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You can ride three scenic or sightseeing trips in Hiroshima: etSETOra, a sightseeing train run by JR-West between Hiroshima and Fukuyama, Peace Loop 653, a streetcar tour of the city, and the regular Hiroden streetcars. Streetcar No. 653 in the tour is one of the atomic-bombed streetcars.
etSETOra runs on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays from October 2026 to February 2027. Every seat is reserved, and you pay a ¥3,680 green-car (first-class) ticket on top of the ordinary fare. Peace Loop 653 ends on October 31, and its October runs are on the 10th, 12th, 24th, 25th and 31st. A Hiroden streetcar costs ¥240 for an adult, and the ride from Hiroshima Station to Hiroden-miyajima-guchi takes 66 minutes without a change.
In short
- etSETOra: Hiroshima to Fukuyama via the Kure Line, once a day each way, on Mondays, Fridays and weekends and holidays. You must book before you board (section 1).
- Peace Loop 653: two laps of the city loop in streetcar No. 653, until October 31. Adults ¥3,500, elementary school children ¥1,500, 25 seats (section 2).
- Regular streetcars: ¥240 flat fare, no reservation. A one-day ticket is ¥700 for adults (section 3).
- All three start from Hiroshima Station, so you can mix them on different days (section 4).
Checked with official pages on October 12, 2026.
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Which of the three should I pick?
| Trip | Runs on | Price | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| etSETOra | Mon, Fri, weekends and holidays (not around New Year) | ¥3,680 green-car ticket plus fare | Required (e5489 etc.) |
| Peace Loop 653 | October 10, 12, 24, 25 and 31 (ends October 31) | Adult ¥3,500, elementary school ¥1,500 | Required (Tabimachi Gate Hiroshima) |
| Hiroden streetcars | Every day | ¥240 (one-day ticket ¥700) | Not needed |
1. etSETOra: Hiroshima to Fukuyama along the coast, in reserved green-car seats
Set by JR-West (West Japan Railway Company)
etSETOra leaves Hiroshima Station at 9:32 and reaches Fukuyama at 12:53. The return train leaves Fukuyama at 14:17. It runs once a day each way, on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. The train has two cars, and its design is inspired by the blue of the Seto Inland Sea and the white of its waves. It runs on the Kure Line and stops at Kure, Akitsu, Takehara, Tadanoumi, Mihara and Onomichi (see etSETOra on JR Odekake Net (Japanese)).
Photo sources: JR-West press releases on PR TIMES, March 22, 2024 (Japanese) and August 26, 2023 (Japanese).
| Station | Outbound (Hiroshima to Fukuyama) | Return (Fukuyama to Hiroshima) |
|---|---|---|
| Hiroshima | Departs 9:32 | Arrives 17:22 (17:25 on weekends and holidays) |
| Kure | Departs 10:23 | Departs 16:37 |
| Akitsu | Departs 11:13 | Departs 15:44 |
| Takehara | Departs 11:31 | Departs 15:30 |
| Tadanoumi | Departs 11:42 | Departs 15:19 |
| Mihara | Departs 12:18 | Departs 14:54 |
| Onomichi | Departs 12:35 | Departs 14:38 |
| Fukuyama | Arrives 12:53 | Departs 14:17 |
Which days does it run?
The table below follows the calendar on JR Odekake Net for October 2026 to February 2027. The train does not run from December 28 to January 7. It can be cancelled in bad weather or after a natural disaster, so check JR-West’s train operation information on the day. JR-West announced the operating plan on May 29, 2026 (PDF, Japanese).
| Month | Days it runs |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, 31 |
| November | 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30 |
| December | 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27 |
| January 2027 | 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31 |
| February | 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28 |
How do I book, and what does it cost?
You need your ordinary ticket (乗車券) plus a green-car reserved-seat ticket for an ordinary train (普通列車指定席グリーン券). The green-car ticket is ¥3,680 for an adult and ¥2,690 for a child, and the price is the same going out and coming back.
The train is a one-person-operated train, and reserved-seat tickets cannot be issued on board, so buy yours before you board. You can buy them on JR-West’s online booking site e5489 (Japanese), at the main JR stations across Japan, and at travel agencies (see etSETOra reservations (Japanese)).
Can I order sweets on board?
On the outbound train you can order a box of sweets called Seto no Kobako. The Japanese-style (Shungetsu Kagura) and Western-style (Castanea) sets are ¥2,250, and the sweets and savories set from Hotel Granvia Hiroshima is ¥3,700. Each comes with coffee or sencha tea. You order up to 4 days before boarding in JR-West’s app, tabiwa by WESTER (Japanese).
The sweets are served between Kure and Akitsu. If you get off at Kure, or board at Akitsu or a station after it, you cannot order them. On the return train there are chocolates (marco) and baked sweets (Dolce Yogashiten) at ¥2,200 each, and the bar counter is open only between Mihara and Kure.
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2. Peace Loop 653: two laps of the city loop in an atomic-bombed streetcar
Set by Hiroshima Electric Railway (Hiroden)
Peace Loop 653 is a tour in atomic-bombed streetcar No. 653, run by Hiroden on weekends, holidays and some other days from August 2 to October 31, 2026. It leaves Hiroshima Station and goes around the loop line twice. If you get off at Matobacho on the second lap, the tour takes about 40 minutes. If you ride back to Hiroshima Station, it takes about 90 minutes (see Hiroden’s announcement of July 9, 2026 (Japanese)).
Photo source: Hiroden press release on PR TIMES, July 9, 2026 (Japanese).
There are 20 runs in all. The October runs are on the 10th, 12th, 24th, 25th and 31st, and all of them leave Hiroshima Station at 10:30, according to Hiroden’s press release on PR TIMES (Japanese).
A ticket is ¥3,500 for an adult (junior high school age and over) and ¥1,500 for a child (elementary school), and children under elementary school age are free. The tour has 25 places. You book on the Tabimachi Gate Hiroshima booking site (Japanese). If seats are left, you can also sign up on the day from 30 minutes before departure near the streetcar stop at Hiroshima Station, and payment is in cash only. Participants receive a tablet with prewar and postwar footage and a two-day Hiroshima Tabi Pass for unlimited rides, among other items.
Can I get off along the way?
On the second lap you can get off at Matobacho, Hatchobori, Hondori, Hiroden-honsha-mae or Hijiyama-shita. Getting off ends the tour, and you cannot board again.
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3. Hiroden streetcars: Miyajima without changing, plus a loop line that opened in 2026
Set by Hiroshima Electric Railway (Hiroden)
Line 2 goes from Hiroshima Station to Hiroden-miyajima-guchi without a change. The ride takes 66 minutes, and trains come every 10 minutes during the day. The fare is a flat ¥240 for adults on both the city lines and the Miyajima Line. For ways to pay, see our guide to Hiroshima streetcar and bus fares. Since the timetable change on March 28, 2026, two express runs on Line 2 (7:40 and 8:03) leave Hiroshima Station on weekday mornings (see routes (Japanese) and the March 28 timetable change (Japanese)).
The same change created the circular line (L). It runs from Hiroden-honsha-mae through Minami-machi rokuchome (皆実町六丁目), Hijiyama-shita, Matobacho and Kamiya-cho-higashi. A lap takes 44 minutes, and trains come every 25 minutes during the day. There are clockwise and counterclockwise services, and Peace Loop 653 runs on this line too.
Which one-day ticket should I buy?
There are two kinds. The one-day streetcar and ferry ticket (一日乗車乗船券) is ¥1,000 for adults and ¥550 for children, and it includes the ¥100 Miyajima visitor tax. It covers all Hiroden streetcar lines and the Miyajima Matsudai Kisen ferry between Miyajima-guchi and Miyajima. The one-day streetcar ticket (電車一日乗車券) is ¥700 for adults and ¥350 for children, and it covers the streetcar lines only. You can buy them at the Hiroden Sales Center at Hiroshima Station, from streetcar crews, at main hotels in the city and elsewhere (see one-day tickets (Japanese)).
What is the HIRODEN ART TRAM?
Car No. 1018, a Green Mover LEX, is the HIRODEN ART TRAM (“the museum that runs”). It has a white canvas design that carries exhibitions. It runs on the city lines like an ordinary streetcar, but it has no fixed timetable, and its schedule changes every day. The site has a map that shows where it is (see HIRODEN ART TRAM (Japanese)).
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4. How can I combine them, and where can I stay?
Depends on the provider
All three trips start from Hiroshima Station, so you can combine the JR sightseeing train, the atomic-bombed streetcar tour and the regular streetcars on different days. etSETOra leaves Hiroshima Station at 9:32, so a night before is easier if you come from far away.
Hotel Granvia Hiroshima (Matsubara-cho, Minami Ward, Hiroshima) is connected directly to the Shinkansen exit of JR Hiroshima Station. It is also the hotel that supplies the outbound Seto no Kobako sweets on etSETOra. On Rakuten Travel, check-in is from 14:00 to 25:00 (1:00 a.m.) and check-out is at 12:00. The hotel has no car park of its own. According to the hotel’s website, guests can use partner car parks at ¥1,600 per night (24 hours from entry). Google Maps
PR · Ad / affiliate link. Rakuten Travel is one of several ways to book a hotel. The site is in Japanese; check the date, room type and price on the final confirmation screen.
See Hotel Granvia Hiroshima on Rakuten Travel (Ad, Japanese)
If you want to compare other hotels in Hiroshima, you can also search on Ikyu.com.
PR · Ad / affiliate link. Ikyu.com is a Japanese-language hotel booking site; check the final price and cancellation terms before you pay.
On a Peace Loop 653 day, you can leave Hiroshima Station at 10:30 and use a one-day streetcar ticket in the afternoon to go around the city or to Hiroden-miyajima-guchi. On an etSETOra day, the train gets back to Hiroshima in the 17:00 hour, so do not plan too much for that evening.
5. What should I keep in mind when choosing?
Depends on the provider
- etSETOra runs only on Mondays, Fridays, weekends and holidays. If you visit Hiroshima from Tuesday to Thursday, pick your day from the calendar of running days.
- You cannot buy etSETOra reserved-seat tickets on board. Peace Loop 653 has no same-day sign-up when it is full. Book both first.
- A streetcar ride is a flat ¥240 for adults, and Hiroshima Station to Hiroden-miyajima-guchi takes 66 minutes. If you cross to Miyajima, the ¥100 Miyajima visitor tax is charged separately (the one-day streetcar and ferry ticket includes it).
- Hotel Granvia Hiroshima has no car park of its own. Partner car parks are ¥1,600 per night for guests, for 24 hours from entry.
Common questions
Can I buy an etSETOra ticket on the train on the day?
No. It is a one-person-operated train and cannot issue reserved-seat tickets on board, so buy one first on e5489, at a main station or at a travel agency.
Is the etSETOra fare different going out and coming back?
No. The green-car ticket is ¥3,680 for an adult and ¥2,690 for a child in both directions, and you also need an ordinary ticket.
Can I get off Peace Loop 653 along the way?
On the second lap you can get off at Matobacho, Hatchobori, Hondori, Hiroden-honsha-mae or Hijiyama-shita. Getting off ends the tour, and you cannot board again.
Next steps
- Check how to pay on the streetcar and bus: Hiroshima Streetcar and Bus Fares (2026).
Sources (checked October 2026)
4 pages we checked
- etSETOra (JR Odekake Net, JR-West, Japanese): reservations, operating plan, May 29, 2026 (PDF)
- Peace Loop 653 (Hiroden, July 9, 2026, Japanese) and the press release (PR TIMES, Japanese)
- Hiroden (Japanese): routes, March 28, 2026 timetable change, one-day tickets, HIRODEN ART TRAM
- Hotel Granvia Hiroshima: access and parking (hotel website, Japanese); Rakuten Travel (Japanese)
Fares, hours and running days can change. The official pages are in Japanese. Stop names follow the English pages of Hiroden; station names are romanized from the Japanese names. Thumbnail photo: Hiroshima Electric Railway (press release, July 2026).
