Hiroshima Prefecture

OMG Yoko you are the best … a fantastic way to get an insider feel for the beautiful city of Hiroshima!

It was just me and Ken for this tour. It was a great time, we talked about numerous things, he chose some great food and he picked some new things I've never tried which was part of why I wanted to do the tour. Highly recommend any tour with Ken as he was just a pleasant person to hang out with and his english was good so communicating was easy.

The JR Pass is excellent value! We only waited about 5 minutes in line at the Kansai Airport counter, and the staff immediately helped us reserve seats on the Haruka train. From queuing to boarding, it took just 15 minutes in total. It's fantastic to have unlimited rides on the Hello Kitty Shinkansen and trips to Hiroshima included. For a 5-day pass focused on the Kansai area, it offers extremely high value. The only downside is that it doesn't cover Nozomi or Mizuho Shinkansen services between Kyoto and Osaka/Shin-Osaka. However, the Thunderbird limited express train that operates on the same route is also very comfortable and pleasant."

Easy booking through Klook. Super easy redemption at the airport. Seat reservation: No problem at the machine. But not always necessary, sometimes we just rode in the unreserved car. Staff always very friendly. We used it in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hiroshima. Everything worked out great.

This gave us unlimited pass on using trams in Hiroshima. Though we were not sure it applies to the Astram Line. Either way, this pass is a good find if you plan to explore the city proper.

price: cheaper than buying onsite. Redemption process was easy. I redeemed my tickets at Hakata Station. Redemption guide was clear & comprehensive. Seat reservation process pretty easy. English language was available for selection from the menu of the machine/kiosk. Two steps. You would need to redeem the shinkansen tickets prior to making a seat reservation.

At Hakata Station, I got a numbered ticket and exchanged it for my pass with almost no wait. I even asked them to reserve a Shinkansen ticket to Hiroshima departing in an hour. While waiting, I went to Doutor Coffee for toast and coffee. From Hiroshima Station, I headed straight to Miyajima with just my backpack. I didn't need to buy a separate ticket; I could go directly from the Shinkansen to the JR exit. After getting off, I took a ferry (had to pay a 100 yen island entry tax) to the island with the JR ferry, and I could return to Hiroshima using the same route. The next day, I went to Onomichi, but because of the train schedule, I transferred from the Shinkansen to the JR line at Fukuyama and returned the same way. This time, the Shinkansen ride was only 25 minutes, so I didn't reserve a specific seat and just took a non-reserved seat. I didn't even reserve the non-reserved seat, just entered with my pass and sat in the non-reserved section or in an empty seat. I got caught once^^ They said it was the Fukushima-Hiroshima section, but when I showed my pass, they just said "Daijobu~" and left. On the last day, the Hiroshima-Hikita section... the Shinkansen was delayed by 2 hours. This time, I reserved a specific seat myself using the machine... Anyway, for a one-hour section, a reserved seat seems safer than a non-reserved seat. I spent two hours sweating and sitting on the platform floor, but I was able to endure it because I had a book with me... Anyway, thanks to the pass, I had a cheap, comfortable, and fun trip!

Sanyo Sanin pass was very great and easy to use when traveling in Kanto region. we have used it on our travels all the way from Hiroshima, Himeji and Kobe. Highly recommended it for people who wanted to explore outside of Kyoto and Osaka. Shinkansen was very punctual (unless there are unfortunate events and bad weather conditions). It offered unlimited travel on JR trains, including the shinkansen (except Nozomi/Mizuho), which made moving between cities like Hiroshima, Okayama, and Fukuoka incredibly easy and affordable. I saved a lot compared to buying individual tickets, and the convenience of just hopping on and off trains with a pass was unbeatable.

Buying this pass is really cost-effective. You can ride the Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Hakata as much as you want, and you can also take the JR to Takamatsu, take a ferry to Shodoshima, and even take a high-speed ferry back to Hiroshima from Matsuyama.