Before leaving home.
July is the beginning of the rainy season in Japan. It is hot, and it will rain. Consider packing an umbrella and a light, waterproof coat.You will also need to take your shoes off occasionally – so don’t bring your holey socks.
Arriving in Tokyo.
Disembarking your flights and clearing customs is relatively straight-forward. The path is well-signposted and is littered with officials willing to answer questions and provide guidance.
The first gate you will come to is a booth where your temperature is checked.This is done automatically, and assuming that you are healthy, you merely pass straight through.
The second stop is the Arrivals Hall. Here you will line up, as you do at all airports around the world. In my case the line was about 40 minutes long.However, I needed every second – keep reading. There are two options for getting through passport control.One is a paper-based system, the other is an electronic system. I will describe each below.
The electronic system. Note you will need a smart phone and internet to use this. Once you start lining up, you will see a QR code on posters and screens through the line. Scanning this code will take you to a website where you answer many questions. It starts with scanning your passport using your phone’s camera. This took me about a dozen tries. It kept coming up with an error code saying there wasn’t enough light. I finally got it to work by a) removing my fingers (which were holding my photo page level), and b) using a lighter background colour (I was using the carpet which was a dark red, instead I used the white trousers of the person in front of me as the background). You will need the following information on hand to make this process easier (get this before you leave home): (i) the full details of your hotel, including post code, street address, phone number, and hotel name; (ii) your arrival and departure dates. At the end of the process (many pages and many questions later) you get a QR code. You need this at several points throughout the entry process. The QR code also serves as a Tax Exemption code if you want to buy things tax-free while you are in Japan.
I have recorded the URL: https://services.digital.go.jp/en/visit-japan-web/ I believe that you will be able to prefill this from your home before you leave for Japan, making this process much easier.
The paper-based system. You can access the paper cards once you get to the front of the line. They have cards in Japanese and English. No one used these. I didn’t use it either, so I can’t say how much easier or more difficult it is. The whole process seems to be geared towards the QR Code approach.
Next you will collect your bags.You will need to do this even if you have a connecting flight (I was told that my bags would go straight through to Hiroshima, but this was not the case). Once you collect your bags you need to go through customs.This is straight-forward.You need to find a booth and simultaneously scan your passport and your QR Code (on your phone).Once done, you go through the gate and then exit the international terminal.
Once you exit the terminal, you then check in for your domestic transfer.The check-in is a right turn just as you exit the doors.The first check-in is for ANA flights; the second is for JAL.Once you check in and get your boarding pass, you take a right turn, go through security, and head downstairs to the shuttle bus.Buses leave every 12 minutes.You head to Terminal 1 for JAL and Terminal 2 for ANA.The bus trip takes around 10 minutes. Walking to your gate will take up to another 10 minutes.
The time taken from getting off your plane and getting to your domestic departure lounge will be around 90 minutes.Ensure you have this time or more as a buffer between flights.
Arriving in Hiroshima (by plane)
Once you have collected your luggage, head towards the glass doors. There will be a booth or a machine where you can buy tickets for the Limousine Shuttle (a bus) travelling to Hiroshima Station. Buy your ticket Y1400 or 10USD. Go out the exit, and turn left. There will be a line for the Hiroshima Station Limousine Shuttle. It heads out every 20 minutes. Jump on this bus. It will take about an hour. You will eventually arrive at Hiroshima Station (Central). To walk to your hotel, see Photo 1 - below.
Photo 1: This is where you line up to catch your bus to Hiroshima
Getting to the Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel
Hotel A: Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel. High 4 star with western style rooms – much larger than typical rooms in Japanese hotels. Breakfast included. All staff speak English. $250/night*
Getting to the Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel. Step out of the bus. The Sheraton will be directly in front of you. It is the biggest building in Hiroshima.The entrance to the hotel is on the right hand side of the building as you are facing it from the bus. Catch the lift to the 5th floor (L for Lobby). See Photo below:
Photo 2: View of Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel from the bus stop
Getting to the Hotel Granvia Hiroshima
Hotel B: Hotel Granvia Hiroshima 4 Star. Breakfast included. Most staff speak English. $187/night*
Getting to the Hotel Granvia Hiroshima. Step out of the bus. Turn around 180o (towards the driver’s side). The Hotel Granvia Hiroshima will be directly in front of you.See Photo below.
Photo 3: View of Hotel Granvia from the bus stop
Go through the glass doors and the check-in counter is straight in front:
Getting to the Hotel Kawashima
Hotel C:– 3 star. Staff do not speak English. Breakfast is an additional $15. It is a set Japanese-style breakfast. Rooms are small – typical Japanese style. $70-80/night*.
Hotel C: Hotel Kawashima. Get off the bus from the airport. Turn right, and walk to Hiroshima Station (right in front of you). See Photo below.
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Photo 5: View of entrance to Hiroshima Station (for Hotel Kawashima) from the bus stop
Head to ‘South Exit’ & ‘Shinkansen’ up the escalator. See Photo below.
Continue towards South Exit – go down the escalator. And then down the second escalator. Continue straight (bearing slightly right) to the 3rd escalator. Once down the escalator head to the far left hand side – see photos below:
Hotel Kawashima is on the left, before entering the corridor. Take the lift to Level 1.
Location of all three hotels:
* Prices for hotels.The rate shown here is the typical rate. However, on occasion, there may be a Baseball game or other event. If this coincides with your booking, the room price might double.This is especially the case for Hotel Kawashima which is the closest to the Baseball stadium (Mazda Stadium).
Walk through the lobby to the entry/exit lifts. Take the lift to Floor 2. Exit the building turning left, and then left again. The entrance to Hiroshima Station is along the walkway and turn left.
Follow the signs to JR Lines:
The entrance to the train is on the right after the entrance to the Shinkansen (Bullet Train):
Walk through the lobby to the entry/exit lifts and go up the escalator, then out the doors on the right – see photos.
Go up the stairs and turn right, into the station.
Follow the signs to JR Lines:
The entrance to the train is on the right after the entrance to the Shinkansen (Bullet Train):
Follow the images below:
2. Head to the small escalators, continue forward and up.
3. Go through three sets of escalators (up) until you see 7-Eleven on the left. The entrance to the JR lines is on the left.
Go through the gate using the ticket provided – take the ticket as you walk through.
We are taking the Red line (San-yo Line) Track 1:
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The train runs every 10-15 minutes. We stay on this line and get off at the fifth stop at Itsukaichi Station. Walk to the South Gate – see photo below.Get off the train and walk up the stairs, turn right at the top to cross over the train lines. Go down the stairs, turn right, then right again, walk to the bus stop.
The conference shuttle bus will meet you at this exit.
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