Japan Guide
Western Honshū
Getting around
The city is well served by public transport, with nine tramlines, an extensive network of city buses and the zippy Astram monorail line which transforms into a subway in the city centre, terminating beneath the Hondōri arcade. In practice, however, traffic can make catching a bus or a tram a frustratingly slow business; to get around the central sights quickly, you're often better off walking.
Within the city centre the minimum tram and city bus fares are ¥150. From the station, trams #1 and #5 head south to Hiroshima Port past Hijiyama-kōen, while #2 and #6 head west to the Peace Park and beyond. Tram #9 shuttles back and forth from Hatchobōri past the Shukkei-en garden. If you need to transfer from one tram to another to get to your destination, ask for a norikae-kippu from the driver; drop this in the fare box when you leave the second tram. If you need to transfer again, a second norikae-kippu costs ¥50.
With fares so cheap, neither of the one-day tram tickets is worth buying. A better option is the pre-paid travel card, which can be used on the buses, trams and monorail/subway – the ¥1000 card gets you ¥1100-worth of travel. These cards can only be bought at the tram terminus at Hiroshima Station, the bus centre and the main JTB office on Rijo-dōri.