etSETOra Tourist Train
Beppu is considered one of the hot spring capitals of Japan, with the entire town’s identity based on the numerous public baths, hot spring hotels and resorts, and the volcanic pools called the 7 Hells. If in Kyushu, staying at a hot spring in Beppu is a must.
| The Good | The Not-So Good |
| Unique experience | Expensive and cannot stop over |
Why use the etSETOra tourist train
Established in 2020, the etSETOra tourist train links Hiroshima City with the popular Onomichi City to the west. It offers a pleasant way to get from Hiroshima City to Onomichi City, travelling along the local Sanyo line that hugs the coastline for most of the journey. The 2-car train has onboard dining, comfortable seating and large windows.
Trains run only once a day in both directions on Mondays, Fridays and weekends only, throughout the year. In the morning the train runs from Hiroshima to Onomichi, and in the afternoon back again. There is only one fare regardless of where you get on or off as all seats are reserved. This means that hopping on and off is not possible, which is a shame as between Hiroshima and Onomichi are some spots worth visiting.
Unfortunately there is very little English information available and booking online can only be done using the Japanese-only site eki-net and e5489.
How to book with eki-net does work however if you buy tickets on eki-net you cannot pick them up in Hiroshima. You can only pick up tickets in Tokyo. This is fine if you are booking your entire trip online while in Tokyo. If you have a flexible schedule then you should not use eki-net for trips west of Tokyo.
For e5489.net use the following cheat sheet to get the journey to actually show up. After registering on the site, click the その他の特急・新幹線予約 button in the top right. Note that there is a big warning notice stating that you cannot pick up tickets east of Tokyo. This is opposite to eki-net where you cannot pick up tickets west of Tokyo.
Set the departure station to Hiroshima, destination to Onomichi and the time to 9:30AM. You have to select “no transfers” and “no Shinkansen” for the etSETOra train to show up.
Once you have the schedule showing, proceed to booking the tickets.
All seats are reserved and cost as ¥2,520 for adults and ¥1,760 for children under 16. This is regardless of where you get on and off the train. Train times are below. Note that on weekends and public holidays, the arrival time in Hiroshima from Onomichi is different.
Also note that there is only 2 hours between arrival at Onomichi and departure. So you will need to stay overnight to use the train both ways. Therefore, When Japan recommends using the etSETOra train only once (going to or returning from Onomichi). Use a local train or the Shinkansen (see details in the Onomichi article here).
| Stop (English) | Stop (Japanese) | Hiroshima – Onomichi (AM) | Onomichi – Hiroshima (PM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiroshima | 広島 | 9:32 | 17:22 (17:35) |
| Kure | 呉 | 10:23 | 16:37 |
| Aki-tsu | 安芸津 | 11:13 | 15:43 |
| Takebara | 竹原 | 11:26 | 15:29 |
| Tadano Umi | 忠海 | 11:37 | 15:18 |
| Hihara | 三原 | 12:18 | 14:54 |
| Onomichi | 尾道 | 12:32 | 14:38 |
https://www.jr-odekake.net/railroad/kankoutrain/area_hiroshima/etsetora/
https://japanrailandtravel.com/trains/jr-west/etsetora/
Places along the etSETOra train line
etSETOra Tourist Train
Kure City
Onomichi City
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Hiroshima City
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Miyajima Island
An Island off the coast of Hiroshima, accessible by ferry, is the location of Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage site. It is a popular tourist destination, famous for its “floating” gate (which is currently covered in scaffolding for repairs.When JapanTweet Tori Gate renovation travel cautionThe Tori Gate, a major draw…
