Using an eSIM in Hiroshima

What Hiroshima is like on a phone

Most people come to Hiroshima for two specific things: the peace memorial and the ferry across to Miyajima. Plenty stop for a single day between Osaka and Fukuoka. The city sits on a delta stitched with bridges, and the streetcars roll slowly down the middle of the road, which means you spend more of your travelling time looking at a screen than you would in a subway city. Coverage across the built-up area is even, and the trams stay connected end to end.

When you land

Most arrivals step off a Shinkansen at Hiroshima Station with the line already live from the last city. Anyone flying into Hiroshima Airport (HIJ) lands on a plateau well outside town and takes a bus down for about an hour; the descent has curves and tunnels where the signal swings, so enable the line in the cabin and have the bus ticket bought or saved beforehand. At the station, open the tram app straight away — the stops are out on the road in front of the building, not inside it.

Where coverage changes

The centre around the memorial park and the Hondori arcade is continuous; the arcade roof does not block anything. The riverbanks and the many bridges are open sky and noticeably good. Out at Ujina pier the line is strong right up to boarding, then softens in mid-channel before returning as the island approaches. On Hijiyama hill, where people climb for the city view, a few pockets go quiet under the tree cover.

What a day here costs in data

A day here runs about 700MB–1GB; the routes are simple and much of the time is spent walking the memorial grounds. What costs more than expected is audio commentary or background reading while you walk, which streams steadily for an hour or two at a stretch. Island days climb higher because of photographs sent as they are taken. If you want to keep it down, download the commentary at the hotel before you go out.

Districts travellers ask about

• Peace Memorial Park — Open ground along the river with a steady connection throughout; a good place to run an audio guide as you walk, with headphones and a quiet phone out of respect for where you are standing.
• Hondori — The long covered shopping street, busy in the early evening and untroubled by the roof; a convenient place to lock in a dinner booking before moving on.
• Ujina Port — The pier for the island crossings and Inland Sea routes; the connection at the terminal is strong, so check sailings and buy the ticket before boarding, since schedules shift with the weather.
• Hijiyama — A low hill in the middle of town looking out over the whole delta; the summit is well served, though the shaded path up has weak stretches, so agree a meeting point before you split up.

Day trips out of the city

• Miyajima — The crossing is short but the line dips mid-channel; the shopping street and shrine are fine, while the climb up Mount Misen has long silent stretches. Check the last ferry before you start walking uphill, not after.
• Onomichi — A hillside town people use as the start of the island-hopping cycle route; town and the long bridges are well served because the bridges are wide open, but the lanes climbing the slope behind have scattered dead pockets.
• Iwakuni — A wooden arched bridge over a wide river, with a ropeway up to the hill castle; the riverside is strong, while the cabin ride and the summit swing depending on which way the hill faces.