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
• Orange Route - Hiroshima Railway Station (Shinkansen Entrance) -> Shukkeien Garden -> Hiroshima Castle -> Bus Center -> A-Bomb Dome -> Peace Museum -> A-Bomb Dome -> Bus Center -> Nagarekawa -> Museum of Contemporary Art -> Hiroshima Railway Station
  • Frequency - 60 minutes
  • Runs from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Train

Use the JR local and suburban trains to get to Miyajima-guchi Pier, for example. The train runs faster than the Line 2 tram from the city centre, but it does not have a full-day public transport ticket.

Conversely, the JR Pass or JR West Pass is valid for all trains within Hiroshima and the surrounding area.

If you buy a separate ticket, you will first find your destination station on the map above each ticket machine, find the price, and then select it on the machine screen.

Payment can only be made in cash.

• Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass - cannot be used
• JR Pass - valid on all train lines

Taxi

Hiroshima's streets are lined with a large number of taxis that you can flag down anywhere near the tourist sites.

Hiroshima also has mobile apps such as Uber and DiDi, but you can only hail a regular taxi.

The price for taxis and the Uber or DiDi apps is always the same and is calculated according to the taximeter.

You can pay by card through the Uber and Didi apps, and usually also for regular taxis, but some taxi drivers only accept cash.

Metro Astram

Hiroshima operates one classic underground subway line called Astram.

From a tourist point of view, the Hiroshima subway is not of much importance as it does not go to any attractions or the main train station.

The subway line starts in downtown Hiroshima in the Hondori district and continues to the northern suburbs. Only use the subway if you can find cheap accommodation outside the centre.

Fares

Metro tickets can be purchased from the ticket machine at each station, and can only be paid in cash.

The system is similar to local trains. Use the fare map above the machine to find your station, find the amount, then select it on the machine screen and pay.

You insert the paper ticket into the turnstile when you enter the platform. The turnstile will return the ticket to you. Keep it for the whole journey, as you must again insert the ticket into the turnstile when you leave the platform.

On the subway, you can also pay your fare with one of the 10 Japanese transport cards by attaching it to the turnstile.

• Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass - cannot be used
• JR Pass - cannot be used

Ferries to the islands in Hiroshima Bay

In addition to Miyajima Island, which is the focus of a separate article Ferries to Miyajima, there are several other islands in Hiroshima Bay.

All ferries depart from the main harbour, which can be reached by tram lines 1, 5, 7 or bus 21.

For information on routes with links to the websites of specific shipping companies, visit the city's official website: city.hiroshima.lg.jp.

You can buy ferry tickets at the ticket office or at the ticket machine in the dock lobby.

Book accommodation on Etajima Island

Examples of routes:

• Hiroshima - Matsuyama
  • 9x daily
  • 8 000 jpy
• Hiroshima - Etajima Koyo
  • 1-2 times per hour
  • 1 080 jpy
• Hiroshima - Etajima Takata, Nakamachi
  • 1-2 times per hour
  • 980 jpy
• Hiroshima - Mitaka
  • 1x per hour
  • 690 jpy
• Hiroshima - Ninoshima
  • 1x per hour
  • 450 jpy
• Hiroshima - Kure
  • 4x per day
  • 2 500 jpy