Hiroshima Life and Visitor Travel Tips

(Hiroshima, Chugoku, Western Honshu, Japan)

Visitors will immediately feel at home in Hiroshima, and whilst this large city is amongst Japan's biggest offerings, with a population exceeding one million, the city centre is fairly easy to traverse, by using the main sights and buildings. The JR Hiroshima Station is a particularly useful point of reference, together with the Peace Memorial Park and also the prominent east-west Peace Boulevard thoroughfare (Heiwa-Odori).

A good place to begin your visit is at one of the city's tourist offices, where you will find plenty of information about local life and the recommended sights. You will find two separate tourist information offices in the JR Hiroshima Station, one of which is situated at the northern exit and the other one on the southern side. Both are open on a daily basis between 09:00 and 17:30, and can be contacted on: +81 082 261 1877. English-speaking staff are on hand to assist with finding available accommodation and also to provide information about the city's port of Ujina. Here are some travel tips about life in Hiroshima.

Useful Contact Details

For information about both the city and the nearby island of Miyajima, pay a visit to the Hiroshima Rest House. This centre is also a good place to pick up the popular 'Seto Inland Sea Welcome Card', which entitles you to great discounts at many of the attractions around the prefectures of Hiroshima, Ehime and also Yamaguchi.

Nearby, the International Exchange Lounge is also located in Peace Memorial Park and contains English newspapers, magazines, a library and also a study area, all of which are particularly targeted at visitors staying in the city. The Central Post Office is located near to the Shiyakusho-mae tram stop and is a good place to exchange your money, with foreign currency exchange available between the hours of 09:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday.

Hiroshima Rest House
Address: Peace Memorial Park, Motoyasubashi, Hiroshima, Japan, JP
Tel: +81 082 247 6738
Open hours: daily, April to September - 09:30 to 18:00, October to March - 08:30 to 17:00

International Exchange Lounge
Address: Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan, JP
Tel: +81 082 247 9715
Open hours: daily, May to November - 09:00 to 19:00, December to April - 10:00 to 18:00

Central Post Office
Address: close to the Shiyakusho-mae tram stop, Hiroshima, Japan, JP
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 09:00 to 19:00, Saturday - 09:00 to 17:00, Sunday - 09:00 to 12:30

Language and Dialect

Tourists staying in the city of Hiroshima should not expect the locals to be fluent in English. This is far from true, with only a handful of locals being able to communicate in English, although most hotel receptionists know enough to get by. Instead, try a little of their lingo and bring a pocket-sized Japanese phrasebook - you will soon wonder how you could possibly manage without it as you immerse yourself in the city's local culture. Useful Japanese phrases to use in Hiroshima are as follows:

I am looking for a... - ... o sagashite imasu
Bank - ginko
Post office - taishi-kan
Market - ichiba
Where can I buy an English-language newspaper? - eiji shinbun wa doko de kaemasu ka?
I would like a beer please - nama biru o hitotsu onegaishimasu

Visa Information and Passports

Most visitors travelling to Hiroshima will not need to arrange a visa prior to arriving in Japan, unless you intend to work during your stay or remain in the country for over six months. When you fly into Japan, you will find that you will automatically received a temporary visa, otherwise known as 'tanki-taizai'.