Hiroshima City has its own airport, but it serves mostly domestic flights and a few to and from Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Seoul (Incheon) and Singapore. A great fraction of Hiroshima visitors reach the city via two other airports: Kansai Airport in Osaka and Fukuoka Airport.
Between the two, Fukuoka Airport is much closer, but Kansai Airport is more internationally connected. Many travelers also visit Hiroshima as part of a larger Japan itinerary that also includes a stop in Osaka.
In this article, we’ll tackle how to get to Hiroshima from Osaka city center and Kansai International Airport. If you’re coming in via Fukuoka Airport, we have a separate post for that. Read: FUKUOKA AIRPORT TO HIROSHIMA.
WHICH IS BETTER: BUS OR TRAIN?
That depends on what you value more: time or money? The bus is much, much cheaper, but it also takes much, much longer, up to 6 hours. The bullet train is super expensive, but it can carry you to Hiroshima for as fast as 1.5 hours. (You can also take regular non-bullet trains to Hiroshima but it’s too complicated with too many transfers and too slow, so let’s not discuss that option.)
Whatever you choose, the first thing you need to do is make your way to Osaka city center. At the city center, there are four main points where you can board a bus or train to Hiroshima.
- Shin-Osaka Station (Train). Emphasis on SHIN, not to be confused with Osaka Station. In Japanese, shin means “new” so it translates to New Osaka Station. This is where you’ll find bullet trains bound for Hiroshima.
- Osaka Station (Train/Bus). This is both a train station and a bus terminal. If you’re taking the bullet train, you can take a regular train to Shin-Osaka Station and take the shinkansen from there. If you’re taking the bus, you’ll find the JR Express Bus Terminal on the north side of Osaka Station.
- Umeda Sky Building (Bus). On the ground floor of Umeda Sky Building is the Willer Bus main office and main bus stop in Osaka. Willer Bus also plies Osaka-Hiroshima route.
- OCAT (Bus). At the Osaka City Air Terminal in Namba, you’ll also find buses to Hiroshima, operated by Chugoku JR Bus Company.
Depending on your preferred mode of transportation, catch a bus/train bound for Hiroshima at any of the stations mentioned above. Here are the details.
OSAKA TO HIROSHIMA BY TRAIN
The Sanyo Shinkansen Line connects Shin-Osaka Station to Hiroshima Station, which is the main railway station in Hiroshima. There are four types of bullet trains that you can board: Mizuho, Nozomi, Hikari, and Sakura.
- The Nozomi and Mizuho trains are the fastest. They can take you to Hiroshima in only 85 minutes. But they’re NOT covered by the JR Pass.
- The Sakura train can swoosh you to Hiroshima in only 89 minutes. JR Pass is accepted here.
- The Hikari train’s travel time is 133 minutes. JR Pass is accepted here.
Fare for any of these trains is ¥9710 including cost of an UNRESERVED seat.
If you choose to not reserve a seat, make sure you’re boarding an UNRESERVED car. Reserved cars have a higher price tag and you can be penalized if you’re caught occupying a reserved seat on an unreserved ticket.
JR KANSAI HIROSHIMA AREA PASS
If your itinerary includes the Kansai Region (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Himeji) and Hiroshima, the pass to consider is JR Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass. It will allow you unlimited travel on select JR trains including non-reserved Sanyo Shinkansen (Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima), non-reserved express trains like Haruka, Thunderbird, Kuroshio, Kounotori and more, and rapid, special rapid and local trains on the JR West network. It also covers JR West Miyajima ferry.
This is an awesome deal. The shinkansen ride from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima alone is already almost ¥10,000, one way. But this pass costs only ¥13,500 and it gives you access to a lot more.
Price: ¥13,500
Validity: 5 days
OSAKA TO HIROSHIMA BY BUS
OSAKA STATION TO HIROSHIMA BY BUS
Osaka Station houses the JR Express Bus Terminal on the north side. Here you’ll find buses that can take you to Hiroshima City. At the bus terminal, you’ll find a ticketing area. Just tell the staff that you’re going to Hiroshima, how many you are in the group, and what time you would like to leave. Day buses and a couple of overnight buses are available.
DAY BUS
Travel time: 5-6 hours
Fare: ¥4300
OVERNIGHT BUS
Travel time: 7 to 7.5 hours
Fare: ¥6400 to ¥7700
The good thing about taking the night bus is that you’ll also save a hotel night!
UMEDA SKY BUILDING TO HIROSHIMA BY WILLER BUS
At the base of Umeda Sky Building’s East Tower is the main stop of Willer Bus in Osaka. You can catch a bus here that can take you to Hiroshima. Our team has tried this too. Day and overnight buses are available.
DAY BUS
Travel time: 5-6 hours
Fare: ¥3360 to ¥4700
OVERNIGHT BUS
Travel time: 7 to 7.5 hours
Fare: ¥3360 to ¥6900
Umeda Sky Building is just a short walk from Osaka Station.
OCAT TO HIROSHIMA BY BUS
If you’re staying in Namba, the closest bus station for Hiroshima is OCAT. However, there are fewer buses here than at Osaka Station. In fact, buses coming from OCAT also stop at Osaka Station.
DAY BUS
Travel time: 6 hours
Fare: ¥4400 to ¥7000
OVERNIGHT BUS
Travel time: 8 hours
Fare: ¥5400 to ¥9000
KANSAI AIRPORT TO HIROSHIMA
If you’re coming from Kansai International Airport, you will need to transfer at any of the the four stations mentioned above. Here’s how.
KANSAI AIRPORT TO SHIN-OSAKA STATION
From the Airport Arrival Hall, walk to the JR Terminal in the adjacent building. Here, you have two options to reach Shin-Osaka Station.
At Shin-Osaka Station, you can catch a bullet train bound for Hiroshima. More details below.
KANSAI AIRPORT TO OCAT BY BUS
You can take the bus to Osaka City Air Terminal (OCAT), which is located in the Namba area. Note that the first bus leaves Terminal 1 at 6:10am, last train at 10:40pm.
Travel time is about 1 hour, but varies depending on the traffic conditions.
- At the Arrival Hall, approach the counter for AIRPORT BUS to OCAT.
- Purchase a ticket to OCAT. Fare: ¥1050. They will need your passport so make sure you have it ready. You will be given both the ticket (white) and a receipt (green).
- Proceed to Departure Platform 11 (or whatever platform number you’re told).
- Wait for the bus at the platform. If you have big bags, the staff will take them and tag them. You will be given a slip that you’ll need to claim your bags upon arrival at OCAT so don’t lose them.
- Board the bus when it arrives. The driver will check your ticket. Find your seat number and get comfy. The travel time is around 1 hour, depending on traffic.
- Alight at OCAT.
That’s it! You’re at OCAT. From here you can walk to your hotel.
If your departure time is beyond 10:40pm, you can take the Nankai midnight bus which is scheduled to leave Terminal 1 at 2:54am, 3:54am, and 4:54am.
KANSAI AIRPORT TO OSAKA STATION BY TRAIN
If your hotel is in the Umeda district, you can take the JR Kansai Airport Express, which will take you directly to Osaka Station (which is located in Umeda).
From the airport’s Arrival Hall, travel on foot to the train terminals on the second floor of the adjacent building. Just take the escalator and use the bridge to get to the other side. The JR Station is just next to the Nankai Station. Make sure you enter the right gate.
- JR KANSAI AIRPORT EXPRESS
This is a regular train. No need to reserve a seat. Just board the train and look for an empty seat.
Travel time: 62-65 minutes
Fare: ¥1190
If your hotel is close to Osaka Station, you can just walk. If your hotel is along a subway line, you can walk to Umeda Subway Station and take the subway to the closest subway station to your hotel.
KANSAI AIRPORT TO OSAKA STATION BY BUS
Take the Airport Limousine Bus, which will have three stops around Osaka Station, the closest being Hotel New Hankyu Osaka.
Travel time is about 1 hour and 15 minutes, which can vary depending on traffic.
- At the Arrival Hall, approach the counter for AIRPORT BUS to OSAKA STATION or UMEDA.
- Purchase a ticket. Fare: ¥1550. They will need your passport so make sure you have it ready.
- Proceed to Departure Platform 5 (or whatever platform number you’re told).
- Wait for the bus at the platform. If you have big bags, the staff will take them and tag them and store them in the luggage compartment below. You will be given a slip that you’ll need to claim your bags after disembarking so don’t lose them.
- Board the bus when it arrives. The driver will check your ticket. Find your seat number. The travel time is around 85 minutes.
- Alight at Hotel New Hankyu then walk to Osaka Station.
KANSAI AIRPORT TO UMEDA SKY BUILDING BY BUS
Take the Airport Limousine Bus, which will have three stops around Osaka Station, the closest being Hotel New Hankyu Osaka.
Travel time is about 1 hour and 15 minutes, which can vary depending on traffic.
- At the Arrival Hall, approach the counter for AIRPORT BUS to OSAKA STATION or UMEDA.
- Purchase a ticket. Fare: ¥1550. They will need your passport so make sure you have it ready.
- Proceed to Departure Platform 5 (or whatever platform number you’re told).
- Wait for the bus at the platform. If you have big bags, the staff will take them and tag them and store them in the luggage compartment below. You will be given a slip that you’ll need to claim your bags after disembarking so don’t lose them.
- Board the bus when it arrives. The driver will check your ticket. Find your seat number. The travel time is around 85 minutes.
- Alight at Hotel New Hankyu.
- Walk to Umeda Sky Building. You’ll be crossing streets and a park. Walk time is about 10 minutes.
At the Umeda Sky Building, find the Willer Bus Express waiting area on the ground floor and buy a ticket or wait for your bus.
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