Hiroshima’s public transport system includes buses, trams, a single metro line and trains.

The city centre is easy to explore on foot, and if you prefer the most flexible form of transport, taxis are available on virtually every corner.

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Fares and tickets

There are several ticket options for travelling around Hiroshima.

One-day and multi-day passes

The most convenient option is to buy a tourist pass valid for 1, 2 or 3 days. To make it good value for money, you’ll need to travel at least four times a day or use the tram and ferry to Miyajima Island.

The pass is called Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass:

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

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

Furthermore, upon presentation of the pass, you are entitled to small discounts at most attractions (the discount is usually between 60 jpy and 150 jpy).

Where is the Hiroshima Tourist Pass valid?

You can use the pass on the following transport services:

• All tram routes (Hiroden Streetcar)
• All city buses (Hiroden Bus, Hiroshima Bus, HirokoGroup, GeiyoBus, Chugoku JR Bus, HD Nishi-Hiroshima, Bon Bus)
• JR Chugoku sightseeing buses (all routes – Orange, Lemon and Green)
• Ferries to Miyajima Island (only from Miyajima-guchi pier, which can be reached by taking tram line 2 for a 60-minute journey from the city centre)
  • Miyajima Matsudai Kisen Ferry
  • JR West Miyajima Ferry

Where is the Hiroshima Tourist Pass not valid?

You cannot use one-day or multi-day tickets with the following transport operators:

• Trains (not valid on the JR suburban line to Miyajima-guchi Ferry Terminal either)
• Astram Metro
• Buses to Hiroshima Airport ( HIJ)
• Long-distance buses
• Commercial ferries to Miyajima Island from Hiroshima city centre or Hiroshima Port
• When travelling to Miyajima Island, the ticket does not include the tourist tax 100 jpy, which you must pay in cash before boarding the ferry

Where can you buy the Hiroshima Tourist Pass?

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

• Hiroshima Railway Station
• Bus Centre

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

You must always show your paper ticket or a screenshot on your mobile phone to the tram or bus driver when alighting, or to the ferry staff before boarding.

Single-journey fares

If you won’t be travelling very often, it isn’t worth buying the Hiroshima Tourist Pass.

Single fares are valid for one journey only, and if you change services, you will need to buy another ticket.

• Flat-rate fare within the city for trams 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 – 220 jpy
• Fare from the city centre to the Miyajima-guchi ferry terminal on tram line 2 – 270 jpy
• Flat-rate fare for tram line 9 – 160 jpy
• Flat-rate fare for city and tourist buses – 220 jpy
• Fares for suburban trains – based on the number of stations (for example, from the city centre to Miyajimaguchi, you’ll pay 420 jpy)
• Astram metro fares – based on the number of stations (190 jpy to 420 jpy)
• Ferry fares from Miyajimaguchi pier – 180 jpy
• Ferry fares from the city centre – 2 220 jpy

We provide detailed information on transport to Miyajima Island in a separate article.

How do I pay the fare?

On trams and buses, you can pay for your ticket in cash into the fare box with the driver as you alight.

For ferries and trains, fares must be paid in cash at the ticket office or a ticket machine before boarding.

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

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

When paying with these cards in Hiroshima, there is no discount compared to paying in cash.

Where can I buy a travel card?

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

You can buy them from vending machines at train and Astram metro stations, as well as at tourist information offices at the railway station and the Bus Centre.

These cards cost 500 jpy and can then be topped up with any amount of money, which is deducted as you travel.

Cards purchased in Hiroshima can be topped up and used throughout Japan.

JR Pass

The JR Pass, a very popular network ticket for JR trains in Japan, is also valid on some city lines in Hiroshima.

You can use either the JR Pass or the cheaper JR West Pass here.

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

• JR suburban and local trains (for example, for journeys from the city centre to Miyajimaguchi Ferry Terminal or the Mazda Museum)
• The ferry to Miyajima Island (JR West Ferry only – red turnstiles)
• JR Chugoku sightseeing buses (all routes – Orange, Lemon and Green)

Trams and buses

To get around Hiroshima city centre and to the ferry terminals on Miyajima, you will mainly use trams and city buses.

You can use an all-day or 2-day tourist pass on all trams and city buses; see the details above.

The tram network is much easier to navigate, as it is operated by a single company, Hiroden Streetcar, and comprises a total of seven routes. Unlike bus routes, tram routes are also shown on most tourist maps.

Bus routes are operated by several different operators, and it is very difficult to find route maps for the city. However, bus stops, including route numbers and the next departures, are shown on Google.com/maps.

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Hiroden Streetcar – Trams

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

The following tram routes are most useful for tourists:

• Lines 1 and 2 – connect the main railway station with the city centre and the bus station (Bus Centre)
• Route 2 – connects Hiroshima city centre with the ferry terminal for Miyajima Island, a 60-minute journey away (Miyajimaguchi stop)
• Routes 2, 3, 6 and 7 – pass by the A-Bomb Dome
• Routes 1 and 7 – connect the city centre and the Bus Centre with Hiroshima Harbour
• Route 5 – connects the railway station with Hiroshima Harbour

For detailed information, visit the official website:hiroden.co.jp.

You can board the tram through any of the doors. If you are using one of the 10 Japanese transport cards, you can alight through any of the doors; simply tap your card on the reader when you alight.

If you wish to pay in cash or are using a day pass, you must alight at a door where a conductor is present.

• Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass – valid on all tram routes
• JR Pass – cannot be used

Public transport buses

The complex network of bus routes is operated by numerous transport companies, and their websites are usually available only in Japanese.

The main interchange points for many bus routes are at the railway station and also at the Bus Centre right in the centre of Hiroshima.

You must always board buses via the rear door. Before alighting, you must press the red button.

You alight only via the front door next to the driver, where you also pay (upon alighting).

You can pay the single fare for the ‘ 220 jpy ’ in exact cash (you can get change for a 1,000-yen note from the ticket machine) or using transport cards (see details above).

• Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass – valid on all bus routes
• JR Pass – cannot be used

Tourist sightseeing buses

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

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

• Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass – valid on all sightseeing bus routes
• JR Pass – valid on all sightseeing bus routes

You can find a clear overview on the official website:chugoku-jrbus.co.jp.

The sightseeing buses operate on three routes. All routes are circular and therefore always run in the direction indicated:

• Lemon Route – Hiroshima Railway Station (Shinkansen Entrance) -> Shukkeien Garden -> Hiroshima Castle-> Bus Centre -> A-Bomb Dome -> Peace Memorial Museum -> Hiroshima Railway Station
  • Frequency – every 10 to 20 minutes
  • Runs from 9.00 to 18.00
• Green Route – Hiroshima Railway Station (Shinkansen Entrance) -> Nagarekawa -> Bus Centre -> A-Bomb Dome -> Peace Memorial Museum->Nagarekawa->Shukkeien Garden -> Hiroshima Railway Station
  • Frequency – every 60 minutes
  • Runs from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm
• Orange Route – Hiroshima Railway Station (Shinkansen Entrance) -> Shukkeien Garden -> Hiroshima Castle-> Bus Centre -> A-Bomb Dome -> Peace Memorial Museum ->A-Bomb Dome-> Bus Centre ->Nagarekawa-> Museum of Contemporary Art -> Hiroshima Railway Station
  • Frequency – every 60 minutes
  • Runs from 10.00 to 17.00

Train

You can use JR local and suburban trains, for example, to travel to Miyajima-guchi Pier. The train is faster than Tram Line 2 from the city centre, but the all-day public transport pass is not valid on it.

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

If you’re buying a single ticket, first find your destination station on the map above each ticket machine, check the fare, and then select it on the machine’s screen.

Payment is by cash only.

• Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass – not valid
• JR Pass – valid on all train lines

Taxis

There are plenty of taxis on the streets of Hiroshima; you can hail one anywhere near the tourist attractions.

The Uber and DiDi apps also work in Hiroshima, but they can only be used to book a standard taxi.

The fare for taxis and via the Uber or DiDi apps is always the same and is calculated by the meter.

You can pay by card via the Uber and DiDi apps; this is usually possible with regular taxis as well, though some taxi drivers only accept cash.

Astram Metro

Hiroshima operates a single line of conventional underground metro known as the Astram.

From a tourist’s point of view, the metro in Hiroshima isn’t particularly useful, as it doesn’t go to any major attractions or even the main railway station.

The metro line starts in the centre of Hiroshima in the Hondori district and continues to the northern suburbs. You’ll only need to use the metro if you find cheap accommodation outside the city centre.

Fares

You can buy metro tickets from a ticket machine at every station; payment is by cash only.

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

Insert the paper ticket into the turnstile when entering the platform. The turnstile will return the ticket to you. Keep it with you for the entire journey, as you will need to insert it into the turnstile again when leaving the platform.

On the metro, you can also pay your fare using one of the 10 Japanese transport cards by tapping it against the turnstile.

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

Ferries to the islands in Hiroshima Bay

As well as Miyajima Island, which we cover in a separate article, ‘Ferries to Miyajima’, there are several other small islands in Hiroshima Bay.

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

Information on routes, with links to the websites of the specific ferry companies, can be found on the official city website:city.hiroshima.lg.jp.

You can buy ferry tickets at the ticket office or from a ticket machine in the ferry terminal hall.

Book accommodation on Etajima Island

Example routes:

• Hiroshima – Matsuyama
  • 9 times a day
  • 8 000 jpy
• Hiroshima – Etajima Koyo
  • 1–2 times an hour
  • 1 080 jpy
• Hiroshima – Etajima Takata, Nakamachi
  • 1–2 times per hour
  • 980 jpy
• Hiroshima – Mitaka
  • Once an hour
  • 690 jpy
• Hiroshima – Ninoshima
  • Once an hour
  • 450 jpy
• Hiroshima – Kure
  • 4 times a day
  • 2 500 jpy