💰 This page covers the street-level details of spending money in Hiroshima: the ferry, tax and rail-pass puzzle at the Miyajima pier, the okonomiyaki counters that run on cash, and how the streetcars take payment. For Japan-wide ATM tips, DCC warnings, tipping norms, and exchange rate advice:
Read the Japan Money Guide →🎧 Order Yen Before You Fly
Land with yen for the counters and shrines. Insured delivery, 2–5 day shipping.
Order JPY → CEI Currency ExchangeDo You Need Cash in Hiroshima?
Yes, like most of Japan outside Tokyo's department stores. Hiroshima's hotels, chain restaurants, the station and the big shops take cards, but the city's signature food is cooked on a hotplate in front of you at small counters, many of which are cash-only, and Miyajima's street stalls and shrine offices are the same. Carry ¥10,000 to ¥15,000 for a two-day visit, and the Japan money guide explains which machines work with a foreign card.
Where You Will Need Cash
Okonomiyaki counters, including many of the stalls in Okonomi-mura. Izakayas and small bars in Nagarekawa and Shintenchi. Miyajima's street food: grilled oysters, momiji manju cakes and deep-fried versions of them. Temple and shrine entry, prayer plaques and charms. Small museums and gardens, some of which have ticket machines that take only coins and notes. Coin lockers at the station and the Miyajima ferry pier.
Where Cards Work Fine
Hotels and department stores such as Fukuya and Sogo. JR ticket offices and machines at Hiroshima Station. The station building's shops and restaurants. Convenience stores. Chain restaurants and cafés along Hondori. The Peace Memorial Museum. The Miyajima ropeway. Taxis, most of which now take cards. Compared with Kyoto, Hiroshima has fewer cash-only temples, but more cash-only food counters.
Paying by Card in Hiroshima
Visa is the most widely accepted foreign card in Japan, followed closely by Mastercard; JCB is ubiquitous and American Express works at larger businesses. Contactless card payment is spreading but many small places still have no terminal at all. The visible sign is a sticker by the door or the till: no sticker, assume cash.
Hondori & Hatchobori
Hiroshima's covered shopping arcade and the department-store district at its eastern end. Chains, drugstores, fashion shops and the department stores all take cards. The arcade's older family shops and the tiny cafés behind it are more mixed.
Peace Memorial Park
The memorial park, the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Museum, which charges a low admission fee and accepts cards at the ticket desk. The park and the Dome are free. The river cruise boats that leave from the park's edge sell tickets at small kiosks where cash is quicker.
Okonomi-mura & Shintenchi
A building near Hondori with floors of individual okonomiyaki counters, each run separately. Some take cards, many do not, and you pay at the counter when you finish. The surrounding Shintenchi streets hold small bars and noodle shops, cash-leaning after dark.
Hiroshima Station & ekie
The shinkansen station and its shopping and dining complex. Card-friendly throughout, including the okonomiyaki restaurants on the station's restaurant floors, which are the easy choice if you want the dish without worrying about cash.
Miyajima Omotesando
The shopping street leading from the ferry pier towards Itsukushima Shrine. Sit-down restaurants and larger souvenir shops take cards; the stalls grilling oysters and selling momiji manju mostly want cash. The shrine's entry fee is paid at the gate.
Nagarekawa
The city's densest nightlife district, packed with small izakayas and bars of eight seats. Many are cash only and some charge a table fee, the otoshi, that arrives as a small plate you did not order. Ask about the charge at the door if in doubt.
The Miyajima Ferry, the Visitor Tax and Which Boat Your Rail Pass Covers
The half-day trip to Miyajima and its floating torii gate is the most popular excursion from Hiroshima, and it involves three separate money decisions made within a few metres of each other at the pier.
Two ferry companies, one short crossing. From Miyajimaguchi, reached by JR train or by the slower Hiroden streetcar line 2, two operators run ferries of about ten minutes to the island: the JR ferry and Miyajima Matsudai Kisen. Fares are similar and low. The JR ferry is included in the national Japan Rail Pass; the Matsudai boat is not. If you are travelling on a rail pass, use the JR boat and the crossing costs nothing extra.
The visitor tax. Since October 2023 Hatsukaichi city has charged visitors to Miyajima a visitor tax of ¥100 per person per visit, used for the island's upkeep. It is normally collected together with the ferry fare, so most people pay it without noticing. If your ferry ride is covered by a pass, or you arrive another way, you pay it separately at the machines at the pier. An annual option exists for frequent visitors.
The direct boat from the Peace Park. A sightseeing boat runs straight from the Peace Memorial Park to Miyajima in under an hour. It is far more expensive than the train and ferry combined and not covered by any rail pass, but it links the two main sights without a change.
On the island. Itsukushima Shrine charges a modest entry at the gate. Daishō-in temple is free. The Mount Misen ropeway is the largest single cost of the day and takes cards. Everything eaten along the way, from grilled oysters to momiji manju, is cheapest and quickest paid in coins. The island's deer are not for feeding, and the shops have signs asking you not to.
Okonomiyaki Counters: Cash, Queues and the Hiroshima Style
Hiroshima's okonomiyaki is not Osaka's. It is built in layers on the hotplate: a thin crepe, a mountain of cabbage, pork, noodles and a fried egg, pressed together and finished with sauce. You sit at the counter and eat it from the grill with a small spatula. It is a filling meal for around ¥1,000 to ¥1,600.
Many counters are cash only. The classic Hiroshima okonomiyaki shop is a single counter with a husband and wife behind the hotplate, and many have no card terminal. You order, you eat, and you pay at the end, usually in cash. At the multi-floor Okonomi-mura building each stall sets its own policy.
Queues are part of the price. The well-known shops draw long lines at lunch and dinner. A less famous counter a street away is usually excellent and empty. If you want to pay by card and skip the queue, the restaurant floors in the station building have several okonomiyaki restaurants that take cards.
Oysters in winter. Hiroshima Bay produces much of Japan's farmed oysters, at their best from roughly November to March. Grilled oysters from the stalls on Miyajima are sold for cash by the piece or the plate; oyster restaurants in the city are pricier and more likely to take cards.
Paying on the Streetcars and Buses
Hiroden streetcars. Hiroshima's tram network is one of the most extensive in Japan and the easiest way to reach the Peace Park, Hondori and Miyajimaguchi. Within the city a flat fare applies; board at the rear or middle, and pay as you leave at the front, either with coins, dropping the exact fare into the box by the driver, or with a transport IC card. The fare box has a change machine for coins and ¥1,000 notes, but not for larger notes.
The local card is gone; national cards work. Hiroshima's own transit card, PASPY, has been retired. Nationwide IC cards such as ICOCA and Suica, and the mobile versions of them, are accepted on the streetcars and most local buses, and they are the simplest way to ride. Hiroden also sells day passes through its own app, which can pay for themselves if you ride several times, including to Miyajimaguchi.
JR lines and the loop bus. JR trains within the city, including to Miyajimaguchi, are covered by a Japan Rail Pass and accept IC cards. The red and green sightseeing loop buses from the station to the Peace Park and the castle area accept IC cards and cash, and some routes are included in the rail pass.
Taxis are metered, and the great majority now take credit cards and IC cards. A ride across the city centre is inexpensive by international standards.
ATMs in Hiroshima
The Japan guide explains why most Japanese bank machines reject foreign cards and why convenience-store and post office machines do not. In Hiroshima the practical rule is to withdraw on the mainland before Miyajima.
Look for these logos. Both accept foreign cards reliably.
Seven Bank (7-Eleven)
Japan Post BankATM Locations
7-Eleven stores with Seven Bank machines are inside and around Hiroshima Station, along Hondori and throughout the centre, open late or around the clock. Japan Post machines are in the city's post offices, with shorter hours. On Miyajima there are very few machines and their hours follow the island's businesses, so arrive with cash. Japan has no Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner.
⚠ Choose Yen at the Machine
Japanese convenience-store machines sometimes offer to settle the withdrawal in your home currency. Decline and choose yen, because the machine's conversion rate is worse than your card network's. The DCC explainer shows what the offer costs.
Tipping in Hiroshima
Do not tip. As everywhere in Japan, tipping is not expected at restaurants, bars, hotels or in taxis, and staff may run after you to return money left on the counter. Good service is part of the price. Some higher-end restaurants and hotels add a service charge, which appears on the bill, and a few bars add a small table charge. Neither calls for anything extra.
Prices in Hiroshima
Hiroshima is noticeably cheaper than Tokyo or Kyoto for food and hotels, and its main sights are low-cost. The Miyajima day adds up through small amounts.
| Item | Price (JPY) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki | ¥1,000–1,600 | $6.70–10.70 |
| Grilled oysters on Miyajima, per plate | ¥500–1,000 | $3.30–6.70 |
| Momiji manju cake | ¥100–250 | $0.70–1.70 |
| Draft beer in an izakaya | ¥500–700 | $3.30–4.70 |
| Streetcar ride within the city | around ¥200 | around $1.35 |
| JR ferry to Miyajima, one way | around ¥200 | around $1.35 |
| Miyajima visitor tax | ¥100 | $0.70 |
| Itsukushima Shrine entry | around ¥300 | around $2 |
| Mount Misen ropeway, return | around ¥2,000 | around $13.30 |
| Peace Memorial Museum entry | around ¥200 | around $1.35 |
| Direct boat Peace Park to Miyajima, one way | ¥2,000–2,500 | $13.30–16.70 |
| Mid-range hotel night | ¥9,000–18,000 | $60–120 |
USD estimates use approximately $1 = ¥150. Rates fluctuate. Fares and entry fees are the adult prices and change from time to time.
Day Trips from Hiroshima
Miyajima (about an hour by train and ferry)
Covered in detail above. Use the JR ferry if you hold a rail pass, expect the ¥100 visitor tax, take cash for the food stalls and the shrine, and time the torii gate for high tide if you want the floating photograph.
Iwakuni and the Kintai Bridge (about an hour)
A five-arched wooden bridge in neighbouring Yamaguchi prefecture. Crossing it requires a ticket from the booth at the entrance, sometimes sold together with the ropeway and castle. The booth takes cash more readily than cards; the ice cream shops at the far end, famous for dozens of flavours, want coins.
Onomichi and the Shimanami Kaido (about 90 minutes)
A hillside temple town and the start of the cycling route across the islands to Shikoku. Bicycle rental near the station takes cards at the larger operators and asks for a deposit. The route's small island cafés and citrus stalls are largely cash. The bridges have long been free for cyclists under a promotional scheme; check before you go.
Kure (about 40 minutes)
A naval port with the Yamato Museum, dedicated to the battleship built there, and a submarine you can walk through. The museum takes cards; the harbour's old-style restaurants selling navy curry are more mixed. An easy half day on a JR train covered by a rail pass.
Hiroshima Quick Reference
| Destination | Cards? | Cash Needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Station, department stores, hotels | ✅ Everywhere | Not needed | Card-friendly okonomiyaki in the station |
| Okonomiyaki counters | ❌ Often cash | ¥1,000–2,000 | Pay at the end |
| Miyajima ferries | ✅ IC card / ❌ coins | About ¥300 with the tax | JR ferry free with a rail pass |
| Miyajima food stalls and shrine | ❌ Cash | ¥2,000–4,000 | Few machines on the island |
| Hiroden streetcars | ✅ IC card | Coins or ¥1,000 notes | Pay as you leave |
| Nagarekawa izakayas | ❌ Often cash | ¥3,000–5,000 | Watch for a table charge |
| ATMs | 7-Eleven and Japan Post | Withdraw on the mainland | Most bank ATMs reject foreign cards |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need cash in Hiroshima?
Yes. Hotels, department stores, the station and chain restaurants take cards, but many okonomiyaki counters, small izakayas, Miyajima's food stalls and some shrine and museum ticket windows are cash only. Carry 10,000 to 15,000 yen for a two-day visit, and top up at a 7-Eleven or Japan Post machine.
How much is the Miyajima visitor tax?
100 yen per person per visit, charged since October 2023. It is usually collected together with the ferry fare, so most visitors pay it automatically. If your ferry is covered by a pass, or you arrive another way, you pay it separately at the machines at the pier.
Is the Miyajima ferry covered by the Japan Rail Pass?
The JR ferry is; the Miyajima Matsudai Kisen ferry, which leaves from the same area of Miyajimaguchi, is not. The direct sightseeing boat from the Peace Memorial Park is not covered either. With a rail pass, take a JR train to Miyajimaguchi and the JR boat across.
Can I pay by card for okonomiyaki in Hiroshima?
Sometimes. Many traditional counters, including a good share of the stalls in the Okonomi-mura building, are cash only, and you pay at the counter when you finish. The okonomiyaki restaurants in the Hiroshima Station building are the easiest place to eat it and pay by card.
How do I pay on Hiroshima's streetcars?
Pay as you get off at the front. Drop the exact fare in coins into the box, using the change machine for coins or 1,000-yen notes, or tap a nationwide IC card such as ICOCA or Suica. The old local PASPY card has been retired. Day passes are sold through the operator's app.
Are there ATMs on Miyajima?
Very few, with limited hours tied to the island's businesses, and they are not a plan for a busy day. Withdraw yen at a 7-Eleven or Japan Post machine in Hiroshima or at Miyajimaguchi before taking the ferry, and carry cash for the food stalls and the shrine.
Pay Smart in Hiroshima
The Wise card converts at the real mid-market rate with no markup, and works at 7-Eleven ATMs, the JR ticket machines and every card-accepting counter in the city. Keep yen for the okonomiyaki grills and Miyajima.
Get the Wise Card →Hero photo: the Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima Peace Memorial, by Oilstreet, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.