Hiroshima Transportation

Getting There:

By Air:

The Hiroshima Airport (+81 0848 86 8151/ http://www.hij.airport.jp/) offers service into the city from Tokyo and select international destinations from airlines including:

Air China International (+81 082 544 8888/ http://www.airchina.com.cn/) All Nippon Airways (+81 0120 029 222/ http://www.ana.co.jp/) Asiana Airlines (+81 082 246 9900/ http://us.flyasiana.com/) China Airlines (+81 082 542 0882/ http://www.china-airlines.com/) China Eastern Airlines (+81 082 245 6623/ http://www.ce-air.com/) China Southern Airlines (+81 082 504 7910/ http://www.cs-air.com/) Continental Airlines (+81 0120 24 2414/ http://www.continental.com/) IBEX Airlines (+81 0120 029 222/ http://www.ibexair.co.jp/) Japan Airlines (+81 0120 25 5971/ http://www.jal.co.jp/)

Buses are available that provide service between the Airport and Hiroshima Station. The trip takes about 50 minutes.

By Train:

The San'yo Shinkansen line from Osaka stops at the major railway station in Hiroshima. The trip from Tokyo via the Shinkansen bullet train takes about 5 hours, and 2 hours from Kyoto.

By Bus:

The all-night bus from Tokyo to Hiroshima is a reasonably priced means of transportation. The bus departs from Tokyo Station every night at 8:00PM and arrives at Hiroshima Station the next morning at 8:00AM.

By Car:

National Highway 191 accesses Hiroshima.

By Water:

High-speed boats and ferries from Matsuyama on Shikoku and Beppu on Kyushu run regular service to Hiroshima.

Getting Around:

Much of the city's main attractions are best seen by foot; however, Hiroshima has an extensive tram system (Hiroden) that runs throughout the city and surrounding areas. The system is quick and reliable, and unlimited riding cards are available. There is also the metro (Astram), which connects western Hiroshima with northern suburbs.

Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Flights from Tokyo's Haneda Airport take about 1 hour and 20 minutes and cost ¥28,300 ($236/£118) to Hiroshima Airport (tel. 0848/86-8151; www.hij.airport.jp), which is also served by flights from Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Bangkok. Limousine Buses connect the airport with Hiroshima Station's Shinkansen (north) exit in 48 minutes, costing ¥1,300 ($11/£5.40) one-way.

By Train -- Hiroshima is about 6 hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train (you have to change trains in Okayama or Osaka if you have a Japan Rail Pass, because only the Nozomi, which is not covered by the pass, covers the entire distance in 4 hr.), 3 hours from Kyoto, and 1 hour and 20 minutes from Hakata Station on Kyushu. The fare from Tokyo is ¥17,540 ($146/£73) for an unreserved seat; ¥10,280 ($86/£43) from Kyoto.

By Bus -- Buses depart from Tokyo Station every night at 8 and 9pm, both reaching Hiroshima Station at 8am the next morning. The one-way fare is ¥11,600 ($97/£48). From Osaka, buses depart six times a day, taking 5 hours to reach Hiroshima and costing ¥5,000 ($42/£21).

By Boat -- You can also reach Hiroshima by high-speed boat from Matsuyama on Shikoku in 1 hour and 10 minutes for ¥6,300 ($53/£27), but slower ferries, which cover the distance in 2 hours and 30 minutes, are cheaper (¥2,900/$24/£12) and provide better views of the Seto Inland Sea. Hiroshima Port, in Ujina, is connected to Hiroshima Station by streetcar in 43 minutes.

Visitor Information

Before leaving Tokyo or the Narita or Kansai airports, pick up a copy of the leaflet "Hiroshima and Miyajima," at the Tourist Information Center. (You can also download it from the Japan National Tourist Organization's website at www.jnto.go.jp by looking under "Browse by Destinations.")

In Hiroshima, you'll find two local tourist offices at Hiroshima Station. The main office (tel. 082/263-6822), at the north exit where Shinkansen bullet trains arrive, is open daily from 9am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 5:30pm. The other tourist office (tel. 082/261-1877), at the station's south exit, is open daily from 9 to 11:30am and 12:30 to 5:30pm. A third tourist office is located in the center of Peace Memorial Park in the Rest House (tel. 082/247-6738; daily 9:30am-6pm Apr-Sept, 8:30am-5pm Oct-Mar). All three facilities have English-language brochures of both Hiroshima and Miyajima with maps. Online information on Hiroshima is available at www.hiroshima-navi.or.jp and www.pref.hiroshima.lg.jp.

Internet Access -- There are coin-operated computers at two locations in Hiroshima Station that cost ¥100 (85¢/45p) for every 15 minutes. They're even equipped with headphones for all you Skype users. Otherwise, most convenient for longer navigation is Media Café Popeye, located in the Hondori covered shopping arcade (tel. 082/545-0369) above a shop called Beams. It's open 24 hours and charges ¥250 ($2.10/£1.05) for the first 30 minutes, then ¥63 (60¢/30p) for each subsequent 10 minutes.

Mail -- Hiroshima's main post office, 2-62 Matsubara-cho (tel. 082/261-6401), is located to the right after exiting from Hiroshima Station's south side. You can get cash from international credit cards here Monday to Saturday 5am to 11:55pm and Sunday 5am to 10pm.

Orientation & Getting Around

One legacy of Hiroshima's total destruction was its rebirth into one of Japan's most navigable cities, with wide, open boulevards instead of the usual cramped streets. Hiroshima's main attractions, including Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima Castle, Shukkei-en Garden, Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, and Hiroshima Museum of Art, lie to the west and southwest of Hiroshima Station. The most convenient mode of transportation in the city is streetcar, which costs only ¥150 ($1.25/65p) one-way; children pay half fare. If you need to transfer to another line, ask the driver for a transfer (norikae) card, which you then pass through the card machine upon alighting from the first streetcar and again when boarding the second streetcar. When you arrive at your destination, return the card to the streetcar driver. A 1-day pass, which you can buy from the conductor, costs ¥600 ($5/£2.50). Be sure to pick up a streetcar map from the tourist office.

It's probably easiest to make the circuit to Hiroshima's centrally located attractions on foot. From Hiroshima Station, you can walk to Shukkei-en Garden and the Prefectural Art Museum in about 15 minutes, from which it's another 10-minute walk to Hiroshima Castle. You can walk onward to Peace Memorial Park in about 15 minutes, passing the Hiroshima Museum of Art and the A-Bomb Dome on the way. Just east of Peace Park is the Hondori covered shopping arcade and its neighboring streets, considered the heart of the city with its many department stores, shops, and restaurants.