Hiroshima

Getting there & away

Hiroshima’s main airport (848-86-8151; 64-31 Hiraiwa, Zennyuji, Hongo-chō, Mihara-shi) is 40km east of the city, with bus connections to/from Hiroshima station (¥1300, 48 minutes). There are flights to/from all of Japan’s major cities and international flights to Seoul, Dalian, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Bangkok and Guam. Hiroshima Nishi airport (822-95-2650; 4-10-2 Kannon Shin-machi, Nishi-ku) is 4km southwest of the city centre on the coast. It handles more regional services, and there are buses to/from Hiroshima station (¥240).

Hiroshima is an important stop on the Tokyo–Osaka–Hakata shinkansen route. The trip from Hiroshima to Hakata (Fukuoka) takes 1¼ hours and costs ¥8700; to Shin-Osaka (Osaka) it’s 1½ hours (¥9950), and to Tokyo five hours (¥18, 050).

The JR San-yō line passes through Hiroshima onwards to Shimonoseki, hugging the coastline much of the way. The ordinary local services move along fairly quickly and are the best way to visit the nearby attractions of Miyajima and Iwakuni. Long-distance buses connect Hiroshima with all the major cities. Buses depart from the Hiroshima Bus Center, located on the 3rd floor between the Sogo and AQ’A shopping centres by the Kamiya-cho Nishi streetcar stop.

Hiroshima is an important port with ferry connections to other cities. The Hiroshima to Matsuyama ferry (¥2500 to ¥2900, 2¾ hours, 10 daily) and hydrofoil (¥6300, 68 minutes, 15 daily) services are a popular way of getting to/from Shikoku.