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Kyoto to Hiroshima: price, time and JR Pass

The short answer

Budget ¥10,770 (about $69) per person whichever option you take: on this line the fare does not depend on the train. What separates them is how long they take, and the fact that the Japan Rail Pass does not cover the fastest train.

The two stations are 381 km (236 miles) apart by rail.

The two ways to get there

JR train

Tokaido then Sanyo Shinkansen

Kyoto → Hiroshima, no change, unreserved seat

¥10,770 about $69 · per person
about 1 h 40 journey time
Japan Rail Pass: no The Nozomi and the Mizuho are the only JR trains the pass leaves out.
Who runs it
JR The public rail network, six regional companies. The Japan Rail Pass is valid on their lines and on nothing else. Source
Which train
Nozomi and Mizuho Nozomi and Mizuho: The fastest services on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines: they stop only at the major stations. They are the only JR trains excluded from the Japan Rail Pass. Source

Most Nozomi that call at Kyoto carry straight on to Hiroshima and beyond with no change: one continuous ticket, not a connection to work out. Not covered by the Japan Rail Pass; the pass holders' top-up is around ¥4,170 (about $27) if you want to take it anyway. Fare source

JR train

Sanyo Shinkansen Hikari

Kyoto → Hiroshima, direct, unreserved seat

¥10,770 about $69 · per person
about 2 h journey time
Japan Rail Pass: yes Covered by the Japan Rail Pass.
Who runs it
JR The public rail network, six regional companies. The Japan Rail Pass is valid on their lines and on nothing else. Source
Which train
Hikari and Sakura Hikari and Sakura: Same rails as the Nozomi, a few more stops. Covered by the Japan Rail Pass, with no supplement. Source

Same price as the Nozomi, and covered by the pass. Only three direct departures from Kyoto, all in the morning, around 7:20, 8:00 and 8:23; outside those, a change at Shin-Osaka or Shin-Kobe adds 10 to 15 minutes. Fare source

Last checked August 11, 2026. The dollar figure is worked out at the exchange rate of the site's last update and is never stored beside the yen.

This trip inside your whole itinerary

One trip on its own never tells you whether the Japan Rail Pass is worth it. That depends on every other leg of the journey, and on the regional passes, which are far cheaper and cover only their own area.

See what the passes cost

Where to sleep at either end: Kyoto, Hiroshima · Miyajima.

Why two lines, “who runs it” and “which train”?